Belize City, Wed. July 14, 2021– On Tuesday night a tropical wave swept over southern Belize, where, according to meteorologists, there was five inches of rainfall within a span of just thirty-six hours. As a result, over the course of just one night, various village residents began to see their roadways, bridges and even their homes being submerged under water.
Since then, many farmers and owners of livestock have been struggling to transport cattle across streets that remain under water. One such village is San Vicente, where, according to multiple residents, there has never been this level of flooding. According to witnesses, a man’s property was seen floating away from his flooded home while he was away. Members of neighboring villages are also in dire straits, as they cannot move their cows, sheep, chickens etc. to higher ground due to flooded roads.

Residents of Blue Creek and Mafredi Village are also being evacuated from their homes, where they say water has risen to destructive levels and where the river is about twenty-five to thirty feet above the bridge. The conditions in these southern villages might be compounded by another tropical wave that, according to the National Meteorological Services’ forecast, will be affecting the country over the weekend. These rains will add to the swell of the Moho River, the Temash River and the Rio Grande River, which have all been declared to be at flood level.

Citizens are waiting to see now what the next move of the GOB and our emergency responders will be, as Cabinet on Tuesday had announced an extension to the lockdown in the southern villages of Barranco, Midway and Conejo until July 31, 2021 due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Notably, flooding has also been recorded in San Pedro Colombia and at the Triple L’s Farms of Mafredi.