BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Sept. 3, 2020– Hurricane Nana, which had wind speeds of 75 miles per hour when it approached Belize’s coast, made landfall in the Stann Creek District during the early hours of Thursday morning. The category 1 storm impacted the Hopkins and Sittee River communities directly before making its way further inland and weakening.
The downgraded system now continues on its course to Guatemala, where it is expected to continue deteriorating.
At around 9:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) issued an “All Clear” signal for the entire country of Belize. The organization’s 12th advisory stated, “Initial reports suggest that Stann Creek District is more affected than Toledo. Buildings, crops and infrastructure received varying degrees of damage.”
NEMO also said that the police, BDF, and personnel from utility companies (BEL, BWS) are also on the ground working in affected areas. Residents in the communities of Hopkins and Placencia are without electricity at this time, and while no major structural damage or loss of life has been reported, damage to homes in Hopkins, Sittee River, Silk Grass, and Independence were recorded.
An initial assessment is currently ongoing in the impact zone, and a BDF aircraft will carry out a flyover. The purpose of NEMO’s assessment is to identify humanitarian needs, and as a result, only assessments done by NEMO will be considered valid and honoured.
Initial reports for low impact cyclones are typically due within 24 hours. Additional information will be made available by NEMO personnel on the ground when the assessment is completed.
