“Evacuation of coastal communities during the threat of a Cat 4 or Cat 5 hurricane is unequivocal, and must be initiated as early as possible.”
– Acting Chief Meteorologist, Ramon Frutos
A high-level contingent of Government of Belize officials from various Ministries visited southern Mexico today to get a first hand view of the damage Hurricane Dean wrought at the cruise port of Costa Maya and the Majahual early on Tuesday morning.
The marked devastation they observed for miles along the Mexican coast was in sharp contrast to the mess Dean left behind in Belize.
Acting Chief Meteorological Officer, Ramon Frutos, who was one of several technical persons on the contingent, said that the team of about 15 was able to survey the damage just north of where the eye of the hurricane made landfall at Majahual, where there were many tourist resorts. Even buildings made of reinforced concrete were destroyed and a stone-concrete pier used at the Costa Maya cruise port was completely demolished, he reported.
The biggest impact of the storm was felt on the northern side of the eye, with the northern districts of Belize being spared from major damage.
“At Majahual and its surroundings, where the impact was most severe, there was concrete evidence of extensive infrastructural damage to the buildings, the cruise liner pier, the landscape and the beach,” Frutos documents in his written summary report. “A large area of the coastal zone suffered major damage to the potable water services, the electrical power grid and the forests. Steel towers for high tension electrical cables and reinforced ferro-concrete electrical poles simply snapped and lay on the ground for many miles.”
The team also observed extensive beach erosion.
According to Frutos, that area had experienced 16 feet of storm surge along the coast, extending to half a kilometer inland.
The Government of Mexico had forced the evacuation of that entire area, and most residents were transported to Chetumal and areas inland. Local news reports say that an American who had stayed behind clung to life in a tree.
In the area of the catastrophe, there was still no water or power today.
There was extensive damage to vegetation, and even steel towers that supported the power grid in Costa Maya were destroyed and the ferro concrete poles cast to the ground, Frutos added.
Among those who went to survey the scene of Dean’s landfall in Mexico were police officers, the Commissioner of Lands, the Chief Forestry Officer, the Chief Engineer in the Ministry of Works, the Chief Environmental Officer, the Chief and Acting Chief Met Officer and the Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ismael Cal.
The purpose, said Frutos, is so that the Government would know what physical, environmental and structural damage a storm like Dean could do, so that Belize would be better prepared.
Mr. Frutos laid out the lessons learned from Dean:
1) The damage caused by a Cat 5 hurricane can indeed be catastrophic, especially in a highly developed coastal region. Better planning is paramount for future coastal development.
2) The Government of Belize has encouraged and facilitated cruise tourism in Belize. However, this economic activity is very vulnerable to the impact of hurricanes. Hence it is wise that Belize diversifies its economic activity as much as possible and ensure the integrity of its coastal mangrove forest, which can help absorb the impact of intense hurricanes, as well as provide other ecosystem services.
3) Evacuation of coastal communities during the threat of a Cat 4 or Cat 5 hurricane is unequivocal, and must be initiated as early as possible during the period of such a threat.
4) More and better equipped hurricane shelters are needed for Belize City and the major towns across the nation.
5) A Cat 5 hurricane can easily generate a storm surge of 15 feet or greater in the Belize City area upon landfall, especially if the eye crosses the coast south of Belize City.