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August 10, 2016
For the latest on Tropical Storm Earl, click here
FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE
Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report. Specials and Events
 Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials
Ambergris Today
Toucan Gift Shops Donate Motorcycle to San Pedro Police
Gus Tabony was accompanied by his staff of Toucan Gift Shops at the San Pedro Town Hall this morning, Tuesday, August 9,, 2016, to present the Council a new Honda motorcycle. On hand to accept the donation was Mayor Daniel Guerrero who indicated that the motorcycle will be presented to the San Pedro Police Department to assist them in their patrolling of the island.
Mayor Danny, extended his gratitude to Mr. Tabony after he had reached out to him for assistance.
Miss Belize Pageant Activities Kick Off
The journey to the Miss Belize Pageant includes 14 delegates and a plan to put Belize on the beauty map in a new way. It has been nearly 10 years since a delegate from Belize graced the Miss Universe Pageant stage. September 10 will mark a turning point, when a panel of judges will select a young woman to represent Belize in the world’s premiere beauty pageant.
Opal Enriquez, National Director of Miss Belize Universe, is pleased with the lineup of young women who will vie for the crown. “These young women are accomplished, intelligent and beautiful, ” Enriquez said. “Belizeans can be proud to have such a strong group contestants—any of whom would represent us well on an international stage.”
As the delegates prepare for the pageant, producers are documenting the process in a miniseries titled “Beauty and Belize.”
Misc Belizean Sources
Senator Hon. Dr. Carla Barnett Sworn-in as Minister of State
This morning in a brief ceremony at the Belize House in Belmopan, Senator Hon. Dr. Carla Barnett was sworn-in as a Minister of State by the Governor General H.E. Sir Colville Young.
The Honourable Senator will now assume responsibility as Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance for which the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow holds overall responsibility.
On the occasion of her swearing-in, the newly appointed Minister of State said:
“I’ve been asked to perform in a position that is really important at this time; and my hope, my expectation, my commitment is to do the best that I can along with the full team in Cabinet to ensure that we do what needs to be done at this time.”
Panerrifix Steelband Summer Jam Session #2
We have been honored and privileged to work with T.J. Budna King from Antigua & Barbuda as a part of our Fun-tastic Summer Development Program - with the Benque Marimba Youths!
Join us Friday August 12th, at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Hall for a Jam Session as guest performers for the Pannerifix Steel Band! Make it a date!
Entrance fee $5.00
A bus will be available for interested travelers (round trip) Benque to Belmopan, inbox us for more details.
Caleb Orozco court case decision
Today will be the decision of section 53, at the Belize Supreme Court at 10am. Finally after 3 plus years the court has decided that end of term meant 36 months later. For me this case spoke an inconvenient truth, that is there is no urgency when everyday citizens seek redress about their fundamental rights.There are over 30 other cases in the system that has been languishing. If we are are to value the ideals of our constitution, our practice of respect of those ideals will have to reflect in the substance of our action. I am relieved that we have a decision date tomorrow, but I remain cynical about a system that willingly throws the ideals of our constitution under the bus. This in my mind only happens when citizens support such action through the practice of collective silence.
Belize Screen on the Green this Thursday in Belmopan
HAPPENING THIS WEEK! Get out of the house and take a break from hurricane Earl cleanup and repairs! Join us this week for Belize Screen on the Green this Thursday in Belmopan. We will be screening the movie, "Billy Elliot" at the Governor General Field. Movie starts at dark, free popcorn and drinks as always!
About the movie- The life of 11-year-old Billy Elliot, a coal miner's son in Northern England, is forever changed one day when he stumbles upon a ballet class during his weekly boxing lesson. Before long, he finds himself in dance, demonstrating the kind of raw talent seldom seen by the class' exacting instructor, Mrs. Wilkinson. With a tart tongue and a never-ending stream of cigarettes in her hand, Mrs. Wilkinson's zest for teaching is revived when she sees Billy's potential.
TOURISM IN BELIZE BOUNCES BACK AFTER HURRICANE EARL !!
The Tourism Industry in Belize has once again proved to be resilient, and through continuous team efforts between the private and the public sector, Belize continues to be your vacation getaway, just one week after Hurricane Earl!
On Thursday August 5, the ALL CLEAR was declared shortly after 9AM, and the government departments, residents, business owners, and visitors busied themselves with the herculean task
of cleaning up the debris and destruction that Earl left in its wake. Water and power supplies were up almost immediately making this process a lot quicker and easier.
Press briefings from the Tourism Ministry, the day after the storm, stated that there was significant damage to the docks on the islands and some beach erosion. However, hotels suffered very little infrastructural damage and tourism is back to business as usual.
Other destinations like San Ignacio, Cayo, Placencia, Dangriga, and Hopkins fared much better and they continued to receive guests before and immediately after the storm.
Industry Conference/Tourism Awards Postponed
Hurricane Earl has now passed, leaving our industry in a state of recovery. We were glad to learn that everyone is now safe, and we can now work together to rebuild what has been lost.
In light of these circumstances, we would like to inform the industry that both our Annual Tourism Industry Conference and our National Tourism Awards, which were scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 13th are being postponed until further notice. We will keep everyone informed once a new date has been determined.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Continue to stay safe.
Sincerely,
Karen Pike,
Director of Marketing and Industry Relations.
Toucan Gift Shops donates motorcycle
Mr. Gus Tabony and his staff of the Toucan Gift Shops visited the Mayor and the San Pedro Town Council with a great surprise! Mr. Gus presented the Mayor with a brand new Honda motorcycle. The Mayor had previously requested assistance for a motorcycle for the San Pedro Police Department and Mr. Tabony stepped up to the plate. Thank you Mr. Gus Tabony!
Soul Project's Community Art Space Mission
Great article from a traveller who loved the Soul Project. The cultural hub of Cayo. Always be part of the creative collective.
"This time the creative collective spoke to us. Fed us. We sat in some place we’d never been before, and soaked up the creative energy. Music filled the room, art adorned the walls, and ideas bounced around inside my head. So much creativity, and I took in as much as I could. Once in a while it’s okay to sit back and let other people show you what they can do. More than that, it’s necessary to step back and let the collective entertain you for awhile. The energy flows back and forth, all around, and full circle.
Our future drum makers
We have a feeling tiny drums are going to be a big hit! Thanks Stann Creek House of Culture
We can almost HEAR the beat!
Creole Drumming & Rhythm workshop at SISE House of Culture.
Storm damage around Tapir Camp and Visitor Center, Chiquibul National Park
Channel 7
William Mason Talks From Behind Prison Walls
For the past 3 weeks, you've been hearing a lot about William Danny Mason, the man who police believe to be the mastermind in the beheading murder of Pastor Llewelyn Lucas.
So, a lot has been said about him, but what does he have to say? Well, today's midweek issue of the Amandala featured an interview with Mason via telephone. It's a rare opportunity, since, Mason is currently on remand while he awaits Supreme Court trial.
In it, he names Rural Eastern Division Commander Edward Broaster as a senior cop who allegedly reached out to him for donations. But, as you would remember from last week, Broaster told the media that he never spoke to the man except for when he investigated Mason for complaint of land fraud. He also said that he found the ripoff report web site in which a number of Canadians say that he is a conman.
But first, for context we re-air a short clip of our interview with Danny Mason, so that you can be sure that the man speaking to the Amandala reporter is indeed him:
Broaster Rejects Any Connection To Mason
And while that's what Broaster said last week, today Broaster called a press conference just to make it clear that Mason had no reason to call his name. Here's how he put it. Here's what he said this afternoon:...
ACP Edward Broaster - OC, Eastern Division Rural:
"Danny Mason and I had no informal nor formal communication. I had no messenger as it pertains to any donation what have you. Like I said, I think it was a week ago when I briefed the media. 3 weeks prior to the death of the pastor I received a message through Mr. Chan from Danny Mason wanting to meet and I refused to meet with him and I never met with him and I have never solicited any donations whatsoever from Mr. Mason through any individual."
"There has been no communication between myself and Danny Mason."
Reporter:
"Is there any indication as to why he wanted to meet with you at this time?"
ACP Edward Broaster - OC, Eastern Division Rural:
"As far as what I was told Mr. Chan was telling me that he wanted to donate some cycles and so on to their precinct and so on and I had no intention of accepting any donation from Mr. Mason."
Luis Carter Charge Upgraded To Murder
Four weeks ago, we told you about 23 year old Luis "Wizz" Carter, the San Pedrano accused of shooting his one time association Dwayne Hyde.
Well Hyde died from those injuries last week, and, tonight, Carter's charge has been upgraded to murder.
Carter went to the Supreme Court today to apply for bail for attempted murder but that had to be withdrawn when Prosecutor for the DPP, Rene Montero Jr informed the court that he spoke with the arresting officer who had already served Carter with his new upgraded charge sheet from attempted murder to murder.
Carter's attorney, Anthony Sylvester wasn't so sure and was hesitant to withdraw his application. But presiding Justice John Gonzalez told him that he does not believe the prosecutor would try to deceive the court with false information and with that Sylvester relented, and the application for bail was not heard.
Belizean Got His Throat Cut In Arenal
A Belizean was murdered in Guatemala on the weekend. It happened on the Guatemalan side of the village of Arenal, of which half is on the Belize side, half in Guatemala. 25 year old Mario Cunil was socializing at a bar in Arenal with his Guatemalan friend when he got into a confrontation with another patron. Cunil's throat was slashed and his Guatemalan friend who tried to help Cunil was injured as well and he died yesterday.
So, it is a double murder - and Belziena diplomat Said Guerra has been dispatched to assist the Belizean family in getting their loved one home.
Our records show that in 2011, Cunil, was charged with drug trafficking for 4 pounds of cannabis and was sentenced to 3 years in jail.
Dr. Carla's In Cabinet
There's one more minister of state in a very crowded cabinet room. Senator Dr. Carla Barnett was sworn-in by the Governor General H.E. Sir Colville Young today. She now assumes responsibility as Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Ministry of Finance.
The Prime Minister has said hse was brought in specifically to identify and secure relief funding for Belize in the wake of Hurricane Earl.
We counted five ministers and ministers of state at her swearing in. Dr. Barnett has served as the Deputy Secretary General of Caricom and the Vice President of the CDB.
Distributing Hurricane Relief
Yesterday the Human Services Department went to shelters around the city giving out warm food and mattresses. Today, it was city residents' turn to get their supplies. Teams went into different communities handing out cereal, water and cleaning supplies to those who are back at home or at least trying to rebuild their houses. The Counseling Coordinator in the Human Services Department told us more about their relief efforts.
Onando St. Bernard, Counselling Coord., Human Services:
"We are here in the Belama area at this phase 4,3,2,1. Since Thursday we've been out distributing food packages, cleaning supplies and also now mattresses. Food supplies, we've probably distributed over 100 packages, but that's just for Belama. There are other teams in other parts of the city such as Collet and Lake Independence, where they are distributing the same things, food packages, cleaning supplies and mattresses. Looking at the food packages, you have basically the canned goods, corn flakes, cereals, things like that.
Notorious Tyrone Meighan, Taking A Chance At Change
If you live in Belize City, or you watch the evening news regularly, you know very well about brothers Ellis and Tyrone Meighan. They're believed to be two of the most feared personalities of the Ghost Town Gang. They've made the news being charged and acquitted for a number of crimes, or because of the constant police attention, which they have complained of as being harassment.
Older brother Ellis Meighan granted us a number of interviews earlier this year, but whenever the press encounters Tyrone, he's usually dodging, or being hostile and confrontational with the camera operators. Today, however, he granted his first ever interview while he was out with Eastern Division South cops while they were out on a humanitarian mission. The cops were at the city hurricane shelters to provide lunch to those residents stuck there because their homes were destroyed by the storm.
Daniel Ortiz was at the shelter, and he spoke with Meighan. He took a look at the two faces of the most feared man in the streets:
75 Year Old Claims GSU Roughed Him Up
On last night's news, you heard about the latest seizures and arrests from the Gang Suppression Unit. But once story they didn't report on was of 75 year old Winfield Garnett. The Pen Road resident says he got home yesterday morning to find that the GSU were searching a property int the yard where he lives. They told him to wait outside while they conducted the search - but he says he simply stepped into the shade. That's when he says the officers roped him in just like the young men in the yard - but unlike them, he wouldn't just take it kneeling down. Here's how he explained the encounter and the aftermath:…
High Water Over Low Lying Bridge In Cayo
As we showed you last week, the Macal River over-ran its banks on Thursday - and since then water levels in the west have remained high. It didn't force the closure of the Roaring Creek Bridge, but NEMO confirms that the wooden bridge in San Ignacio is seriously damaged and remains closed. It is classified as impassable and no one should ATTEMPT TO CROSS it. Also, the Hammock Bridge in Calla Creek was destroyed by those floodwaters.
We note that Earl also caused a bridge in Melchor to wash away.
Hurricane Earl's Damage Not Enough To Trigger CCRIF Insurance
But, even with that damage and the many more instances of Earl related wreckage we have shown you, the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility says, quote, "The preliminary runs of CCRIF's loss model indicate that the Tropical Cyclone policy for this country did not trigger and therefore no payout is due."
Belize pays one million dollars annually into this insurance scheme which is "designed to cover damages from wind and storm surge but not rainfall."
The report notes that at midnight on Thursday 4th August, Hurricane Earl made landfall about 5 mi SW of Belize City, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
The report notes Structural damage to houses, businesses, government and private buildings.
But, they conclude dryly, that, quote, "Preliminary runs of the CCRIF loss model generated some government losses due to wind and storm surge damage in Belize. However, the modelled loss was below the attachment point of the country's Tropical Cyclone policy and therefore no payout is due." End quote.
Cops Reach Out With Relief
Earlier we showed you the Ministry of Human Development teams out distributing relief items to those needy residents affected by the storm. Well, Eastern Division Police, BATSUB soldiers, and even emergent UDP politician Shyne Barrow were out at the shelters giving out food to the Belize City residents trapped in the hurricane shelters.
Our news team was there when Eastern Division South police handed out their donation of food, and we spoke with the Assistant Police Commissioner About it:
ACP Chester Williams - OC, Eastern Division South:
"As you know we just went through a storm during which the lives of many persons were altered particularly on the south side of Belize City due to the fact that their homes, to some extent, has been damaged and in some cases have been destroyed totally. We don't think that it would have been wise for us to do meet and greet in a time like this because we know people are still recovering and people are in a state of distress. So we decided to do something for the community still and we decided on the meet and feed. Furthering this initiative, I partnered with the guys from the streets, we have Mr. Underwood from Southside and we have Mr. Meighan from Banak Street.
BTL Chooses Red Cross
Although Human Services, the police and many other organizations are doing their best to reach out to all storm victims, they can only do so much and that is why more help is needed. It is in that spirit that BTL donated $50,000 to the Belize Red Cross and Hand in Hand Ministries. Today at a short handing over ceremony, Chairman of the BTL Executive Committee Anwar Barrow explained why this donation was important. The recipients also discussed how crucial this contribution will be to their hurricane response programs.
Anwar Barrow, Chair., BTL Executive Committee:
"Today BTL is handing over $100,000; $50,000 is going to the Red Cross Organization which they're going to use for direct hurricane relief efforts to people who have suffered tremendous losses. A lot of the resources are going to go directly through prepaid cards to victims so that they can use that cash to buy supplies that they need. We are also contributing another $50,000 to Hand In Hand Ministries for the rebuilding of homes and that is going to start in September. We're going to be rebuilding homes for needy families and BTL employees are also going to be a part of that program in actually constructing the homes."
NEMO's Stats
And finally tonight, we have the latest 6:00 PM update from NEMO. There are still 170 persons in Shelters as follows: 91 in Belize City, 16 In Cayo, 28 in Hattievile and four in Orange Walk.
So far NEMO has assisted 1,580 households or about 8,000 persons. That's 1200 households assisted in Belize City, Belama, Vista Del Mar, Ladyville, Lords Bank and Sand Hill. Old Northern Highway communities: La Democracia, Gracie Rock, Hattieville, Western Pines and Freetown Sibun. There were 123 Households assisted in Stann Creek and 226 households in Belmopan and the surrounding communities. 23 households have been assisted in Orange Walk and 10 in San Pedro & Caye Caulker.
NEMO has issued 4,716 food packs, 3,603 gallons of water, 2,300 gallons of Clorox, 946 mattresses and 284 rolls of plastic sheetings or tarps.
NEMO reports that BATSUB, BDF and UNICEF have been assisting persons in shelters. The Belize Red Cross, and USAID are supporting NEMO with field operations.
Channel 5
Melissa Ferguson is Still Detained
Melissa Ferguson remains in the custody of the National Crimes Investigation Branch tonight, as officers await a directive from ACP Joseph Myvett, Head of the NCIB, on whether to charge [...]
Companion of Mason Says She Saw Pastor Lue at Intelco Hill Home
The gruesome murder of Pastor Llewellyn Lucas and the circumstances surrounding the discovery of his head on Friday, July fifteenth shocked the nation. Police have remained circumspect in their revelations, [...]
Ferguson Tells Investigators She Didn’t See Anything Happen
According to Ferguson – more specifically according to what Ferguson has told her attorney and allegedly investigators, she didn’t begin to realize that something was happening until her husband showed [...]
R.E.D. Police Deny Close Ties to Mason
William “Danny” Mason has become the proverbial bogeyman hiding in the closets and under the beds of Cabinet Ministers, high-level politicians and high-ranking Police Officers. Even securely behind bars at [...]
A.C.P. Broaster Says He Knew Mason Was Shady and Kept His Distance
News Five also managed to contact Hattieville Commander Rochelle Chan who explained to us that he met Mason only once while conducting an investigation concerning an employee at his ranch [...]
4 Charged for Vicious Home Invasion
Four persons were in Court today for the very vicious beating of a young woman in Dangriga on Sunday afternoon. According to reports, and evidence, three women pushed their way [...]
Belizean Killed in Guatemala
An investigation is ongoing on the overnight murder of a Belizean in Guatemala. News Five has confirmed that Mario Estuardo Cunil, a resident of Arenal on the Belizean side, was [...]
Do Mason and Ferguson Have Incriminating Evidence Against High Level Officials?
And tonight’s question is: Do you believe William Mason and Melissa Ferguson have incriminating evidence against ministers and high level officials? Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones [...]
Gang Leaders Turned Humanitarians
All hands are on deck in the ongoing recovery process in the wake of Hurricane Earl that caused untold destruction around the country. In the city, where the brunt of [...]
Is Melissa Ferguson Prepared to Spend Time for Murder?
Melissa Ferguson is preparing to spend her second night behind bars, with no indication to us at this point if she will be charged in relation to the kidnapping and [...]
“Wizz” Faces Murder Charge
Twenty-three year old Luis Carter is now facing a murder charge for the killing of Dwayne Hyde, who succumbed to his injuries weeks after being shot on San Pedro. Carter, [...]
NEMO Keeps Watch on Belize River Valley
In the Belize River Valley, communities are preparing but hoping that flooding will not further affect their livelihood. Water levels are up and at least one village, May Pen, is [...]
Senator Carla Barnett Sworn-in As Minister of State
The newest member of cabinet took the oath of office this morning. Following the passage of Hurricane Earl, the Prime Minister announced the appointment of Senator Carla Barnett as the [...]
Iconic Bliss Sustains Significant Damage from Earl
The Bliss Center for the Performing Arts and the House of Culture in Belize City sustained significant wind and water damages during Hurricane Earl last Wednesday. The ground floor of [...]
NICH Provides Status Report on Archaeological Sites in Wake of Earl
A number of archaeological sites, including Altun Ha and Lamanai, were also closed due to the severe weather system. The ancient Maya sites were largely unaffected by heavy winds; nonetheless, [...]
National Song Competition Kicks Off this Weekend
The National Song Competition, the premier event that kicks off the annual September Celebration, will be held at the Memorial Park on Saturday. A total of twenty-one songs will be [...]
Belizeans Featured in Rio 2016
Three Belizean athletes are participating in their very first Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero—Renick James in Judo; Katy Sealy, in the hundred meter hurdles and Brandon Jones in the [...]
CTV3
Will Belizeans Be Able To Cross Santa Elena Border Without Stamping Passports?
An excursion that will be taking place over the weekend will challenge Belizean immigration laws at the Santa Elena border, which requires all Belizeans to have their passport stamped upon leaving and entering the country. Orange Walk residents Geovanni De la Fuente and Rene Cuello, are of the conviction that Belizeans should be able to move through Belizean borders without having to get their passport stamped when leaving and entering the country. Today both men visited our morning show, Despierta Belice and explained the rationale behind their standpoint.
Geovanni De la Fuente:
“I find it strange when going to this area where you find the Casinos, not the Free Zone, but the the Casinos, I find it strange that the Immigration authorities at the Santa Elena Border that they insist that you have to stamp, now I don’t understand the rational or the reason for wanting a Belizean to stamp his passport when you are going to the Casino area, the casino area is not located in Mexico and it is not located in the Free Zone and so I join with my friend here and one of his first priority is to establish t the Belizean people....”
Orange Walk Town Council Releases Fiesta Rama Report
After an entire weekend of fun-filled activities that took place at the People’s Stadium as part of the annual Fiestarama event, the official financial report for this year has been calculated and released by the Orange Walk Town Council. The report shows that after all expenditures were covered, the total profit amounted to nineteen thousand five hundred sixty one dollars and seventy five cents.
Kevin Bernard – Mayor, Orange Walk Town Council:
“This year despite of the weather and the turn out I terms of the businesses that participated, we had lesser businesses participation we still were able to generate a descent profit for this weekend event and you would know as well that this year we only had a two day event even though the grounds were open from Friday we only had the gates collected and we only had it on Saturday and Sunday...”
Barnett Sworned In As Minister Of State In The Ministry Of Finance
This morning Senator Carla Barnett was sworn as a Minister of State by the Governor General His Excellency Sir Colville Young during a brief ceremony held at the Belize House in Belmopan.
Barnett will now assume the responsibility as Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, led by Prime Minster Dean Barrow.
Barnett’s ascension to Minister of state was announced by Prime Minister Barrow during a press conference last week to discuss damages caused by hurricane Earl. As mentioned previously by PM Barrow, Minister Barnett’s primary responsibility will be to assess total damages caused by Earl and negotiate for international assistance.
China Taiwan Assist In Hurricane Relief
As the works continue to restore normalcy in our country following the passage of Hurricane Earl early on Thursday morning, the government of Belize is seeking international aid to cover the hundreds of millions of dollars in lost. Hurricane Earl brought with it strong winds that ripped roofs off buildings, uprooted trees and caused widespread power outages around the nation, and the inundation caused by heavy rains caused damage to approximately two thousand homes in the Belize District alone, not counting damages caused to homes in the Cayes.
Today the Republic of China through its embassy in Belize announced that the Government of China Taiwan has donated a total of one hundred thousand US dollars to the government of Belize for post Hurricane relief.
The donation was made to help rescue and relief efforts in disaster-affected areas and assist the affected people in getting their lives back to normal as soon as possible.
Royal Tomb Discovered At Famous Maya Ruin
The first ever royal tomb site of Xunantunich and one of the largest of Belize was found by international Archaeologists working on the ancient Mayan city. The royal tomb was found by chance by the group of Archeologists excavating in the Maya temple. Inside were the remains of an adult male between 20 and 30 lying on his back believed to be an ancient ruler of the Mayan City.
According to a report in the Science magazine, “Business insider”, specialists that have viewed the ancient tomb believe that its discovery will shed light into the legendary 'snake dynasty'- a family that ruled the Maya empire some 1,300-years-ago, and used a snake-head emblem as their symbol.
OWTC Requests Assistance From MOE To Carry Out Summer Program
At the top of the newscast we told you about the Fiestarama 2016 Financial Report and how this year’s profits has been earmarked for the upgrading of streets. That leaves no finance for the council’s annual Youth Summer Program.
But the Mayor of Orange Walk is not giving up so easy and has sent a letter to the Ministry of Education requesting for assistance to carry out the program. However, the council is yet to receive a response.
Kevin Bernard – Mayor, Orange Walk Town Council
“I must tell you that while I would have loved to carry out this summer program, I think that we need to get that support from our ministry and from the government, we have written the minister of education through the ministry of education that, last year he was able to assist us with five thousand dollars and we were hoping that this year we would have gotten it....”
LOVE FM
Senator Carla Barnett Sworn in as a Government Minister
Senator Dr. Carla Barnett has been sworn-in as a Minister of State by Governor General, His Excellency Sir Colville Young. Senator Barnett will now assume responsibility as Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance for which Prime Minister Dean Barrow holds overall responsibility. Dr. Barnett is quoted as saying, “I’ve been asked to perform […]
99% of Electricity Restored Countrywide
As we have been reporting over the last few days, the Belize Electricity Limited has deployed dozens of linesmen and technician to restore power to the various affected areas by Hurricane Earl which made landfall in the late hours of August 3, 2016. This morning the Chief Executive Officer for BEL, Jeffrey Locke was on […]
European Union Donates to Hurricane Relief
The European Union has extended their hand of friendship and assistance to Belize in the aftermath of Hurricane Earl. Today, it was announced that the organization is making about one hundred and thirty thousand Belize dollars available for the rebuilding efforts. The money is referred to as humanitarian funding to assist the most affected populations. […]
Taiwan Gives Belize $200K for Rebuilding after Hurricane Earl
The Government of Taipei has reached out to Belize Government as the works to rebuild and repair continue after Hurricane Earl caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to homes, structures, agriculture and infrastructure. The one hundred thousand US dollars donation was given to aid in the relief efforts in the affected areas to […]
Mason Speaks with Local Reporter, Saying He Is Being Framed
William Donny Mason remains at the Belize Central Prison on remand after the head of Pastor Llewellyn Lucas was found in the pan of his pickup truck on Friday, July 15. Over one week ago he reached out to the Amandala newspaper and with that, Reporter Micah Goodin returned his phone call to the Belize […]
Broaster Speaks of His Involvement with William Mason
Today ACP Broaster held a press conference to deny the allegations made by Mason. EDWARD BROASTER “The reporter of this story wants to associate me with Danny Mason. This is the closest I’ve ever been to Danny Mason, today. Danny Mason and I had no informal nor formal communication. I have no messenger as it […]
Melissa Ferguson Remains Detained by Police in Belmopan
Melissa Ferguson – she is a person of interest as she has been in hiding for the last eighteen days from the local authorities. Yesterday, when she finally made a public appearance and went to the Belmopan Police Station in the company of her attorney, Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley, it was widely expected that she would […]
NASA Measures Hurricane Earl’s Rainfall
It has been six days since the passage of Hurricane Earl in Belize which started as a tropical wave on the African Coast and made its way to the Caribbean Sea. During its passage to Belize, the Dominican Republic was affected with heavy rains where six deaths have been attributed to it. After passing through […]
Orange Walk Resident Awarded Obama’s YLAI Program
Orange Walk resident, Hernan Urbina will be traveling to the US in a few weeks to be a part of the 2016 Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI). The US Embassy in Belmopan had announced in May of this year that they were accepting applications from persons between the ages of 21 and 35 for the […]
There is Money in Seaweed for Fishers
Seaweed mariculture is an avenue being explored as a way for fishers to increase their income. Recently at the 4th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC) held in St John’s Newfoundland, Canada, Julianne Robinson from The Nature Conservancy explained how Belize’s waters can offer more than just fishing income to support those living in coastal communities. […]
Amandala
William Mason speaks to Amandala from prison
“These guys are trying to frame me and I have a lot of information about them,” cried the imprisoned William Donny Mason in a telephone interview from prison last Monday with Amandala.
According to Mason, ACP Edward Broaster, the Officer Commanding Eastern Division Rural, has on numerous occasions solicited donations from him via Assistant Superintendent Rochelle Chan, who is the Officer Commanding the Hattieville Police Station, which falls within Broaster’s jurisdiction.
Last Monday, Broaster told Amandala that he only became aware of Mason in 2014 after problems of dishonesty surfaced between Mason and one Armead Logan over a property that Logan owned.
According to Broaster, at the time, he conducted a further investigation into the character of Mason, which led him to a Canadian website that alleged Mason’s involvement in illicit activities.
Murder at the Michael Finnegan Market
At about 6:00 Saturday morning, less than 48 hours after Hurricane Earl devastated Belize City, the lifeless body of Carl Trapp, 51, a worker who was sometimes the watchman for the Hyde’s Supermarket at the Michael Finnegan Market, was found on the walkway of the building.
Trapp, a resident of Camalote in the Cayo District, was seen with multiple stab wounds in the left side of his chest, on the side of his face and below his ear. He was lying in pools of his blood.
Trapp was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Alvin Hyde, Jr., the owner of Astar Hyde Supermarket, spoke to Amandala on Saturday morning at his businessplace shortly after the body was found. Hyde said that Carl Trapp was his cousin and they were great friends. Trapp, Hyde said, lived in the building and helped him secure the building at night.
Barrow wants to defer teachers’, public officers’ pay raise
The punishment meted out by Hurricane Earl may extend beyond the devastation the storm has visited upon Central Belize. Amandala has been reliably informed that the presidents of three unions — the Public Service Union, the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU) and the Association of Public Service Senior Managers (APSSM) — have been contacted to attend a meeting with Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dean Barrow, who intends to ask teachers and public officers to defer the third tier of their salary adjustments, which became due in July.
The salary adjustment of 3% had not been paid because union officials were still consulting with their membership. The parties met with Financial Secretary Joseph Waight last week, when they also resurrected calls for the Government to revisit cost savings and revenue efficiency mechanisms in order to help ensure that the pay raise is sustainable—rather than triggering an eventual wave of retrenchments and/or wage freeze for teachers and public officers.
Melissa Ferguson surrenders to police
After eighteen days on the run, a wanted fugitive, Melissa Ferguson, is currently in police detention.
It is difficult to determine Ferguson’s age because the age stated on her Belize driver’s license, which lists her as being 56, is inconsistent with the information in her Canadian passport, which suggests that she is actually 48.
Shortly after 11 a.m. today, Monday, Ferguson (it is not known whether she is Belizean or Canadian), joined by her attorney Dickie Bradley, turned herself in to Belmopan police.
Ferguson, also known as “Mila Mason,” was listed as a person of interest by investigators five days after the head of Pastor Llewelyn Lucas, popularly known as “Pastor Lue,” was discovered wrapped and stored in a bucket in the pan of her boyfriend’s vehicle. The vehicle was parked almost three blocks away from the former Barrio Fino bar in Belmopan at around 8:30 p.m. on July 15.
3 women invade woman’s house and put bad beating on her – in front of her children!
A disturbing video circulating on Facebook has led to the detention of three women. In the video, gone viral, three women are seen parking their beach cruiser bicycles and storming into a woman’s house, where they assaulted her.
The victim, whose children were seen screaming uncontrollably in the video, witnessed their mother’s clothing being torn from her body as she was slapped, punched, and pulled in the hair repeatedly.
Footage shows the children fleeing from the scene of the incident.
The victim, who initially was heard telling the trio not to enter her house, was pinned to a wall, where she was hit repeatedly.
Her mom is from Belize, so says star USA gymnast Simone Biles
Young Belizean fans, especially females, will be thrilled to learn that the star of the USA gymnastic team at the Olympics in Rio, Simone Biles, has embraced her Belizean roots, as evidenced in the below NBC interview done in March of this year.
Her “mom” that Simone refers to in the interview is actually her biological grandmother. According to an NBC report today, her adoptive parents, “Ron and Nellie Biles are indeed Biles’ biological grandparents, but adopted Simone and her sister Adria in 2001. Simone and Adria’s mother, Ron Biles’ daughter, struggled with drugs and alcohol.”
Results of Belize District semifinals in Belikin National 8-Ball Tournament
Good day, gentlemen! Allan McCoy here again with the results of the semifinals for the Belikin National 8-Ball Tournament taking place at the Belize District level.
On Monday, August 1, Team Long Island defeated Team Police at Long Island Bar with a score of 5-0. On Tuesday, August 2, Team Lakers defeated Team Micheladas, 3-2.
Due to the hurricane that impacted the nation on Wednesday leading into Thursday morning, the two matches slated for those days were cancelled.
On Friday, August 5, all clubs were informed via text or phone calls that the two games would be played on Saturday, July 6. Team Police then hosted Team Long Island at their home, Lion King. Because of the sweep at home, Team Long Island only needed one more win to move on to the finals.
Overall results and standings of C-Ray Youth Summer Series 2016
The 3rd Annual C-Ray Cycling Club’s Youth Summer Series concluded this past Sunday, July 31. After five consecutive Sundays of racing, participants accumulated points based on their finish positions in their respective age categories to determine an overall winner at the end of the five weeks.
Results are below:
Winners received C-Ray T-shirts, trophies and medals, school bags and stationeries, Power-ade, a pastry snack, cycling jerseys and other goodies.
Special thanks to all the sponsors of this year’s series: The Stationery House Retail Outlet, Smart, Jex Trophies, Bowen and Bowen, M&M; Engineering, Belize City Council, KV Events Planning, Cattouse Trucking, the Amandala, and Yapurlandia, who all donated in kind. Also, thanks to my family and friends who volunteered their time to assist in making this year’s series a success.
SSBA Basketball Tournament tips off in San Ignacio on August 26
The San Ignacio & Santa Elena Basketball Association (SSBA) will be hosting its annual basketball tournament, starting on Friday, August 26. The tournament will be held at Falcon Field and Victor Galvez Stadium in San Ignacio Town. The five categories are: Under 19, Under 23, Seniors Over 35, and Females. Interested persons can contact Elvis “Tigre” Usher at 605-3390 to register a team, or you can send us a message on our San Ignacio and Santa Elena Basketball Association Facebook page. Registration fee for all divisions is $300.
Excellence goes to Finals
Hello, cricket fans! Just a short note on results of the game played between Excellence of Double Head and Western Eagles of Rancho Dolores. Excellence floored Western Eagles, 180 to 77. For Excellence, Sydney (Brooksie) Martinez scored 44, and Keenan Flowers took 4 wickets. For Western Eagles, Jonathan Benjamin scored 29, and Dirk Sutherland took 5 wickets.
It is a burning loss for the Eagles, who keep trying for a championship. Better luck next year, boys! Don’t give up! Your turn will come! Congrats to the young team for playing so well!
Excellence now waits for the winner of Easy Does It vs Berlan next week.
Editorial: Full circle
We drove slowly around the Southside of Belize City this afternoon around 4:30 pm. It was a time of reflection for us, sober reflection. We saw no joy in the streets of the Southside, though we assumed many citizens were indoors watching the Olympics on television, talking on the telephone, playing games, making love, and so on and so forth.
Many years ago the Southside was our stomping grounds, and our people were vibrant, confident, and aggressive. As Belize entered the 1960s, it was becoming clear, or at least so we thought, that the British were willing to leave the settlement/territory of Belize for us to control, and while there were some influential Anglophile Belizeans who had their own reasons for being opposed to the substantial changes which self-rule implied, most Belizeans in Belize City, the capital city and population center, looked forward to our post-colonial future. On the Southside, which was majority black, there was the feeling that our ancestors had built Belize, and we now deserved to take over.
From the Publisher
I’m glad that G. Michael Reid chose to answer my column of a couple weeks ago, but I’m disappointed that he could not find it in himself to address the issue of Ralph Fonseca. I had raised the Ralph issue in the very beginning of the column in question, because G. Mike was on Ralph’s payroll, and his specific assignment, during the first Said Musa term, was attacking Evan X Hyde on what was known as FM 2000. (This radio station became what is called “Positive Vibes” at some point in 2008.)
At the same time that these attacks on myself at FM 2000 were being carried out in order to increase Ralph’s influence among the People’s United Party’s (PUP) faithful, Ralph was using the United Democratic Party (UDP) newspaper to launch weekly, vicious attacks on the University of Belize (UB), which was under my chairmanship from its foundation in August of 2000 until 2004. The UDP newspaper editors who orchestrated the attacks on the university and myself were Dale Trujeque and Herbert Panton, but Ralph gained access to them through his very good friend from their Bowen & Bowen days – Hon. Michael Finnegan, the UDP Mesopotamia area representative.
Letter to the Editor: It was only a dream …
Dear Editor,
Prompted by a dream I had the other night, I was reminded of what was referred to as “Theatre Of The Absurd” during the post-World War II era and on through the 1960’s. Characterized by trite and commonplace dialogue, meaningless platitudes and generalized blather costumed as profundity, these plays, as written by primarily European playwrights such as Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ianesco, Jean Genet and others, were a reaction to the breakdown of social and political life as seen in rising crime rates and corrupt political processes. But back to my dream….
So there I was —in my dream— sitting in a darkened movie theatre watching the same old familiar actors recite their same old familiar lines when I realized that this was also a re-run of something I had seen before. There they all were, lined up like Penguins and dressed identically in their white tropical Guayabera uniforms with one frighteningly intoning, “We will continue to borrow, we will continue to spend,” while another weighs in with “Not guilty, your Honor!”
Rare ‘Whale Fall’ Spotted by Deep-Sea Scientists
A rare sight was recently captured by scientists aboard a deep-sea exploration vessel: the skeleton of a fallen whale. Researchers say these bony remains provide a feast of nutrients for sea creatures, including bone-eating “zombie worms.”
Newly released video footage from the Exploration Vessel Nautilus shows the whale bones on the seafloor, in what researchers term a natural “whale fall.”
“Coming across a natural whale fall is pretty uncommon,” a Nautilus researcher said in the video. “Most of the ones that have been studied have been sunk intentionally at a certain spot.”
The ecological impacts of a whale fall are far-reaching. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), whale carcasses provide a “sudden, concentrated food source and a bonanza for organisms in the deep sea.” Scavengers arrive on the scene first, consuming the soft tissue over the course of a few months, and the remaining detritus can enrich the ocean floor sediment for more than a year, NOAA said.
In Ladyville, Hurricane Earl’s tale of destruction
Shortly before 8:00 o’clock on Wednesday night, the lights of Ladyville flickered twice before they died, leaving a thick shroud of darkness as the gusty winds of Hurricane Earl began to howl. The category 1 storm that had been churning in the Caribbean Sea for almost one week was now poised to strike Belize within a few short hours.
In the darkness, the silhouette of people carrying bags and other personal items was unmistakable as they made their way to the Ladyville Community Center which had been designated as a hurricane shelter by the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO).
The hours appeared to be ticking away quickly, as hurricane force winds began to pound Ladyville.
Frightened cries for help began to dominate the airwaves as the entire country was on a hurricane vigil. Some villagers who were reluctant to leave their houses became trapped, as Earl’s powerful winds stripped some houses of their roofs, exposing the occupants to the raw, naked power of nature.
Breaking Belize News
OW Football Association issues roster
The Orange Walk Football Association has issued its official roster for successful players to form the U-17 team that will represent Orange Walk. In an interview with Vice Chairman of the Association, Fernando Sanchez, 24 players were selected from a list of 56 that came […]
Fair conditions to prevail
The 24-hour forecast is for mostly sunny skies during the daytime and partly cloudy tonight. Showers or thunderstorms will be isolated, with slightly more over the south tonight. Winds will blow from the east to southeast at 10 to 20 knots. The sea state will be […]
Water receding from Iguana Creek bridge
Images show that Iguana Creek Bridge that connects Spanish Lookout and the small community of Black Man Eddy situated on the George Price Highway is now accessible by vehicles after it was inundated with the passage of Hurricane Earl. In the images it is […]
Belizean chosen for President Obama’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative
A young Belizean entrepreneur from Orange Walk, Hernan Urbina, has been chosen to participate in this year’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) hosted by US President Barack Obama. Urbina will be representing Belize in Texas and Washington later this year. He was […]
Carla Barnett sworn in as Minister of State
Senator Carla Barnett was sworn in this morning as Minister of State by the Governor General H.E. Sir Colville Young during a brief ceremony at the Belize House in Belmopan. The Senator will now assume the responsibility as Minister of State in the Ministry […]
The Guardian
Hurricane Earl leaves path of destruction in Belize
As early as Sunday July 31 the National Emergency Management Organization began to track the movement of a weather system moving swiftly across the Caribbean at about 20 miles per hour. That tracking turned into warnings by Tuesday and on Wednesday NEMO was telling residents across the country to brace for a Category 1 Hurricane - Earl.
Earl caught the attention of the experts at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) last Thursday, July 28, as a fast-moving tropical wave, about 1,700 miles east southeast of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean area. During that time it was known as Invest 97L. It’s rapid forward movement prevented the expected early development for the first 3 days, so that it could be classified as a tropical cyclone. It was not until August, 1, when it was travelling past the Dominican Republic, that it became a much better organized weather system. By that time, it’s maximum sustained gusts reached the strength of a tropical storm. The reconnaissance team from the NHC confirmed it on August 2, when it passed south of Jamaica.
Agriculture takes major hit with over 107M in damages
Following the passage of hurricane Earl, the agriculture sector is recording major losses. According to Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, Jose Alpuche, Earl caused as much as 49 million dollars in damages to corn production in the Cayo and Orange Walk districts. This crop is primarily concentrated in the Cayo and Orange Walk districts. The Cayo crop is estimated to have received 93% damage out of 40 thousand acres which have been planted. Meanwhile the Orange Walk plantations have some 25000 acres under cultivation.
Wilmot Simmons who works closely with this sector explained to the Guardian that the losses are significant especially because this year looked like it would have been a bumper crop year. Most of the corn which was to have been reaped would have been exported to Guatemala for consumption by the Frito Lay company. That is now not possible.
The damage to corn is closely followed by damage done to bananas in the south which registered as much as 45 million dollars in damages. Other crops including vegetables tally some 12 million dollars in damages.
Mount Carmel Credit Union bankrupt
Credit Unions have over the years expanded their base across Belize, serving as non-profit cooperatives that function as savings banks, offering mainly savings accounts and loans to shareholders. As a result Credit Unions have become popular in Belize, developing a wide customer base; with persons coming from the gamut of socio economic orders. To maintain their integrity, Credit Unions have been enveloped under a framework of management derived from valuable lessons of the past.
From notes coming from the Central Bank, the Credit Union Act of 2002 expanded the scope of credit union operations and created similarities between these institutions and the commercial banks. In December 2005, the Credit Union Act was amended to bring credit unions under the regulatory umbrella of the Central Bank of Belize and set administrative penalties for non-compliance with the requirement of the ACT.
At various Annual General Meetings of Credit Unions, Central Bank representatives have been present over the years to promote this relationship with the Credit Unions. It’s a relationship that has paid off, preserving the dignity of the Credit Unions as well as the financial interests of their wide customer base.
BEL restores power countrywide
Following the passage of hurricane Earl, Belize Electricity Limited has been working diligently to restore power across the country. Crews were dispatched as soon as the all clear was declared and by 9am on Friday, the company had restored power to 75% of its customers countrywide.
In the Belize District, where the BEL’s infrastructure sustained the most damage, power has only been restored to 20% of the customers. In a release on Friday afternoon the company stated, “BEL crews are now focusing on completing restoration of power, by the end of today, to most of Belize City up to Mile 4 on the Philip Goldson Highway, portions of Ladyville and nearby areas. Works will continue into Saturday to restore the remainder of the Belize District, as those areas require extensive works. This includes from Mile 8 to 31 on the George Price Highway, Mile 4 to Mile 35 on the Philip Goldson Highway, the Old Northern Highway, Burrell Boom and the Belize River Valley.”
As the work to restore power continues, BEL advises customers that there may be intermittent power outages as the country is re-energized.
Prime Minister makes changes in Cabinet
Prime Minister Dean Barrow called a press conference on Monday August 1 to announce that he would be making changes to the Cabinet.
Prime Minister Barrow explained that the Ministry of National Security would be split causing the Police to be one ministry and the BDF and Coastguard another. He said that Minister Godwin Hulse would take up the ministry of the Police while Minister John Saldivar would retain the Ministry of Defence, with responsibility for the BDF and Coastguard. Hulse would continue as Minister of Immigration, but would give up the Ministry of Natural Resources. That ministry will be taken up by Hon. Attorney General Vanessa Retreage who was elevated to the post of minister through the Senate. She took up that position from Senator Francine Burns.
Former GSU Boss out on bail
After spending three nights on lock down at the Belize Central Prison, former head of the Gang Suppression Unit, Superintendent Mark Flowers, 51, is home with loved ones due to a successful Supreme Court bail application by his attorney Dickie Bradley.
Justice Adolph Lucas presided over Flowers’ bail application hearing on Friday, July 29. Crown Counsel Shanice Lovell had no objection to bail being granted to the senior officer. This is a normal position for bail hearings. However, Lovell asked for conditions to be set to bail. Therefore, Flowers was granted bail in the sum of $7,500 plus one surety of the same amount. Justice Lucas ordered Superintendent Flowers to report to the San Ignacio Police Station every Friday until the case is disposed of. He must appear at all his adjournments at the Belmopan Magistrates Court. He or anyone on his behalf are not to interfere with any of the prosecution’s witnesses; especially the victim. If Flowers is charged with any offense whilst out on bail his bail will be revoked.
Accident claims life of mechanic
Levert Lauriano, 27, a resident of Ladyville and an up-and-coming mechanic, was killed in a traffic accident on Monday, August 1. Somehow, after he crashed into a tree on the Phillip Goldson Highway, his body ended up under his SUV.
Police say that at around 6:50 p.m., they got a call about a traffic accident, and when they responded, they found a white Honda Pilot SUV crashed into a tree with it’s front portions mashed up. Underneath, they found the body later identified to be that of Lauriano. He was pinned by the wreckage of the vehicle. With the help of rescue personnel, the cops managed to extricate him from under the vehicle, but unfortunately, he was already dead, killed by the massive head and body injuries he suffered in the accident.
Ballistics expert charged for tampering with evidence
Ballistics expert Orlando Vera, 40, is out on bail after he was remanded at the Belize Central Prison for a single charge of abetment to perverting the course of justice in the Michael Modiri firearm case.
During a Preliminary Inquiry in the Belmopan Magistrates Court, Michael Modiri told the court that in July of 2015 he was approached by Orlando Vera in Belmopan who offered to assist him in his firearms case by making the gun not work. Modiri is the virtual complainant in the Bradley Pauman case. Modiri himself was in trouble with the law for an illegal firearm when he was allegedly approached by the Forensic Service’s ballistic expert.
Alfonso Castillo dies a week after being stabbed
On the day he was to be released from the KHMH, 30 year-old Alfonso Castillo, a resident of Victoria Street, Belize City, died of complications he suffered after being stabbed on Thursday, July 21. The doctors were optimistic that he would heal from that injury, but things took a turn for the worst on Thursday, July 28, exactly a week later, and he passed away while undergoing treatment.
Of the actual incident, the family told the press that on that Thursday, he was socializing with friends. It appears that he got into an argument, which became violent very quickly, and he was stabbed 3 times, one of those injuries to the stomach. Police detained Raheem Marsden, who they eventually charged with attempted murder. His charges are expected to be upgraded to murder. Castillo was rushed to the KHMH by the responding police officers, and he got there in time to receive emergency medical treatment from the doctors on staff there.
Burglarizes house to sexually assault the owner
Lord’s Bank Village resident, Japheth Steadman Gordon, 23, is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after he was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrates Court for the offenses of aggravated burglary and indecent assault upon a 25-year-old woman.
The woman reported to police that she was asleep on Wednesday, June 15, and woke up when she felt someone caressing her body. The frightened woman woke up to a trespasser in her bedroom armed with a knife. The trespasser had broken into the house and stole $80 in cash. Before leaving, the burglar turned his attention to other desires. Fortunately, the victim was able to scare off her attacker.
Hurricane ravages San Ignacio - Macal River rises
Businessmen from San Ignacio were busy Thursday morning, attempting to recover their products following a rapid rise of the Macal River. Businesses such as Reimers Feed Mill, Pro Health Pharmacy, Heritage Bank and other were affected by the rapidly rising waters, following the passage of Hurricane Earl. As the salvaging of products continued, the brown waters of the Macal River raged not too far away, carrying tree branches and other detritus.
The San Ignacio Market was almost completely covered by the waters as vendors also worried about their produce.
In Advisory Number 10, issued by the National Emergency Management Organization NEMO on Thursday, it states as follows: NEMO is now responding to flash flooding in the Cayo District. Communities along the Macal and Mopan River must seek higher ground immediately. All dams are at flood stage…Put your flood plan in action. Do not stay in building near flood waters.
Police in Cayo re strategize for better policing
With the approaching weather system, the Cayo District Emergency Management Organization was activated at 9:00 am on Monday. Anthony Richard Rosado, Commanding Officer of the San Ignacio Police Formation tells the Guardian that a hurricane operational order has also been activated, which means that police officers are now working 12 hour shifts within the jurisdiction of the formation, which oversees 38 surrounding villages and communities.
The rapid response in Cayo’s communities will also be increased with a new police strategy.
“I now have a rural rapid response team and an urban rapid response team, so now we have the rural rapid response team that will basically respond to any threat within the rural areas and the urban will concentrate within the town, so the San Ignacio Police formation will now be known as the San Ignacio Central Police Precinct, which will police the Twin Towns that way we will be able to provide a better and more efficient service to San Ignacio and Santa Elena,” says Rosado.
City Tastes at Marion Jones
The Marion Jones Sporting Complex has been sitting idle since 2005 when the then PUP administration received 10 million dollars from the Taiwanese and eleven years later we are still yet to see value for money. The UDP Administration then took it up and after many ups and downs and more downs than ups the Marion Jones Sporting Complex was almost completed but stood like a cadaver longing for warmth to run through its veins. That injection of life came when Honorable Elodio Aragon was named the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture. Immediately after taking office Minister Aragon toured all sporting facilities including Marion Jones and put into motion plans to rehabilitate them for immediate use.
As part of the plan, a new director of sports was appointed and the work commenced in earnest. The first major decision that was taken was the one to have Princess Ramada subsidize a parking facility at the MCC Grounds and in addition pay the National Sports Council $2500. per month to use said facility. This much needed revenue stream has been working well to assist the Council with maintenance and repairs of other sporting facilities.
Dickie the new Yeri-soh mumma!
In good old Creole we refer to hearsay as YERI-SOH. Those persons spreading such hearsay would preface their statement with words like "AH YER DAT or SOMBADI TELL ME DAT" In making the statement the persons spreading such rumours would always make sure that the statements are not attributed to them.
It is likely that a well known Belize Attorney, Dickie Bradley is now fully engaged in the hearsay business. He has been in the media, spreading certain stories that he claims were told to him by one of his clients, whom the Attorney claims relayed certain things that were told to him, in prison by an ACCUSED MURDERER & ALLEGED Conman. Perhaps someone needs to remind Dickie about the age old phrase of the drowning man grabbing at straws. With the charges that have been placed on both accused persons, they may be swimming in deep and dangerous waters.
Obama is totally correct, you know!
Belize, the Caribbean, Latin America and indeed the whole world should have been listening. Belize’s Finance Minister Dean Barrow told the media that “the system is being choked,” in consequence of de-risking which has been having a knock-on effect in Belize. Many in Belize heard both men, but failed to make the key connections. Some did not even bother to listen – pity, their loss. I am thankful that I can be counted among those that got it! Obama continued: “We realize the worry black parents feel when their son leaves the house.” Our sincere plea is “treat every community fairly.” “There's too much inequality.” “If you want more justice in the Justice System, then we've all got to vote, not just for a president, but for mayors and sheriffs and state's attorneys and state legislators. That's where the criminal law is made. And we've got to work with police and protesters until laws and practices are changed.” Again I state, Obama is totally correct! I would humbly like to share what I got from his comments, with others.
Belize City Council Dragons win in Firms Basketball competition
The Belize District Basketball Association Firms Competition continued on Friday 29th July, 2016, with two more games on the schedule.
In the first game played, the Belize City Council Dragons defeated Atlantic Bank by the score of 84-64. The top scorers for the Belize City Council Dragons were Akeem Watters with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals; Benedict Terry with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal and Gabriel Taylor with 12 points, 11 rebounds and an assist.
For Atlantic Bank, the top scorers were Ervin Orosco with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals and Cassian Flowers with 12 points, 5 rebounds and an assist.
In game two, Central Health won over Heritage Bank Heatz by the score of 80-75. The top scorers for Central Health were Travis Bernardez with 30 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals; Faisal Ahmad with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal and Neil Nicholson with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. For Heritage Bank Heatz, the top scorers were Kurt Burgess with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists and Rico Black with 11 points.
Athletics Association to hold Annual General Assembly
The Belize Athletics Association will hold its Annual General Assembly at Edward P. Yorke High School on Princess Margaret Drive, on August 27th, 2016, at 10:00 am.
There are three vacancies open for the election of:
1. The 1st Vice President;
2. The 2nd Vice President; and
3. A committee member for which nominations are sought.
All members are required to pay their annual dues by the 24th August, 2016. Payment of dues can be made at any of the National Sports Council offices throughout Belize.
All members are asked to please bring along an identification card.
FFB postpones Atlantic Bank Atlantic Insurance Road U-17 tournament and FIFA Live Your Goals Campaign
The Football Federation of Belize announces that due to the approaching weather system, it has postponed the Atlantic Bank Atlantic Insurance Road to U-17 World Cup and the FIFA Live Your Goals Campaign that were both scheduled for this weekend August 5th to 7th.
In an effort to continue with the enhancement of football in the country, both events have been rescheduled for the weekend of August 19th to the 21st, 2016. The U-17 tournament, which will be held at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan, is to select a national U-17 team that will be representing Belize in the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qualifiers to be held in Panama in November.
The FIFA Live Your Goals campaign targets and inspires women and girls to play football and stay in the game. The FFB will be holding four festivals, with the first being for females age 10 to 12 from the Corozal and Orange Walk Districts on Saturday, August 20th, 2016.
Olympic baseball, softball to return in 2020 as part of new sports package
The World Baseball Softball Confederation today welcomed the decision of the IOC Session to approve adding baseball and softball to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The WBSC is now looking forward to the honour of showcasing baseball/softball on the world’s greatest stage in 2020 and making a valuable contribution to the Olympic Movement by connecting the IOC to new audiences in every corner of the globe.
WBSC President Fraccari said: “Today’s decision is an important milestone in the sport’s history and a momentous day for baseball/softball’s estimated 65 million athletes in over 140 countries, as well as millions more fans around the world. On behalf of the WBSC and all the athletes, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Tokyo 2020 leadership for putting their faith in our sport to begin with; to IOC President Thomas Bach, whose Olympic Agenda 2020 vision has made this opportunity a reality; and to all IOC members for recognising the valuable contribution the sport can make to the Olympic Movement.
A key part of baseball/softball’s popularity is the universality of the sport. It offers an accessible route for young people all over the world to play and stay in sport.
Easy Does It of Flowers Bank wins Belize Rural Softball competition
The Belize Rural Softball Association 2016 Senior Female Competition came to an end on Sunday 31st July, 2016, with the Page System playoff played out at Lord’s Bank Village.
In the first semi-final game played, Easy Does It of Flowers Bank defeated UB Jaguars by the score of 16-12. The winning pitcher was Margaret Hendy and the losing pitcher was Amber Wade.
In the second semi-final game, Orchid Girls of Burrell Boom eliminated Double Head Cabbage by the score of 16-6. The winning pitcher was Therese Baptist and the losing pitcher was Herlet Clarke.
In the Final game, UB Jaguars eliminated Orchid Girls by the score of 16-5. The winning pitcher was Karlene Williams and the losing pitcher was Rebecca Nicholson.
Nothing can be done for Mount Carmel Credit Union members
The Executive Director of the Belize Credit Union League (BCUL, Corrine Robinson Fuller met with several dozen members of the Mount Carmel Credit Union MCCU on Wednesday night of last week at the Cancha Marshalleck in Benque Viejo del Carmen to provide a status report. Given that the MCCU has been under the administration of BCUL since December 2006, the report was a timely one as the last meeting of this type was held in 2011.
Corrine Fuller told members that 1.3 million had been stolen from the Credit Union when its discovery was made in 2002. The embezzlement had proven to be too much and as a result it was only a matter of time that the MCCU would be closed down.
“The high delinquency, the high external debt, your credit union is insolvent and what insolvent means is that your credit union cannot pay its debt and it is also operating at a loss,” Corrine Fuller told MCCU members.
Hurricane Earl passes over San Pedro
San Pedro Town was the first part of the country where Hurricane Earl passed over on Wednesday night, August 3. Though it experienced widespread damage, the town residents were fortunate that only 5 homes were completely destroyed. Others had parts of their roof torn off, but when compared to Belize City, Ladyville, and villages in the Belize River Valley, in San Pedro there were less homeowners who became homeless after the storm.
In fact, the NEMO officials say that at this time there were only 6 homes completely destroyed, all in the San Mateo area, north of San Pedro Town. The business owners on the beach front, where a lot of the tourist activity takes place, were affected by the storm. A number of dive shops, and docking piers for these business, and were washed away by the storm surge.
It could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and, Neftali Lemus, the Excite Belize Dive Shop owner, who also owns the Tackle Box Bar told the media that he estimates that he will have to find some where between 75 thousand and a hundred thousand dollars to repair his dock. He expects to repair it by next week.
Santander’s first shipment of sugar out of Belize
The Santander group is reporting that it has shipped its first shipment of sugar from Belize bound for Spain. The group states that 6,250 tonnes of raw sugar which was harvested in May of this year was shipped on Friday July 29.
The sugar will be shipped to Spain and will be received at the Port of Santander in that European country two weeks after the ship sailed. The shipment was made via the Big Creek Port in Independence Village.
Taiwan helps in workshop to improve Tilapia Farming in Belize
The Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) is pleased to announce that Tilapia production has become a hot topic after the Aquaculture project was started. Since the entry barrier of tilapia farming is less than other aquaculture sectors, with the assistance from the Aquaculture Project ,which sees cooperation between the Government of Belize and Government of Taiwan, there are more than 100 producers who have ventured into having their own tilapia farm and have received good revenues. However, in order to have greater success for tilapia producers and Belizean consumers, the aquaculture project is still working to improve the capacity of all the Tilapia producers in the country. One of the important activities is community outreach through conducting professional workshops.
Public officer crushed to death by drunk driver
On Saturday July 30, 54 year old Emily Guy was standing on the sidewalk of West Collet Canal opposite the bus terminal when a black dodge Caliber SUV apparently out of controlled slammed into her crushing her against a lamp post. her right leg was severed and the other was broken, she had to be rushed to the KHMH where she died undergoing treatment on Sunday morning.
Police have since charged 29 year old Victor Gibbs with manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct, Drove a motor vehicle with alcohol concentration above the prescribed limit, and two counts of negligent harm. He was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until October 3, 2016.
Man killed in Ladyville with homemade gun
Hurricane Earl, which is estimated to have caused millions of dollars in damage to the infrastructure and the economy of Belize, was on everyone’s mind before it made landfall. But, in addition to worrying about the storm, the family of 32 year-old John Williams, a resident of Myrtle Waight Crescent, Ladyville, had deal with worry, pain and grief, after he was murdered inside his home.
Williams lived in the part of Ladyville Village called “Japan”, where at least 5 murders had already happened for this year so far. He became yet another victim on Tuesday night, August 2, at around 10 o’clock. About an hour later, the cops responded and found his body inside his home; he had been shot in the head. Residents say that the shooting happened at around 10 o’clock when shots rang out, and it is believed that he was lured to open his door after someone knocked on it pretending to be a non-threatening visitor.
Charles Solis Memorial Softball Tournament set for August 7
The VII Charles Solis Memorial Softball Tournament is set for Sunday 7th August, 2016, at the Rogers Stadium in Belize City.
The Double Elimination Tournament will feature the defending Charles Solis Memorial Champions (Unitedville Rebels United), Camalote as a special invitation as issued by Charles Solis, the top team from each of the Affiliated Associations of the Federation.
The championship will commence at 9:00 am on Sunday 7th August, 2016.
A day on Caye Caulker Belize after Hurricane Earl
So I hoped or hopped (I’m really bad about knowing the number of consonants in words – so whichever one of those means “I got on buy jumping”…although I didn’t literally jump) on an Ecologic Divers day sail over the Caye Caulker, as I wanted to meander around a bit and get a feel for their “Earl recovery”.
My first impression was that things looked great. The debris had been cleaned up, and while a few buildings were ‘misplaced’ and many docks in extremely rough shape – my feeling was that they had done better than Ambergris Caye. Mainly judging the docks; yes some were gone, many were damaged, but my basic (and very unskilled estimation) was that they had a much higher dock survival rate than AC. Then I got a bit more into things and realized they still have some big issues.
Most noticeably is the sand – the road is a foot or more higher in some places; people still shoveling out, and even some road side stands that appear to be builtwe for access by people shorter than 5 only. Another very significant issue is the lack of current (that’s a Belizean term for electricity) to a good portion of the island. Crews were hard a work in several places.
The most obvious damage was at the Split – the whole area was fenced off…though the gate was open so I helped myself to a tour! The game area was washed away, the front sun deck gone, the shallow water palapa tables gone, the beach side seating gone; at least there were lots of people at work to repair it all. Lots of sand and supplies were being brought in.
A Unique Eco-Friendly Lodge Allows Visitors to See the Unspoiled Natural Beauty of Belize
Belize Adventure Inc. is a unique eco lodge that offers a great opportunity for visitors to stay in lodgings that are completed integrated in the rainforest of Belize’s western Cayo District. With a backdrop of the Maya Mountains, the small and charming eco resort lies on the edge of Vaca Lake in the Macal River Valley.
The Eco Lodge is dedicated to a carbon neutral, eco-friendly impact on the environment. The lodge uses solar energy for power and rainwater catchment to leave a minimal impact on the rich abundance of fauna and flora in the area. And thanks to its unique position in the valley, Belize Adventure Inc. is naturally free of mosquitos. Accommodations in the resort are in the form of individualized cabanas, each with a special theme.
Founded in 2015, Belize Adventure Inc. is a quiet oasis of nature that gives visitors a chance to experience an unspoiled corner of jungle paradise. The lodge is surrounded by wildlife and a rich panoply of trees and plants that are the beating heart of the natural world.
International Sources
Belize archeology dig lends way to a keen global perspective for Trent University Durham student
For many people, a trip to Belize is characterized by a stay in a hotel with beautiful beaches and cold drinks served at a swim-up bar. Thanks to the Belize Field School, organized by Trent University’s department of anthropology, I recently had the opportunity to get to know this beautiful country in a much different way.
Working alongside Dr. Helen Haines, assistant professor at Trent University Durham, this past spring from May to mid-June, I stayed in lovely little house, which would be the equivalent of the Belizean version of a Band B or a hostel.
I first heard of the Ka’Kabish Archaeological Research Project when I was looking to transfer into the Trent anthropology program from another university. For me, it was an opportunity to study more than just archeological theory, but to experience first-hand the concepts that I had been hearing and learning about in the classroom. The chance to gain real-life archeological experience in my field of study and to include real field-work on my resume is one that I couldn’t pass up. And, my time in Belize also counts towards a school credit, which is the icing on the cake.
Simone Biles: 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me
Gymnast Simone Biles is poised to make history this week as she goes for gold in five events at the Rio Olympics — team all-around, individual all-around, vault, beam and floor. To get to know her off the floor, Us Weekly asked Biles, 19, to share 25 things you don’t know about her.
I love to travel. My favorite place is Belize, which is where my mom is from.
Side swim style saves shark energy
Hammerhead sharks swim on their sides up to 90 per cent of the time to save energy, a Murdoch University researcher has found.
Dr Adrian Gleiss from the Centre for Fish and Fisheries Research, collaborated on an international study which found the great hammerhead species spends up to 90 per cent of its time swimming at angles of between 50 and 70 degrees.
This is thanks to an exaggerated dorsal fin which generates lift and helps to reduce drag when the sharks are rolled on their sides.
Most sharks use their dorsal fins on their backs like a rudder on a boat, to facilitate quick turns. Their large pectoral fins on their sides are used like aircraft wings to keep them from sinking. It was thought this was how all sharks functioned until this study, which was led by Dr Nicholas Payne from the University of Roehampton, London.
Stingrays: docile, yet dangerous
Stingrays are fish, closely to the sharks. But they neither look like a fish nor as their closest cousin. They look like a round carpet swaying in the water, with a long tail trailing behind. Stingrays are docile and inactive for most part, but when disturbed, they may unleash the venom in their tail, in self-defence.
They are commonly found in the shallow coastal waters of temperate seas. They spend most of their time dormant and concealed under the sand in the sea floor, looking out for prey, while also camouflaging, to avoid predators. The predators may include sharks and larger rays.
The flattened bodies are composed of cartilages (that forms your external ear too) and not bones. The pectoral fins are joined to their head and trunk. The eyes look as if popping out from the upper side, while the mouth, nostrils and gill slits are found on the underbelly. Most rays have strong jaws that help crush the shells of mollusc and crustaceans, which are their primary diet.
Boil These Leaves and Say Goodbye to Diabetes without Taking Any Medications
First take 10 to 15 tender mango leaves, then boil them in a glass of water and leave them to say overnight. In the morning álter the water and drink it on an empty stomach. For best results you should use this method for two or three months.
You can also dry the leaves in a dark place and ground them. Use half a teaspoon of this powdered mango leaves two times a day.
Mango leaves tea can is beneficial to our overall health. They can treat many health conditions such as: fever, diarrhea, insomnia, varicose veins, asthma, bronchitis and colds. Also these leaves can lower your blood pressure and strengthen your blood vessels.
European Union provides relief aid to victims of Hurricane Earl in Belize
In response to Hurricane Earl, which struck Belize on 4 August 2016 causing significant damage across the country, the European Commission is providing 50,000 EUR in humanitarian funding to assist the most affected populations. This EU funding supports the Belize Red Cross in delivering much needed relief, including access to safe water, sanitation services and hygiene promotion, reduction of risks for vector and waterborne diseases, non-food items and livelihood asset replacements for the most vulnerable families.
The humanitarian aid will directly benefit 2,200 persons (440 families), who had their homes damaged and are currently without water or electricity, in areas currently affected by flash floods.
Videos
Belize Blue Hole 2016, 7min. Diving the Belize Blue Hole with Scuba School and Family Dive Center.
Field & Stream - Behind the Tradition - Belize Bonefish, 5min. Brett Wilps from Field & Stream Shops teams up with Melissa Bachman of Winchester Deadly Passion for an awesome adventure in the famous Turneffe Flats region of Belize. They learn new techniques for flats fishing Bonefish along with deeper water permit fishing with the help of Turnoff Island Resort and their guides, this was a tradition worth experiencing.
Simone Biles' BRAND NEW floor routine!, 2.5min. Let's start our day out with a little excellence! Check out Simone Biles' floor routine at the Rio Olympics!
Belize Barrier Reef, .5min. Over flight of breaking waves over Belize Barrier Reef
South Water Caye, .5min. flight out from couple on veranda of cabana to sunset
Holec sinkhole from straight up, 1min. A vertical flight above the Holec Sinkhole in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve
Rim of Holec Sinkhole, .5min. Flight out from rim of the Holec Sinkhole in the Chiquibul Forest of Belize
Xcalak Fly Fishing Mexico Programa de Pesca en Flats y Arrecifes en busca de Tarpon, Bonefish y Permit por , 4min. Diseñamos un programa "All Inclusive", especial para los pescadores con y sin experiencia en Saltwater que desean pescar a pez visto, vadeando largas playas de arena blanca y cristalinas aguas, Arrecifes y también pescar en lagunas encerradas y manglares.
Xcalak es uno de los últimos destinos vírgenes de la costa Maya, limitando con Belize al sur, nos permite acceder a la exclusiva Bahía de Chetumal, hectáreas de flats o aguas bajas, lagunas y arrecifes para disfrutar de increíbles días de pesca, este destino se clasifica como uno de los mejores mundo para la pesca con mosca, siendo uno de los lugares con menor presión de pesca, comparativamente con la conocida Bahia de la Ascensión.
Belize Diaries 3, 9min. The National Channel 10 brings to you CODICADER 2016 games hosted by Belize. From the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan City.
Belize 2016, 2min.
Belize, 14min.
CODICADER 2016 FOOTBALL BELIZE VS PANAMA BOYS, 77min.
Belize Lionfish Hunting, .5min. Our Belize guide shows how it's done: Magdeleno Yacab spears a lionfish on a snorkeling trip from our island, Long Caye at Glover's Reef.
Dancing with sexy nurse sharks in Belize San Pedro Dive, 3min. Scuba diving in san pedro, la isla bonita in Belize
playing and dancing with beautiful nurse sharks in marine park
CODICADER 2016 FOOTBALL BELIZE VS NICARAGUA BOYS, 61min. The National Channel 10 brings to you CODICADER 2016 games hosted by Belize. From the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan City.
Hurricane Earl on Caye Caulker, Belize, 1.5min.
August 9, 2016
For the latest on Tropical Storm Earl, click here
FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE
Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report. Specials and Events
Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials
Ambergris Today
Southwest Airlines Adding Nonstop Flight from Denver to Belize City for Spring Break Season
More than 13,000 passengers traveled between Denver and Belize City in the last year, and the market for travel between the Mile High City and Belize’s largest city has grown an estimated 50% since 2013.With this, on August 4, 2016, Southwest Airlines and Denver International Airport (DEN) announced that the airline will begin offering seasonal nonstop service on Saturdays from Denver to Belize City, Belize beginning March 11.
The new service will operate once per week, on Saturdays, during the peak season for travel to Belize from March 11 through April 22. The flight is scheduled to depart DEN at 10:30 a.m., arriving in Belize City at 2:50 p.m. (local times). It will operate using a 737-700 with 143 seats.
“With the addition of Belize City to our growing network of international destinations, Denver travelers will have an exciting new city to explore during next year’s spring break season, and passengers from across the United States will be able to conveniently connect through Denver International Airport to this new Central American destination,” airport CEO Kim Day said.
Nothing Beats Summer Camp on the Beach
Big happy smiles, restful gazes, bright eyes and warm hugs - It was really great to share the experience with the youth who partook in the Camp Basil Jones, Ambergris Caye, Belize. Knowing that most of the campers had not visited any of the cayes (islands) in Belize and that the beach, sun, sand and sea was a first for them made it even more special.
For four weeks, Mito Paz of Green Reef, Mr. Lincoln from the Belize Department of Youth Services and don Raul, caretaker of camp, ran the Camp Basil Jones hosting youngsters from all over the country. Through the Department of Youth Services, various inner city youth got the opportunity to camp on the beach at one of the most pristine areas on Ambergris Caye, one which even many island residents have experienced.
First Direct Flight Established Between Canada and Belize
The Belize Tourism Board is excited to announce the latest airline to add Belize to their travel route, WestJet. Earlier today, WestJet Airlines officially announced that starting October 29, 2016, WestJet will be offering flights between Canada and Belize, two days per week.
The Belize Tourism Board reports that Canada is a major source market for overnight visitors to Belize. With the addition of WestJet, this will no doubt result in an increase of Canadian visitors.
Director of Tourism, Karen Bevans, commented, “This is very exciting news. We have been in ongoing discussions with WestJet regarding a direct flight between Canada and Belize, and it’s now happening. A direct flight has been highly requested by visitors and Industry stakeholders, and with the news that this flight will become a reality just as we prepare for the start of our upcoming high season, we are indeed very optimistic and pleased. It will make traveling to Belize so much easier and more convenient as this will eliminate connection or layover time. This direct flight is absolutely going to boost our arrival numbers further, especially where the Canadian market is concerned.”
Misc Belizean Sources
De-risking and the future of indigenous banks in CARICOM: The effort of finance ministers
by Louis Robinson. The case of Belize Bank, published in the August 4, 2016, edition of Caribbean News Now (Belize bank hit by withdrawals and corresponding banking de-risking) demonstrates the urgency of finding and implementing counter de-risking measures in a robust and unrelenting manner as promised by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) ministers of finance on correspondent banking. At short notice, the Belize Bank was required to close its main correspondent account despite its long account relationship with that foreign bank.
In fact, at the July 4-6, 2016, CARICOM heads of government meeting held in Guyana and chaired by the prime minister and minister of finance of Dominica, the heads agreed to implement a robust and an unrelenting advocacy on the de-risking issues and, by way of a selected committee on correspondent banking, to maintain a high level of engagement with the parties involved.
Since the July 2016 meeting, the selected committee has released no public statement on the progress of their advocacy effort. Parties, interested in evaluating the progress of advocacy and the likely effects of de-risking on the operations of the region’s indigenous banks, have been notified that any such information was confidential or otherwise unavailable. Meanwhile, the Belize Bank has been experiencing deposit withdrawals, restrictions on international wire transfers, and other effects (e.g. on liquidity, new credit extension and profitability).
Caye Caulker Lobster Fest nominated for BTB Major Festival Tourism Award
We are happy to say we have been officially nominated for the Major Festival Tourism Award by the Belize Tourism Board!!
Audubon Updates status of parks and monuments
The Belize Audubon Society (BAS) would like to inform the public of the following update on the BAS co-managed protected areas.
• Half Moon Caye/ Blue Hole Natural Monument: OPEN to visitation
• Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary: OPEN to visitation BUT be advised some trails within the village as still inaccessible
• St. Herman's Blue Hole Natural Monument: CLOSED until Tuesday, August 9th. Only the Blue Hole and lowland trail to St. Herman's Cave will be open to visitation. All water activities are on standby until water has receded to a safe level. No tours will be allowed to visit Crystal Cave as the trail has yet to be cleared of debris.
• Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary: CLOSED we anticipate opening before the end of week. Not all trails will be open.
• Guanacaste National Park: CLOSED until further notice
Baffu Vol 9
The 9th Issue of BAFFU Magazine is out! artists + poets + writers: Baffu defined, Rasheed Palacio, Benjamin Askevold, Danny Velasquez, Ellen Joseph, Kyo D’Assassin, Thalia Silva, Adriana Smith, Greg palacio, Dwayne Murillo, Karen Munnings, Immanuel Williams, William Mahler, Quilz Tamay, Yaoling Lee, Jose Sanchez, Samantha Ke, Kelvin Baizar, Yasser Musa, Santiago Cal, Jemuel Robateau, Wilford Felix, Katie Usher, Sean Taegar, Ilona Smiling, Briheda Haylock, Patrick Peyrefitte, Lesley Codd, Leroy “The Grandmaster” Young, Chris Cansino, Kyana Brindle, Michael Gordon, Maryam Abdul Qawiyy, Jamaul Roots, Abner Recinos, Keisha Peyrefitte, Rachel Farr, Chelsea Johnston, Nadia Satya, Alton Humes, Robin Haylock, Andre Marsden, Rasheed Williams, Janelle Arceli Logan.
Hard at work in San Pedro...
We were encouraged to see the island residents working very diligently when we visited them this past Saturday.
This very motivated and hardworking San Pedro community began the cleaning process left by the aftermath of Hurricane Earl that made landfall on the island Wednesday 3rd and Thursday August 4th.
The cleaning and rebuilding process began on the rise of Thursday August 4th with no time to spare.
Despite reports in different sectors of the media, the island is OK and OPEN for business.
While most of the damage occurred to the piers and structures on them, the accommodations and restaurants remain intact and we are encouraging that if you have reservations to please NOT cancel them. We are OK!
Lamanai open now...
More good news! Again, we salute the staff and volunteers who made this happen.
JAZZ WORKSHOPS!
As part of the Belize International Jazz Festival, we are offering free workshops starting Monday, August 15.
To register, call: 227-2110
Museum of Belize and Houses of Culture Open
Please be informed that the Museum of Belize and Houses of Culture in the districts are open for normal activity. Only the Government House on Regent Street is still closed for clean up and restoration from hurricane Earl.
Belize National Song Competition
Remember the finals performances take place THIS Saturday. FREE EVENT!
The wait is over! Now you can listen to the finalists in the 2016 National Song Competition... CLICK: www.mynationalsong.bz.
AND, we'll see you at Memorial Park this coming Saturday at 7:30 p.m.!
Flooding Advisory: Cayo District & Belize River Valley
The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) has issued a Flooding Advisory in Cayo District and the Belize River Valley. Residents living in these flood prone areas are strongly encouraged to seek safety and move to higher ground. U.S. citizens should avoid flood-prone areas. Areas of concern are:
Cayo District - Arenal; Succothz; Calla Creek; La Clarissa; Siete Millas; Barton Creek; San Marcos; Billy White; Central Farm; Buena Vista; Providencia; Ramonal; Paslow Falls, Bullet Tree Falls; Santa Familia, Branch Mouth, villages along the George Price Highway, Roaring Creek.
Belize River Valley - Crooked Tree, St. Paul’s Bank; Willows Bank; Rancho Doleres; Double Head Cabbage; Bermudian Landing; Isabela Bank; Flowers Bank; May Pen; Scotland half-moon; Burrel Boom; Lord’s Bank; Ladyville; Bomba, Maskall, St. Anns; Santana; Lucky Strike; Rockstone Pond and Boston.
EARL RELIEF OPERATIONS: SITUATION REPORT #3
SITUATION. Immediate relief to the affected people and restoration of critical lifeline facilities continue as the country returns to normalcy less those severely impacted. NEMO and the Government providing assistance with help from the community. The Utility Companies operations are progressing at a steady pace enabling the country’s recovery.
PEOPLE IN SHELTER: There are a total of 170 persons in Shelter as follows: 91 in Belize City: Unity Presbyterian has 16 persons, St. John’s Vianney has 31 persons, and St. Luke has 44 persons. In Cayo: Teakettle has 16 persons in shelter and St. Matthews has 31 persons. There 28 persons in the Hattievile Community Centre recently built by US Southern Command. Orange Walk has 4 persons in one shelter in San Carlos.
MARKETING FOR SMALL HOTELS WORKSHOP
This workshop will provide attendee with knowledge in Marketing definition.
Poets Corner: Power Belize
By Abdulmajeed K Nunez. Centralized Power Belize is gruesome
Episode one was with Mason
Being caught with the decapitated head and one hundred thousand
The whole police department run helter skelter
All finger pointing to yet another minister
Like the character Llobos in power
Episode two starts the GSU commander
Being charged for allegedly raping a minor
But the plot gets thicker
He’s saying he’s being thrown under
The bus for hanging with deputy prime minister
Flowers is the cousin of the wife of the prime minister
He alleges Mason paid fifty thousand to Bandits owner
With intent to be part of the franchise owner
But was being chanced buy the owner
Father Leo Weber
The truly remarkable Fr. Leo Weber celebrates 60 years as a Jesuit priest: , also known for Weber Hall. Anyone who met him knows of his humour.
Twin Towns bridge
Billy White Villagers say Thank you Mr. NEMO.
Billy White Village in the Cayo District had been without water since the Hurricane. An online appeal was launched by villagers and the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) heard the calls for help and water is being delivered now to the village.
Jazzfest Opening Ceremony in Cayo
The 2016 Belize International Jazz Festival will have the opening concert at the Cayo Welcome Center. The line up is impressive: The World Culture Band, Ascenthium, Benque Marimba Youth Academy, Panerrifx, and the Benque Marching Band, along with many others. The opening will be on Sunday, August 14th, starting at 4:00pm.
Creole Drumming Workshop at SISE HoC
Emmeth Young was at the SISE House of Culture to lead the Drumming and Rhythm workshop, which had a small interruption due to hurricane Earl. Thanks, Emmeth!
"Creole Drumming & Rhythm Workshop has resumed at SISE House of Culture."
Jaguar caught on camera in the Chiquibul Forest
Photo is from PhD student, Lauren N. Watine, and the Program for Tropical Ecology and Conservation Science (PTECS). PTECS is a joint venture between the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the University of Florida. Lauren is using cameras to understand the carnivores and other wildlife species found in the Chiquibul, and how we can continue to promote their existence in this unique system.
Volunteers needed for Ambergris Caye Marine Turtle Program
It's the middle of the sea turtles nesting season and we are hoping the hurricane Earl has not destroyed 100% of the nest that have not hatched as yet. Tomorrow we are heading out to do an assessment of the nesting beach and hopefully locate all nest and remark them. It's a lot of work and we are looking for volunteers. We need at least 4 volunteers. Anyone interested please let us know by responding to this note.
Channel 7
Valley, Get Ready!
Tonight, life in Belize has mostly returned to normal, but the country is still recovering from Hurricane Earl - which affected the Belize, Cayo, Orange Walk and Stann Creek Districts as well as San Pedro and Caye Caulker.
And the effects of the storm are still with us. All those waters that caused the Macal River to run over its banks last week Thursday, are now settling into the Belize River valley. The Crooked Tree Lagoon is a major part of the catchment for these floodwaters; when that runs over, it floods the Belize River Valley. Today, we asked area representative and NEMO minister Edmond Castro if the valley will see severe flooding:...
Hon. Edmond Castro, NEMO Minister:
"It will be extremely difficult to tell people that's not a possibility. Everything is a possibility. But at the rate that the river is rising, I believe the extreme flooding condition in our communities along the river bank from the Cayo District unto through the Belize River Valley area reduced significantly. Reason I am saying this is that Friday, the speed of the water coming through Bermudian Landing area and the villages on the western portion, Cayo District I should say, it was coming down rather fast, but because the basin in our area, the Crooked Tree Lagoon - that basin and also the other caption area which is the Mexico lagoon was below the water table."
Life After Earl, In The Shadow Of His Wreckage
And while the river valley remains on high alert, Belize City started the new week by putting on the best face it's could. Five days after a category one hurricane mashed up the city, things seemed to be returning to normal - and the pace of life picked up where it had been disrupted last week - even with very glaring remnants of the storm damage all over the city. But, no one stopped to stare; this morning city residents were getting on with their business after days spent cleaning up and clearing out. It is expected that repairs to structures, bus stops and signs will take some time.
People Are Still In Shelters
In Friday's newscast you saw Vista Del Mar and Ladyville residents washing out and scrubbing their floors, air drying their clothes, appliances and even vehicles. Well, there are many residents who don't even have a home to clean out. Those people remain at shelters pleading for help. Today we found out just how they were managing and what is being done to help these storm victims.
It has been 5 days after Hurricane Earl and several residents are far from getting their lives back together. About 85 people are stranded in the 3 city shelters, with nowhere to go.
These families are doing their best to have some clean clothes. And a place to sleep, but there is so much more that they need.
Bird's Isle: Paradise Lost, Belize's Only Wooden Court Ruined By Earl
And while some can wait for help from Human Services and NEMO, business owners in the city have to come up with the money to rebuild their establishments. One owner who has a mammoth task ahead is Henry Young Jr. He's one of the owners of Birds Isle. That recreation facility has been around for almost 50 years and has become a sports institution - in fact, it's still the only place in Belize where you can find a wooden playing court - one that was still very much in use up until last week Tuesday. But Hurricane Earl tore up the court and trashed a section of the restaurant. Young told us today what this loss means for him and the community and what he is doing to restore his place.
Henry Young Jr., Owner - Birds Isle:
"It's devastating. The whole court came crashing down. I guess due to the fact that the hurricane stayed with us 7 hours continuous blowing and it couldn't handle it. It went through Richard and many other hurricanes before, but this one it couldn't handle, so this one came crashing down. During the day especially during the summer, they use to play basketball to keep their minds off trouble and back in the days the 70s, you use to have jump up - very popular Sundays. So it's iconic."
Foreshore's Fallen Fences
And while Earl thrashed the venerable Island basketball court - it did the same to fences along southern foreshore. We couldn't fit this into our coverage last week - but the state of these fences show the power of the storm surge, which smashed concrete like it was cardboard. The fences of the Castillo, Usher and Anglican homes have stood for decades, but could not withstand the storm surge on foreshore, which appears to have been especially strong, since many concrete structures in that area were compromised.
Senior Cop Being Investigated For Molesting Minor-Aged Girl
Tonight, a senior police officer is being investigated for molestation of a 15-year-old girl in the Belmopan area. We cannot release the name at this time because no formal complaint has been made naming the officer - but, our reports say, his name has come up in counseling sessions with the minor.
We can tell you that the case is presently in the hands of the Department of Human Services which is interviewing the child.
It's an especially disturbing case because last week, three other men were charged for molesting the underage minor in the Belmopan area. One of them, Addisson Gillett - who is a special constable - was remanded for rape and aggravated assault of the girl. He allegedly forced himself on her while holding a gun to her head.
Mason's Wife Turns Herself Into Police
Melissa Ferguson, she's William Danny Mason's wife - and for two weeks now, police have been seeking her for questioning. Well, today she turned herself into Belmopan police in the company of her attorney Dickie Bradley.
This evening, we spoke with Bradley by phone, and he says that she has given them a statement. And now, the officers are in the process of combing through the evidence they have to test whether there are any inconsistencies between what she claims, and what other persons have told them in written statements:
Dickie Bradley - Attorney for Melissa Ferguson:
"She has made contact with the police last week through myself saying that she wanted to come in and cooperate with authorities in relation to the investigation. Because of the hurricane, the officers had said that today would be a better day than that day last week. They knew that she was safely back in the country and they could get their hands on her whenever they wanted."
Market Murder In City
And while Belmopan Police were questioning Melissa Ferguson to determine if she was in any way involved in the murder of Pastor Llewelyn Lucas, cops from Belize City's Eastern Division South were continuing their investigation into a weekend murder. The victim is 51 year-old Carl Trapp. He was stabbed to death near the Michael Finnegan Market, right inside the compound of Hyde's Supermarket. That business is owned by his cousin, Alvin Hyde Jr., who he lived with.
Today, we went looking for answers in Trapp's very strange and violent killing. Daniel Ortiz has that story:
Daniel Ortiz reporting:
The body of 51 year-old Carl Trap, originally from Camalote Village, was found here inside Hyde's Supermarket, the building owned by his cousin, Alvin Hyde Jr. Someone attacked him, stabbed him several times to the face, and left him on the ground to die. It was not until some hours later that he was discovered, and be then, he was dead.
Man Who Was Beaten Up Also Had His Home Burnt Down
32 year-old John Burke and 34 year-old Kareem Eagan are at prison tonight after they were accused of beating up a man on the compound of the KHMH.
It happened last Wednesday, August 3, and according to the victim, Mario Zelaya, he was at the hospital to visit his wife with whom he'd been having domestic difficulties. Zelaya got into a misunderstanding with Burke and Eagan, who allegedly beat him unconscious. Last week police said he was in intensive care. And then on Thursday night, his home was burned down - in what police say is a directly related act of arson.
Police charged both men with attempted murder and dangerous harm for beating up Zelaya. They were arraigned today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer who did not take a plea. They were remanded to the Belize Central Prison until their next court date, which is scheduled for September 19.
When Will "Mr. NEMO" Appear?
Earlier we told you about the people who are still stuck in shelters, but when will NEMO start rolling out the relief which these and other victims all across the country need after being devastated by Hurricane Earl? That's what we asked NEMO Minister Edmond Castro today, and while he couldn't give us an exact date, he said that assessment teams are on the ground, and the distribution of disaster supplies have already started.
Daniel Ortiz:
"A lot of people are hurting after this hurricane, they need these relief delivered as quickly as possible. What's the latest from your ministry in relation to that?"
Hon. Edmond Castro, NEMO Minister:
"Well I must say and I must big up the entire relief effort, the entire NEMO volunteers and public officers and so on, because they are doing a remarkable job. Some of those people were there from the Sunday prior to Thursday and as soon as the hurricane passed and we had the ALL CLEAR issue, those public officers and volunteers were out there assessing and providing food packs and different things through people affected by this hurricane and that's continue from then Thursday until today and continue until we try to reach each and every person affected by this hurricane."
BEL: 99% Of Belize District Restored
BEL's assessment is that - as of this evening - power has been restored to 99% of the country.
A late evening release says that the stretch from Sandhill to Crooked Tree, as well as a portion of those along the Old Northern Highway and a portion of Belize River Valley were all restored today.
Now there are still some individual properties within restored areas who do not have power. BEL says that is due to transformers, spurs and poles requiring replacement. Those works are underway but may still be a day more.
The only remaining communities in Belize District without power are those along the Old Northern Highway from Altun Ha to Maskall and five villages in the Belize River Valley. They are now entering a punishing 120 hours and counting without electricity.
City Council Struggling To Keep Up With Post-Earl City Cleanup
But the heaviest lifting has been left to the Belize City Council. All this weekend, their cleanup teams worked virtually around the clock in probably the most voluminous cleanup effort since Hurricane Hattie almost 60 years ago.
The City hauled endless trucks of broken trees and throwaway items from flooded homes, so much that even the landfill got full - and efforts had to be made to create more space. Now the city is considering taking a week's break to make sure everyone gets out all their mess - because, often, as soon as they clear an area, another person on that block starts putting out garbage. We'll keep you posted.
Earl, How Hard Did He Really Blow?
So, in view of all the wreckage that Hurricane Earl generated, really just how strong was Hurricane Earl when it made landfall in Belize? The local experts from the Belize Meteorological Service are still reviewing the data recorded at their different measuring stations. According to the National Hurricane Center, when Earl finally passed over the country, it's maximum sustained winds at midnight on Wednesday were measured at 80 miles per hour.
Now, if you ask anyone in the affected areas on the Cayes, Belize City, Ladyville, and those communities along the Phillip Goldson Highway, they'll tell you that certainly, the winds which hit them were certainly more than 80 miles per hour. So, today, we went to talk with Dennis Gonguez, the Chief Met Officer, and he told us that people may well have experienced winds over 80 miles, but those were gusts, which is different from the maximum sustained winds.
Earl Kills 39 In Mexico
And you don't need to convince Mexican's of how powerful the storm was. Earl caused mudslides which were responsible for 39 deaths in the Mexican states of Veracruz and Puebla. The mountainous area of Puebla was hardest hit with multiple landslides which killed 28 people.
Earl passed over Guatemala and southern Mexico before regaining strength over the Gulf of Mexico and making a second landfall southeast of Veracruz late Friday. Mexican authorities said the area had received a month's worth of rain in 24 hours.
GSU Gets Father and Son With Glocks
Tonight, Maroquin Drury, and his son, Keithburn Drury, are both at the Belize Central Prison after police say that they were busted the men with an unlicensed weapon.
It happened on Saturday, August 6th when the cops were on patrol on Marine Parade. That's when they intercepted an SUV, belonging to these men. The police searched the vehicle and found a Glock 9mm pistol with 8 live rounds of ammunition; it was under the front passenger seat. They couldn't produce any licenses for the weapon, and so they were charged with keeping an unlicensed firearm, and keeping unlicensed ammunition.
Gringo With Ganja Claims It Was Medicinal
45 year-old American Firefighter Thomas Jamal Busby, a resident of San Francisco, got into trouble in Belize when he was caught in possession of two packs of candy containing marijuana.
He arrived at the Philip Goldson International Airport on last week Thursday, but his luggage was left behind in Atlanta. He went back to the airport to get it after it had arrived, which is when Customs searched his bag. They found the packs of candy which were labelled "medical marijuana". That's legal where he lives, but in Belize it's still against the law, and so the authorities charged him with the importation of a controlled drug.
Man Remanded For Sex With Child
28 year-old Edair Dominguez, an electrician from San Juan, San Pedro, is at the Belize Central Prison tonight. He's being accused of child molestation.
The complainant is a 14 year-old girl who says that he had intercourse with her at her home on July 31. He was arraigned before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer, and he was remanded to prison until September 23.
Kendis and The Cops
Police busted a well-known gang figure with weed. On Friday night around 8, the GSU spotted a heavily tinted vehicle that was parked on Kelly Street. They went over to search the vehicle and they saw 24 year old Kendis Flowers inside with 2 other men. Nothing was found in the vehicle but less than one tenth of an ounce of weed was found on Flowers. Flowers, who is described by the GSU as a key figure in the Ghost Town Crips Gang, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled drug.
And on Saturday morning after 12, the GSU conducted another search at an abandoned house at West Street. Police found 18 rounds of ammunition, (14) hollow point 9 millimeter rounds and (4) .45 rounds. The ammunition was found in a black plastic bag between the Zinc ceiling and the beam. No one was in the immediate area at the time and so it was labeled and deposited as found property. The GSU believes the ammunition was stashed for a member of the George Street Gang.
Earl Sends Animals Scampering For High Ground, While Hunters Reload
One of the unforeseen effects of Hurricane Earl is the effect the storm had on wildlife in the Central Corridor of the Belize District.
And that's why the Forest Department says it has received multiple reports and complaints of illegal hunting and killing of wildlife in the Belize River Valley Area. Basically, the animals like pecarries, have been forced out of their traditional areas by floodwaters, and hunters are making a killing off it, with illegal and excessive hunting.
Today we spoke to the Forestry Department's wildlife officer about it:…
Local wildlife that is threatened includes deer, white lipped peccaries, gibnut and other game species. The Forestry Department kindly asks that residents, the general public and restaurateurs to desist from purchasing game meat during this time and to continue to assist them in reporting of any wildlife violation to the Forest Department at 822-2079.
Did Hon. Castro Know Mason?
Earlier in the news, you saw our interview with NEMO Minister Edmond Castro. He was discussing possible flooding in the Belize River Valley, and the relief efforts for all the victims of Hurricane Earl. But, while we had the opportunity, we just had to ask whether or not he had come in contact with accused murder and conman William "Danny" Mason.
We've put this question to every one of his colleagues who have granted a press encounter, and when we asked him about it today, he politely ended the interview. Here's how that brief exchange went:
Daniel Ortiz:
"Every minister we've encountered we've asked the question, so we have to ask you as well, did you know William Danny Mason?"
A Belize Fest Shooting In The Chi
The Belize Fest in Chicago is a much anticipated annual event where the thousands of Belizeans living in the windy city come together to celebrate their Belizean-ness. But this year's event at the Hawthorne Race course ended abruptly last night when there was a shooting at the event. Here's the report from a local Chicago station.
The name of the shooting victim has not been released. Chicago has one of the highest crime rates among US cities.
More Canucks and Coloradoans Coming!
Key tourist destinations such as San Pedro and Caye Caulker may have been damaged by hurricane Earl, but they'd better be ready for the high season because increased airlift means more visitors than ever.
The first announcement came this morning from a Canadian airline, called Westjet - which will bring the first flight out of Canada to Belize.
Starting October 29, 2016, WestJet will be offering flights between Toronto, Canada and Belize, on Wednesday;s and Saturday's. Canada is considered a major, largely unexploited market for overnight visitors to Belize.
The price of a round trip is quoted at 270 Canadian dollars, compared to the seven or 800 dollars that a round trip costs right now on other carriers.
Channel 5
Melissa Ferguson, William Mason’s Wife, Turns Herself Into Police
Before noon today, Melissa Ferguson, the wife of accused murderer William “Danny” Mason, turned herself in to the Belmopan Police. Police had been looking for Ferguson and had issued a [...]
Attorney Dickie Bradley Reveals Details of Melissa Ferguson’s Statement
At news time tonight Melissa Ferguson, also known as Mila Mason, has been at the CIB headquarters in Belmopan since eleven-forty-five this morning when she walked into the Police Station [...]
Camalote Plumber Murdered in the City
While there were no known casualties caused by Hurricane Earl, immediately in its aftermath a plumber from Camalote, Cayo, who had just been released on parole, was found murdered in [...]
164 Persons Remain in Shelters
While we have been spared the loss of life by Hurricane Earl, families are still in shelters having suffered substantive damages to their roofs, belongings or their houses. A total [...]
UNICEF Says 110,000 Children Affected by Hurricane Earl
Melissa Ferguson’s attorney has just provided an interview on her statement to the police. We’ll have all that coming up later in the newscast. But thirty-eight persons were killed in [...]
UNICEF Issues Care Packages to Affected Families
UNICEF is assisting with care packages that are being distributed to families in the shelters. There is also a possibility that the organization will provide financial support to the Belize [...]
Willoughby Says Sanitation Works to Continue in the City
Sanitation works have been ongoing for the past four days in neighborhoods in Belize City hard hit by Hurricane Earl. Most of the main thoroughfares across the Old Capital have [...]
CitCo’s Sanitation Manager Hospitalized
The sanitation workers attached to the City Council have been working around the clock to get the city back to normalcy. But in the thick of things, there has been [...]
Managing Waste at Transfer Station
Meanwhile the Transfer Station at the garbage dump near mile three on the George Price Highway is congested due to the volume of debris and garbage transported to the site. [...]
Utility Company Restoring Power to Country
Not every household has been powered-up following the passage of Earl which caused extensive damage to lamp posts and electrical wiring. B.E.L. says it continues to work toward the restoration [...]
WestJet Direct Flights from Canada to Belize
Amid the not so good news, there is some positive report in the tourism industry. Tourism numbers are holding their own with the Belize Tourism Board claiming an upward trend [...]
San Pedro Resident Remanded for Unlawful Sex
A thirty-two year old resident from the San Juan area of San Pedro is on remand tonight. Edair Dominguez is accused of the sexual assault of a fourteen year old [...]
John Burke and Kareem Eagan Arraigned for Attempted Murder
Two Belize City men are also on remand tonight at the Belize Central Prison for attempted murder. Thirty-two year old John Burke, a fisherman of Lavender Street, and thirty-four year [...]
Belize Red Cross Provides Relief to Hurricane Victims
The Belize Red Cross is offering assistance to the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) as part of the recovery process from Hurricane Earl. Even before the storm made landfall in [...]
Financial Assistance Can Be Forwarded to the Belize Red Cross
Since the hurricane, a number of Go-Fund Me accounts have been opened, soliciting financial assistance for hurricane victims. Here at Channel Five, we have been inundated with requests of where [...]
Flooding in the West Damages Low-Lying Bridge
With the passage of Hurricane Earl, flooding waters are expected to descend on many communities. In the west, water levels at the Mopan and Macal Rivers surged, but according to [...]
Sports Monday: Sporting Facilities Damaged by Hurricane Earl
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday. Hurricane Earl has come and gone, leaving in its wake, a major setback to the sports—at least in the [...]
CTV3
Melissa Ferguson Surrenders To Police
A few weeks ago we reported that Melissa Ferguson, known to be the common-law wife of William Danny Mason, the man who is said to have orchestrated the decapitation of Pastor Llewellyn Lucas, was being sought by authorities after reports indicated that she was last seen leaving along with her luggage from Mason’s Outback Ranch on Tuesday July 19th. This was only four days after Pastor Lue’s head was discovered in the back of Mason’s F-150 pickup truck.
The surveillance footage believed to be in the hands of police which allegedly shows the manner in which Lucas was brutally murdered, also reveals that Ferguson was at the scene where the horrendous act was committed hence the reason she was heavily pursued by authorities for weeks.
Cattle Thieves On The Lose
Corozal Police are tonight in search of thieves who stole a large cattle worth almost two thousand dollars from a small farm in the Village of San Narciso.
According to Arturo Rene Chan, owner of the stolen bull, he noticed that the animal was missing from their small farm on Saturday morning at about 6:30 when he went to feed the animals. Chan then followed the animal’s tracks for about 25 minutes to a small clearing in the village of Santa Clara where he believes the animal was killed as he discovered a large amount of blood and the collar they had put on the bull along with the animal’s internal organs.
According to the family this is the second time that robbers enter their property and make away with the family’s cattle as two months ago two calves were stolen from the farm.
New Flights Added To Belize's Destination
The Belize Tourism Board announced this morning, the addition of the newest airline to offer flights to the Jewel. Starting October 29th, 2016, WestJet will be offering 2 weekly flights between Canada and Belize.
According to the BTB, with the addition of this new flight the number of overnight visitors from Canada are expected to increase considerably from an already large amount of visitors. The Director of Tourism, Karen Bevans, is quoted as stating “This is very exciting news. We have been in ongoing discussions with WestJet regarding a direct flight between Canada and Belize, and it’s now happening. A direct flight has been highly requested by visitors and Industry stakeholders, and with the news that this flight will become a reality just as we prepare for the start of our upcoming high season, we are indeed very optimistic and pleased. This direct flight is absolutely going to boost our arrival numbers further, especially where the Canadian market is concerned.” End of quote.
CARICOM To Discuss De-risking
The issue of loss of correspondent banking relationships due to de-risking, a phenomenon where larger international banks curtail relationships with local banks in vulnerable economies, has been categorized as a potentially huge crisis for Belize and other smaller countries in the region. The commonwealth has announced that this week on August 10th will be convening a meeting with banks and financial gurus and global regulators to explore its report on solutions to a problem that is threatening development in vulnerable economies. Joining the commonwealth in the meeting on Wednesday at the Commonwealth headquarters in London will be the Executive Secretary of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) - the international anti-money laundering and counter financing terrorism standard setter, the British Bankers’ Association, HSBC Holdings, Santander and the Wolfsberg Group who will all discuss and examine proposed solutions for the problem.
Hundreds Of Thousands Of Belizeans Children Affected By Earl
The Government and people of Belize are still in the process of recovering from the aftermath of Earl, which hit Belize as a category one hurricane in the early hours of Thursday morning. Several houses, businesses, government and private buildings were destroyed within the Belize District which received the greatest brunt of Earl leaving several families homeless. According to a release issued by the United Nations’ Children’s Fund (UNICEF), three-fourths of Belize’s children, amounting to more than 110,000, 27,000 of them being younger than age 5, were affected by Hurricane Earl.
In their report UNICEF indicated that it has conducted an initial assessment of damage caused by Earl in some of the most vulnerable communities located in Southside Belize City. Staff members on the ground reported that hundreds of families have been forced to seek cover with relatives, neighbors or in government shelters and many families have lost their houses and belongings to flash flooding and strong winds. The report also added that, although many families sought cover before the storm hit, some felt forced to stay in their homes as they feared for their children’s safety in community shelters due to the level of alcohol consumption and crowds.
Belize And Guatemala Signed Prisoner Exchange Program
Belize and Guatemala have had their share of difficulties recently over the border dispute that exists between both countries, but the two countries have recently reached an agreement in criminal matters.
According to a report on the Guatemalan media, Foreign Ministers for both countries came to an agreement which indicates that criminals convicted in either party may serve sentences in their home country which allow for a more effective rehabilitation of prisoners.
The agreement will last for 10 years and is automatically extended for equal periods unless either party terminates it through a written notification through diplomatic channels, which take effect one year after the claim.
Free Health Care Provided In The North
A group of professional health care providers and missionaries are in Belize providing much needed assistance to residents here in the north. The missionary group from Caring Partners international, hails from Ohio, USA and are offering Orange Walkenos information on how to live healthier life style. Kyle Haze- Missionary: “We are here with Caring Partners International which a medical’s missions group is and we believe in coming alongside people and we believe in physical needs and also the spiritual needs and just we are not forcing anyone to do anything but just spending time with people getting to know them and our doctors here getting to know some of their illnesses and things so they can give them a plan for the future and how treat themselves better.”
LOVE FM
WestJet and Southwest Airlines to Add Belize to Duo Sentenced to 7 Years for Burglary
Dennis Jones and Wilson Gonzalez were sentenced to seven years in prison when they appeared in Belmopan Magistrate Court. The duo was charged with burglary. Last Friday a resident of Banana Bank reported that his home was burglarized and over fourteen thousand dollars worth of cash and electronics were stolen. Jones and Gonzalez were arrested […]
Belize and Guatemala Sign Agreement on Custody of Prisoners
There hasn’t been any publicizing of it from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but Love News has learnt from an online publication in Guatemala that Belize has signed onto an agreement surrounding the enforcement of prison sentences. The signed agreement reportedly has up to six articles of understanding and was drafted with the idea that […]
NEMO Says Restoration of Critical Lifeline Facilities Continues
NEMO has released its latest advisory. It says immediate relief to the affected people and restoration of critical lifeline facilities continue as the country returns to normalcy less those severely impacted. NEMO and the Government providing assistance with help from the community. The Utility Companies operations are progressing at a steady pace enabling the country’s […]
WestJet and Southwest Airlines to Add Belize to Their Travel Route
Over the weekend we told you of the direct flight to Belize that Southwest Airlines will be putting in their schedule from Denver, Colorado, USA. Those flights, however, will not begin until March 2017 and they will be seasonal. Taking effect in October 2016 via WestJet Airlines is in the inclusion of Belize into their […]
Love Foundation Launches Relief Drive in Aftermath of Hurricane Earl
There are currently 500 persons registered with the Love Foundation over a course of two years. These parents and children are beneficiaries of the parenting, anger management and other courses offered by the Love Foundation in an effort to end the cycle of crime, abuse and poverty. The programs are geared at building self-esteem and […]
Team of 3 Belizeans Perform at Rio Olympics 2016
Two hundred and five countries from around the world have sent athletes to the 2016 Olympic Games currently underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The teams will be taking part in three hundred and six events surrounding forty two sporting disciplines ranging from swimming to judo and wrestling. The games began Saturday, August 6 and […]
Taxi Driver and Passenger Nabbed for Marijuana
As hundreds of families are toiling to get their homes back to normal, a taxi driver and a Belize City resident were reportedly transporting illegal drugs to Orange Walk Town from Belize City. Police had set up a checkpoint in Sandhill Village, Belize District on Saturday when just after midnight they came across a 1995 […]
Breaking Belize News
Belize Progressive Party proposes hurricane relief strategy
The Belize Progressive Party (BPP) has issued a proposed strategy to provide aid to those affected by the recent Hurricane Earl. Their proposition, titled “BPP’s Hurricane Earl 3-R Plan” includes Relief, Recovery and Rebuilding. As part of the relief efforts, BPP proposes a […]
Shots ring out at Belizean Cultural Festival in Chicago
The yearly Belize Cultural Festival at the Hawthorne Race Course was interrupted30 on Sunday night on Laramie Ave. in Stickney in Chicago, USA. The festival’s publicity director Jim Miller said the incident happened in the parking lot, where the event […]
Guatemala and Belize agree on enforcement of criminal sentences
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Guatemala today published the agreement between Belize and that country on the enforcement of criminal sentences in the Diario de Centroamerica. The agreement allows persons convicted of crimes to serve their time in their native countries, […]
Melissa Ferguson surrenders to police with attorney
A brown-haired 48-year-old Melissa Ferguson, accompanied by attorney Richard “Dickie” Bradley, this morning handed herself in to Belmopan police. Ferguson, who also goes by the alias Mila Mason, was wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of 46-year-old Llewellyn Lucas on Friday July […]
Wooden bridge in San Ignacio Town receives damages during flood
The wooden bridge that connects Santa Elena with San Ignacio Town received extensive damages to the middle section during the flood that Hurricane Earl brought to the country last week. The Ministry of Works will carry out an in-depth assessment of the damages when […]
Defense Ministers to meet in Trinidad
The 12th Conference of Defence Ministers will be held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago fromOctober 10-12 and Belize will be one of the 34 participating countries. During the three-day conference, ministers and delegates from all over the Americas will be in attendance. With the world’s […]
Orange Walk and Belize City men charged for drug trafficking
Police report that they have arrested 41-year-old Julian Chuc, a taxi driver of Orange Walk Town and 24-year-old Kadeem Courtney of Belize City for trafficking 260.6 grams of cannabis. The arrest was made on Sunday morning at 12:30 when Chuc was headed to Belize City in his maroon […]
WestJet now flying to Belize
WestJet, one of Canada’s largest airlines, has announced a new direct route to Belize starting October 29. WestJet made the announcement via press release on Monday morning. The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) also issued its own release expressing its excitement that WestJet has added […]
Belize: How Our Public Policies Save Lives
Thankfully, no lives have been reported lost in Belize, the country that took the brunt of Hurricane Earl’s 80 mph winds. Today, it is being reported that Mexico lost 39 lives. Why is this so? 66 FEET WATERFRONT LAW In Belize, no one should […]
Ambergris Caye, Belize: The Storm Has Passed and We Are Open For Business
Here are the facts:
We are open for business and the best way to support our beloved island is to visit – eat, go on tours, drink and have a great time.
Talk to your hotel. There are a few that are closed for clean-up. But most are open and ready. (Not to trick you into coming to a help them clean or to sleep in a room full of sand, I mean READY)
If you have never been here, here is the list of 11 Things You MUST Do on Your First Visit to Ambergris Caye. Today, three full days after Earl, you can do 10/11 – Palapa Bar, the famous dock over the water, was very sadly washed away (though I know they will rebuild). Almost all of the restaurants, bars, tours are up and ready to go.
The sharks are waiting for you.
I’m On My Way, What Should I Expect?
Many of you are on the fence about your vacation plans. So far of the 10 or so people that have asked me all of then have decided to come.
While it is true not everything may be open and there are many less docks to walk on, we are largely moving forward at a great pace. By coming down and supporting the local economy you will be helping the community through a trying time.
You will have a great time and see just how resilient and strong our community is in the face of Mother Nature and forces beyond our control.
Since the storm the skies have been bright blue interspersed with big white fluffy clouds. The first set of pictures are some that I took from my roof top yesterday. The second set below are even better for aerial pictures as they cover thew whole island.
Lessons from Earl: No. 1, Not all disasters are alike
When almost an entire block on Middle Street in San Pedro went up in flames in June — leaving 66 people homeless and a number of businesses crippled or wiped out — the whole world responded with unconditional generosity.
Certainly the whole of Ambergris Caye did.
Scores of volunteers stepped in to help clear away debris. They didn’t ask which rubble belonged to homes and which to businesses. The amount of clothing and food donated could be calculated in tonnage and by the size of the hearts of the people on Ambergris Caye.
Barges and planes brought in even more aid from the mainland.
A significant amount of cash was raised in numerous and imaginative ways. Nobody designated their dollars to go to specific people or businesses.
People just gave — time, money, food, clothing, shelter.
Hurricane Earl is different.
Or it seems that way.
Enchiladas Kabob
This is a fun take on the basic enchilada. I used a skewer to string a few enchiladas in order to fry them and make to make somewhat of a taco.
Camping on the Beach is UnBelizeable!
What should have been a visit to the Basil Jones Summer Camp to catch up on the activities of the camp kids, turned out to be a full 2-day adventure that included a golf cart ride in pitch black conditions, being eaten alive by sand flies, camping on the beach and drying out wet mattresses, pillows and clothes after our tent leaked during a 15-minute deluge.
On the up side, we roasted marshmallows under a gorgeous full moon, were entertained by the camp kids who were on their last evening of summer camp, slept under the stars, experienced a glorious sunrise and spent an entire day on a canoe by the reef, snorkeling and hunting for manatees (not to kill them, but to swim with them of course).
Seeing that the camp kids were having so much fun during they day, we decided to return for the evening activities to camp out on the beach. A quick shower – grocery shop run for supplies – load up the tent – and we were off…..
WestJet establishes first direct flight between Canada and Belize
Getting to Belize just got better! Another airline has added Belize to their travel route: WestJet. On Monday, August 8, 2016, WestJet Airlines officially announced that starting October 29, 2016, WestJet will be offering flights between Canada and Belize, two days per week.
According to the Belize Tourism Board, Canada is a major source market for overnight visitors to Belize. Adding WestJet will mean an increase in Canadian visitors, as the direct flight route is convenient and more practical for travelers.
How this 10-Year-Old Survived Hurricane Earl
Yay, I survived my first hurricane! Let me tell you about this Earl dude. He had us running up and down for food supplies and some people had to evacuate their homes or even leave the island. He made us put wood on our windows! Like my cousin Alana says, “That’s a fashion no no.” Our homes looked so badly dressed and you have no idea how much I appreciate windows now that we can let fresh air and light in again.
Right before sunset on the evening Earl turned into a hurricane, my family and I went to see the waves on the beach. Our beaches don’t usually have any waves because our barrier reef protects us from them, but even that wasn’t any match for Earl. He wasn’t expected till midnight, but by 6:00p.m. the waves were warning us that he was on his way! This dude was fierce and mom said he was just a small hurricane (a category one).
Pretty soon after, it started to rain so we made our way home for a long night. To be honest, we are really lucky to have a very strong home and didn’t even hear much of what was going on outside, except for the wind banging on some doors and windows when it got really strong. I was kind of scared then, but my family has been through hurricanes before and they made sure I knew this one wasn’t so bad and I was safe. I even managed to sleep for a few hours.
10 Things You can Still do in Belize after Hurricane Earl
You saw it on the news, Hurricane Earl hit Belize and caused quite a bit of damage, but we are resilient and pushing through beautifully. The past few days have seen people coming together and working overtime to bring this jewel back to a normal state. Here are just ten of many things you can still do even after Hurricane Earl in Belize.
1. Go Diving
2. Party On A Boat
3. Say “I Do”
4. Enjoy Local Favourite Foods
5. Have a Cocktail
6. Rent a Golf Cart and Explore
7. Go Fishing
8. Visit the Mainland
9. Relax and Enjoy the View
10. Meet Friendly People
International Sources
Westjet: Exciting and new – we’re going to Belize
WestJet, one of Canada’s largest airlines, has announced a new direct route to Belize starting October 29. First Direct Flight Established Between Canada and Belize.
Belize! Yes, we’re thrilled to announce Belize as our latest new destination. In fact, “new destination” doesn’t quite convey our enthusiasm – “exciting and new” destination (shout-out to you Love Boat fans) does the trick a bit better. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get down to the business of answering a few questions about Belize, our exciting and new destination.
Q&A; with Simone Biles
Go Team USA and Belize! Did you know U.S. gymnast and Olympic contender Simone Biles has both U.S. and Belizean roots? Her Mom is from Belize. Learn more ...
Rare Maya Burial Temple Discovered in Belize
Excavations at Xunantunich have uncovered the remains of a body and hieroglyphics that tell the story of the snake-head dynasty. The Maya people produced some awesome pyramids like the Castillo at Chichen Itza and the temple at Tikal. But unlike Egypt and other parts of the world, these pyramids were designed more for religious reasons than for royal burials. That makes the recent discovery of an elaborate temple-grave in western Belize a huge find, reports Alan Yuhas at The Guardian.
Jaime Awe, director of the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project, led a team of researchers who discovered the tomb while excavating the stairway on a structure in Xunantunich, a Maya archaeological site on the Mopan River. Inside, they found human remains later identified as belonging to a well-muscled man in his 20s inside the tomb, Yuhas reports. Jade beads, bones from jaguars and deer, ceramic pots, obsidian blades and other objects were placed around the body.
The roughly 15-foot by 8-foot burial chamber—which is one of the largest to be discovered Belize, and is different from other Maya graves Awe has encounted —is undeniably an exciting discovery. However, the body isn't the most important find in the temple complex, Jamie Seidel writes for news.au.com.
Belize Seaweed: The Next Big Thing for Fisheries
t the fourth International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC) held in St John’s Newfoundland, Canada, Julianne Robinson from The Nature Conservancy explained how Belize’s waters can offer more than just fishing income to support those living in coastal communities. The focus of this income diversification - seaweed mariculture.
Fishing has long formed part of the Belize culture, providing an important source of food and income for its many coastal communities.
Like many coastal nations, Belize’s fisheries have seen declines in fisheries from over exploitation and destructive fishing practices. Increasing coastal development, and climate change impacts on the ocean adds to the pressures on the low-tech, small-scale fisheries that dominate Belize’s coastal communities. Income diversification is increasingly becoming a necessity.
Working with Belize’s Placencia Fishermen Cooperative, Ms Robinson and colleagues at The Nature Conservancy developed and tested pilot mariculture farms. Working with the local community has been a central feature in the development of the mariculture project, which focuses on the red seaweed Euchemia isiforme.
Why Soca Is Poised To Go Mainstream
Machel Montano has devoted his life to the cause of soca music. At age 41, and having been in the limelight since he began singing as a precocious 7 year old, his talents have long outgrown the island’s stage. He has sold out shows the world over, collaborated with artists from Nigeria to Norway, and, most recently, brought a little bit of wining to the White House. Montano has also sought to import Caribbean vibes to the west coast, spearheading L.A.’s annual Hollywood Carnival. This summer, seeking a new vehicle to bring soca music to the mainstream, Montano is making his U.S. cinematic with Bazodee, a feature film that's in theaters now.
Written by Claire Ince and directed by Todd Kessler, Bazodee borrows from the cinematic schools of romantic comedies and Bollywood musicals; the result is a Trinidadian stew of forbidden love. Set during the climax of carnival — Trinidad’s annual pre-Lenten festival of fêtes, music, and pageantry — the film follows the star-crossed paths of Lee de Leon, a down-on-his-luck Afro-Caribbean soca musician, and, Anita Panchouri, a well-off bride-to-be of Indian origin. Through its saccharine-sweet storyline, the film peels back the layers of carnival’s light-hearted revelries and digs into the some of the deeper social issues that boil beneath the nation’s surface — namely how tensions of race and class divide the island’s cosmopolitan society, issues that also came to a head during Trinidad’s 2015 election season. The FADER spoke with Montano about his acting debut and why he thinks soca can help to bridge the schisms in society.
Snowy Egrets, Once Fashion Victims, Always Elegant Predators
There is nothing as white as a snowy egret, and few things are as graceful. Watching one hunt in the shallow waters of Hamilton Beach, Queens, one early morning, I was held rapt for almost an hour by the bird’s search for prey. Its image reflected perfectly in the dark mirror of the Hawtree Creek, it was as if two birds hunted. The scene was like a masterful Japanese print; minimal, carefully rendered and capturing an ancient truth. I pitied the school of killifish the bird had targeted.
Motionless as a marble statue for minutes at a time, the egret’s eye would snap to focus, its head angle to the side, revealing a consciousness of something unseen below the water’s surface. Then suddenly it darted its sharp black bill into the water, speared a mummichog with no apparent emotion and tossed its head back to gulp it down before transforming back into a statue.
The snowy egret (Egretta thula) is a relatively small heron and has become a ubiquitous presence along coastal bays and inlets. It is also a shining example of an early environmental success story.
WestJet becomes only Canadian carrier flying non-stop to Belize City
WestJet will begin serving Belize City, Belize, non-stop from Toronto Pearson International Airport starting October 29, 2016.
"WestJet is proud to become the only Canadian carrier to fly non-stop to the Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in Belize," said Bob Cummings, WestJet executive vice-president, commercial. "The flight's departure time will allow guests to connect seamlessly from many cities across Canada to a destination known for its large Canadian ex-pat community. WestJet continues to respond to the needs of the communities we serve by delivering more choice, competition and lower fares to Canadian travellers. The launch of service to Belize and our new, year-round service to JFK underlines our commitment to making air travel better in Canada."
Videos
Caye Caulker cleanup, 1/4min. Close to 50 people showed up for work this morning. It warms the cockles of my heart that we could put so many people to work. If you have your checks ready please let us know how and when we can get them. We will need to pay all these workers this evening.
2016 Belize Baptism, 2min. Being baptized in the Caribbean Sea on Caye Caulker is always a special thing.
Belize 2016 | An Orange Walk Adventure, 9min. You want to know what it's like to experience an week long mission trip with 60 high school students? This is as close as you can get without actually being there.
San Ignacio, Belize, 2min.
Diving San Pedro Belize, 8min.
Misty Morning in the Chiquibul, 1min. Four Macaws share a misty morning with a male Montezuma Oropendula in Belize's great Chiquibul Forest Reserve. Found this bit while I was filtering through footage and thought you all might like to experience what mornings in the Chiquibul are like. Spoiler alert, they're misty, semi-spooky, and quite beautiful- so long as you can drag yourself out of your hammock early enough! Thanks again to Scarlet Six Biomonitoring Team for taking us out there!
Caves Branch WaterFalls Jumping Belize, 5min. Experience spelunking, rock climbing, waterfalls, cliff jumping and exploring all in one adventure tucked in the rainforest in Belize.
Belize 2016, 3.5min. League City United Methodist Church misson trip to Belize.
Go Pro / San Pedro, Belize 2016, 9min.
Chinese in Belize - Documentary, 15min. Belize Project- Final A team from Mountain View, CA went over to Belize in 2014 and interviewed the Chinese immigrants there.
Flyover done over Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye to look at damage caused by Earl., 1min.
August 8, 2016
For the latest on Tropical Storm Earl, click here
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Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report. Specials and Events
Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials
The San Pedro Sun
New property Management Company opens on Ambergris Caye
A full-service rental and property management company has officially opened its doors for business in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye. ‘Belize Holiday Vacation Rentals’ aims to provide excellent service to homeowners, while delivering a memorable vacation experience for guests. According to Steve Childress, an experienced Managing Partner with the company, the attentiveness to the homeowners is a top priority. “We pay a lot of attention to the home owner’s needs, take great care of their properties and work hard to optimize rental income,” said Childress.
Belize Holiday Vacation Rentals is not new to the business since they also manage properties outside of the country. The company branched out from Tennessee in the United States of America (USA), and manages and rents over 200 properties there. “The company has vast experience in managing properties and now we are bringing that experience to Belize,” said Childress. “We have a very robust booking system. Providing great service and excellent communication with property owners and guests is another of our top priorities as we want everyone to have a great vacation.”
Wolfe’s Woofer: Medical Emergency
“Where are you going this morning?” Sherry asked.
“I’m going to visit my old friend Tony,” I told her. “I’ll have lunch with him.”
Sherry and I have been traveling around in Mexico and I looked up an old friend who lives in Playa del Carmen. Unfortunately I found that Tony had a stroke three months ago and was now living in an assisted care home.
“He’ll enjoy a visit,” Sherry said.
When I knocked on the door of Tony’s room he called, “I’m running late. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“I’ll wait for you in the cafeteria,” I said.
Half an hour later he was still in his room.
“Are you OK?” I called at the door.
Belize foreign consulate to raise funds for hurricane victims
Hurricane Earl has caused much damage to many communities, businesses and homes across Belize. It is no doubt that help will be needed, and assistance is due to come from abroad.
The Belize Consulate in Miami Florida, USA has set up a ‘Gofundme’ account with the aim to raise monetary donations to assist Belizeans affected by the storm. The initiative is being spearheaded not only by the Consulate in Miami, Florida, but also by the Embassy of Belize in Washington D.C and all of the Missions and Belize Consulates abroad.
Doctor Love: Not Ready and Grudging
Dear Doctor Love,
I met a man two months ago. He is only separated from his wife and he is already after me to move in with him. I feel like this is way too fast for me. I also get the feeling that he is very controlling. He tries to call me at work when he knows I am not supposed to accept personal calls. One evening when I had my phone turned off he showed up on my doorstep wanting to know what was wrong. I have spent the night at his house three times and each time I spent most of it cleaning the house. He wants to come over during the week and spend time with me and for me to come to his house on weekends
More than anything right now I am looking for dating. Other than this we are very compatible. Should I quit wasting time on him or try to change him.
/s/ Not Ready
Misc Belizean Sources
13 Aerial images of San Pedro after Hurricane Earl taken August 6, 2016
photos by Astrum Helicopter
South Ambergris Caye Neighborhood Watch Monthly Meeting Wednesday
If you are on the island, join us for our regular monthly meeting this Wednesday - August 10th
7:00 pm
Lone Star Grill & Cantina
Hope to see you there!
Recovery continues in Belize City
As cleanup teams prepare space at the nearest transfer station for access and deposit of storm debris from the city.
Altun Ha now open
Along with Cahal Pech, Santa Rita, Cerro Maya, Nim Li Punit and Lubaantun.
La Ruta Humana
By: Abdulmajeed K Nunez.
This is a phrase coined by Bert Tucker
Most young people my age will not remember
That Belize was Central America’s Mecca
During the time of the Maya
Lemoni was the trading Center
Belize used to feed three million people and visitors round yah
For two hundred years it was the trading center for Central America
Enjoying some 400 years of trade with Mexico and Guatemala
Amandala
Earl the destroyer
Residents of the hurricane-struck zone of Central Belize, and primarily those living in the Belize District area—the offshore cayes, Belize City, Ladyville and the Belize River Valley—are still trying to put their lives back together after Earl ripped through the country on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.
An official tally of Earl’s toll on Belize is still pending; thankfully, no deaths have been attributed to the hurricane in Belize, although 6 deaths resulted from a storm-related incident on Sunday in the Dominican Republic.
In Belize, hundreds of distress calls were made as Hurricane Earl pounded Belize, leaving many homes as well as public buildings roofless—or at least with partial roof damage. The trail of destruction led as far as Belize’s westernmost town of Benque Viejo del Carmen. Earl uprooted large trees; downed large billboards and signs, as well as public bus stops; compromised light poles and pulled apart high tension cables, leaving thousands without power even a day after the all-clear had been declared.
According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the center of Earl made landfall just southwest of Belize City, Belize near midnight. The last reports from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft recoded flight-level wind of 85 knots or 97.8 miles per hour. It estimated landfall intensity at 70 knots or 80 miles per hour, although many Belizeans believe that the storm at times packed much stronger winds.
Earl causes losses of over $100 million in agriculture
Earl’s toll on Belize’s economy is over $100 million, Jose Alpuche, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, told Amandala today.
“What we have right now indicates $100 million worth of damage, because when we factor in the main affected subsectors – bananas, corn, and vegetables—corn, as I had said, was in the region of $49 million worth of losses, bananas will probably be within the region of about $40 million, and the rest takes us over $100 million in damages,” Alpuche said.
This is bad news, especially against the backdrop of reports from the Statistical Institute of Belize which indicated that Belize’s main export sectors—which include banana—have been contracting.
We asked Alpuche how far the damage extended, and he said that they extend from the southeast portion of the Corozal District down to northern Toledo District.
He noted that to date there is no estimated dollar figure for citrus. He told us that there were reports of fruit drops from the wind and the reports vary quite a bit.
Earl impacted more than 110,000 children in Belize: UNICEF
The frightfulness of howling winds and pounding rains emanating from a fierce hurricane such as Earl is enough to traumatize a child. In fact, according to a report released today by the United Nations’ Children’s Fund (UNICEF), three-fourths of Belize’s children, amounting to more than 110,000 children, 27,000 of them being younger than age 5, were affected by Hurricane Earl.
The hurricane struck Belize on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning with its impacts being felt along a span of about 150 miles, covering most of Belize, with impacts concentrated across four of Belize’s six districts.
“The damage caused by Hurricane Earl has put the safety—and even lives—of Belize’s most vulnerable children in immediate danger,” said UNICEF Belize representative Ivan Yerovi.
UNICEF said that it has conducted an initial assessment of damage caused by Earl in some of the most vulnerable communities located in Southside Belize City.
John Michael Williams, 32, shot dead in Ladyville home
A 14-year-old boy looking to complete his final year of primary school is now fatherless after his father was gunned down with a home-made firearm at their home in Ladyville.
According to Ladyville police, sometime after 10 p.m., John Michael Williams, 32, was alone at home on Myrtle Waight Crescent when a lone gunman knocked at his door. Williams opened the door to a man who shot him three times. Williams was shot in both hands and once in the head after the gunman demanded money from him. The gunman then fled down the steps of the elevated wooden house and escaped on foot.
Fortunately, Reny Leal, 22, Williams’ girlfriend of two years, and her stepson were not at home when this incident occurred, as they had gone in their family vehicle to assist a friend in the area. However, upon return they found Williams apparently dead.
Hon. Godwin Hulse assumes giant Police portfolio
–The Belize Police Department was on Monday assigned to a new Minister, Hon. Godwin Hulse, after Prime Minister Dean Barrow, head of Cabinet, decided to pull that portfolio from National Security Minister John Saldivar because of public concerns over Saldivar’s reported association with the man known in Belize as William Mason, recently remanded on murder and kidnapping charges.
Hulse, who was given the job on Monday morning, takes over the Police Department at a time when major crimes, particularly in Central Belize, are on the increase, with the rate of homicides in the Belize District area being the primary concern for residents and authorities alike. Hulse said he is confident that they can improve the situation.
We asked Hulse what are his plans; he said that he did not have any yet, but would imminently work on charting the way forward after meeting with relevant police staff.
Cane farmers demonstrate against ASR sugar company
Orange Walk District, Fri. July 29, 2016–About 200 cane farmers of the Orange Walk and Corozal Districts and some of their family members carried out a peaceful demonstration today against American Sugar Refining (ASR), a sugar company operating the Belize Sugar Industries at Tower Hill, Orange Walk. The protest began at 9:00 this morning and lasted until 1:00 this afternoon, at the junction of the Tower Hill road and the Philip Goldson Highway.
The farmers are angry because their second payment for their product was short of $209,000, which the sugar company deducted from their payment because some of the molasses produced by the factory had gone bad.
Normally, the revenues from the molasses would be split – 65% going to the company and 35% to the farmers. However, the farmers did not receive those revenues.
They contend that they bear no fault whatsoever in the spoilage of the molasses and so they should not be made to pay for the incompetence of the company.
Young Belizean boxers successful over Guatemalans
On Friday, July 29, the Belize Boxing Federation hosted a boxing event at Biltmore Hotel, where we saw young and upcoming Belizean boxing talent on display against our neighbors from Guatemala.
In the opening bout between first-time boxers, Malcolm Lopez (12 years old, 42 kg) won by a unanimous decision after 3 rounds over Christopher Espinoza of Guatemala.
In the second bout, Belize’s Jerome McLaren (16 yrs, 49 kg) was defeated by Edyns Asi of Guatemala, after the referee stopped the contest.
The third fight saw Jevan (16 yrs, 58 kg) winning by TKO over his opponent, Danny Picon of Guatemala.
In the 4th fight of the night, 16 year old Akeem Avalez (61 kg) TKO’ed his opponent, Edwin Lopez of Guatemala, in the 3rd round.
Taye Parkinson wins Bronze at Central American U13 & U11 Championships!!!
Belize participated for the second time in the Central American Pre-Infantile U13 & U11 Table Tennis Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica from July 27 – 30. This year, the Belize delegation comprised of six players, including Taye Parkinson (age 11), Terry Su (age 13), Devesh Hukmani (age 12), Jude Castellanos (age 12), Jofny Paguaga (age 12), and Kelly Liu (age 13). They participated in four categories at the event – team, singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, and all played in the U13 category with the exception of Taye Parkinson, who played singles in the U11 category.
7 Central American countries participated in this event, and included Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, and Honduras…
In the U13 category our players were unable to make it out of their groups…
Belize delegation at the Rio 2016 Olympics
Belize’s delegation to the Olympics in Brazil, which opens tonight at the famous Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, includes 3 athletes and 2 officials. In the picture above, from left to right, they are: Belize Athletics Association (BAA) President, Deon Sutherland; Judo coach, Franz Menzies; heptathlete competing in the 100m Hurdles, Katy Sealy; competing in the 200m, Brandon Jones; and competing in Judo, Renick James.
Stand strong, Belizeans!
Long-serving basketball referee Robert “Boxer” Vernon passes
The Belize Association of Basketball Officials (BABO) has received word of the death yesterday of one of our long-serving referees. Mr. Robert “Boxer” Vernon served Belizean basketball for some quarter century until ill health intervened. “Boxer” refereed at tournaments throughout the country, and was especially generous in contributing his time and services to the high school and other youth tournaments. His absence will be keenly felt. BABO and the Belize District Association of Basketball Officials express our sincere condolences to his family.
Editorial: The surprising and cruel Mister Earl
From one perspective, Belize City, the nation’s population center, finally ran out of hurricane luck on Wednesday night/Thursday morning, August 3/4 of 2016, after 55 years of relatively cool runnings since October 31 of 1961. On that night in 1961, for those few of you who don’t know, a ferocious Category 5 lady named Hattie visited, uninvited of course, the then capital city, and life, ma Cherie, has really never been the same.
For sure there’s been many a scare since Hattie, but no one since then ever made the impression Mr. Earl did this week. Back in 1978, Greta created substantial insurance opportunities for clever claimants, but she was a mere 80 miles an hour. Hattie was double that. In 1998, the terrifying Mitch was Hattie-like in power, and perhaps even worse, but Mitch veered southward to Honduras at the last minute. Richard in 2010 was supposed to be 100 miles an hour, but when we compare him with Earl this week, Richard was a boy masquerading as a man. Call me MISTER Earl.
Early in the history of this storm, we were minded of Greta, because we believe in projecting worst case scenarios in these matters. When who became Earl was a mere tropical wave of 40 miles an hour, the proverbial “area of disturbed weather” fooling around below Hispaniola in the Eastern Caribbean, a Greta prognosis was our worst case scenario. The thing was, even as an unnamed meteorological phenomenon, this storm always made it clear, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that its destination was Belize, and by the time anonymous became Earl, a named tropical storm, late Tuesday or early Wednesday, he was saying it loud: Belize City is what I want and where I am going.
The BTL farce with Barrow and Aschroft benefitting!
First let me apologize to readers for taking that unannounced break… but truth be told I enjoyed the silence and just looking on as s—t upon s—t hit the proverbial fan and then when it all piled up together it made s—t creek and I noticed we all up s—t creek without a paddle and some of us don’t even have dory. As I said to some who asked me what with the silence, I repeat, “What will I write? I told you so?”
Of course I did not know that my colleague in the struggle, Pastor Llewellyn Lucas, would be decapitated, but I knew that the criminal connection with public officials and nefarious characters would soon be unveiled. Also I knew that Ashcroft would take us to the cleaners with the acquiescence of the government and that eventually the Petrocaribe dollars and all the “hand-out” clinics would run out. We did not use the monies to empower people; rather our present political leaders used us to control power over people… big difference, bro!
Contemporary Commentary: The World According to Trump
–It is a matter of bizarre curiosity and obvious fact that upon becoming the official presidential nominee of the Republican Party, Donald Trump is even less restrained and is now totally devoid of anything resembling self-control. While questions regarding Trump’s fitness for the office of President of the United States sprout like bewildered weeds, there are even more questions being asked about the millions of American men and women who think that he should be elected?
The litany of Trump gaffes, blunders and blatant acts of indecency are taking on the stuff of legend. Indeed, if Donald Trump wanted to lose the presidential election, he would be doing exactly what he has been doing since the conclusion of the DNC Convention in Philadelphia last week.
Case in Point 1 – On the last night of the DNC Convention Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the Pakistani-American parents of Humayun Khan, appeared on the podium. Humayun Khan was a posthumous recipient of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart as a result of his death protecting his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan in 2004.
NACLA- Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars
While USAID eventually tabled Urapalma’s proposal, the agency awarded one grant to Coproagrosur, the company surrendered by Macaco, and another to Gradesa, which refines palm oil for domestic consumption and export—much of it to the United States. According to ARD reports and USAID documents, the agency’s grant to Gradesa helped support a project in Belén de Bajirá, Chocó, the Urabá municipality that is home to Urapalma—and to the land formerly farmed by Enrique Petro. USAID appears to have supported Gradesa’s involvement in refining palm oil from the Chocó killing fields. USAID insists it has never funded a palm project in Chocó. Representatives from USAID, Gradesa and ARD deny that the Gradesa project was based in Belén de Bajirá, despite three years of references to the town in internal and public documents.
WHEN THINGS FALL APART
The recent decapitation of a “roots” Belizean, Pastor Llewellyn Lucas, represents a fairly new chapter in Belize’s crime chronicles. This horrific incident, allegedly masterminded by one William Danny Mason, a Guyanese Indian businessman deported from Canada who, incidentally but curiously, has a Belizean birth certificate, and is an associate of some UDP ministers and a party campaign contributor, is a saga that Belize can ill afford at this point in time. Hard on the heels of this is the possible devaluation of the Belizean dollar, the Pyrrhic “victory” of compensation payments to the Ashcroft Alliance for the nationalised companies formerly owned by the British adventurer, Lord Michael Ashcroft, the loss of correspondent banking, and investor money flight. Aggravating this situation is the decline in exports, now down by 30 per cent as against those of June 2015, the rapid depletion of Belize’s foreign reserves and a steadily shrinking economy. Belize now has an alarming poverty rate of 40 per cent.
Earl pushes back Dara’s concert fundraiser
Joel “Dara” Robinson, who has been running a feeding program for primary school children for nearly a decade, has had to postpone his Sunday fundraiser due to the impact of Hurricane Earl. Dara’s second feeding program fundraiser, the 9th Annual Tribute to Lucky Dube, a renowned South African reggae artist, has had to be postponed because Hurricane Earl crumbled the venue, located on Bird’s Isle. Dara has not yet announced a new time and date for the event.
On Sunday, July 31, Dara held the 5th Annual Rider for Hunger, a 41-mile leisure ride trekking from in front of Smart on the Philip Goldson Highway to Ladyville, the Burrell Boom Road, Hattieville and then back to the City, making a complete turn back to Smart’s main office.
Robinson expressed his thanks, first to the Almighty, and secondly to the over 300 people—citizens and business community—who supported the ride. He said that he is thankful that the ride was well attended.
The Reporter
Successful experiments on monkeys prompt scientists to develop anti-Zika vaccine for humans
Researchers reported in the journal Science that three types of vaccines designed to block the virus worked perfectly in monkeys. Based on this, the next step is to start clinical tests of the Zika vaccine in humans. The three vaccines have proven effective in mice, […]
Dara’s concert postponed
The “God Bless the Woman” Lucky Dube concert, planned by Joel ” Dara” Robinson for today Sunday, at the Bird’s Isle has been postponed. The event had to be pushed further down in August because the Bird’s Isle, which has been its venue fir the […]
Man rendered critical by fistfight
A fistfight Sunday night between a man and two others in Benque Viejo town has left one in a coma and the other facing a series of serious charges. Michael Adrian Pagett, 36, is in the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) in a critical condition […]
BPP reacts to Cabinet shuffle
Responding to the recent reconfiguration of Cabinet, the Belize Progressive Party (BPP) condemned Prime Minister Dean Barrow for his methods in addressing the current escalation of crime in Belize. On Tuesday, the BPP accused Barrow of trying to trick the Belizean people, by making measures which would […]
Churches call for investigation into ‘Pastor Lou’ murder
The National Evangelical Association of Belize (NEAB) is calling on the Prime Minister Dean Barrow to commission an independent investigation into the brutal murder of Dangriga pastor, Llewellyn Lucas. NEAB issued a public statement on Monday, asserting that it has no confidence in the security forces being […]
‘Exports way down’ says SIB
Belize’s exports were down by 30 percent in the month of June according to the latest data published by the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB). The SIB’s External Trade Bulletin, released on Wednesday, showed that the total value of Belize’s domestic exports for the month of June […]
Brutal murder in Hattieville
A Guatemalan national is in police custody, pending murder charges for the death of Yovany Armando Rosales, which occurred last Saturday at Tropical Park in Hattieville Village. Rosales, 44, a Honduran national and resident of 14 1/2 miles on the George Price Highway was drinking with his […]
Man remanded for intent to cause bodily harm
Alexander Garcia, 46, was remanded to the Belize Central Prison last Thursday for burglarizing the home of a teenage girl with intent to harm her. According to the 19-year-old, she was home alone on Wednesday, when sometime around 11:00 p.m. Garcia arrived at her house. Instinctively, she […]
Robbing spree in the Garden City
A string of armed robberies in Belmopan was reported to police there between last Thursday and Friday. George Varela, 18, made the first report. According to Varela, last Thursday, sometime around 7:15 p.m. he was walking near Independence Park when a dark complexion man rode up beside […]
Woman dies after losing leg crushed by SUV on busy market day
The family, friends and work colleagues of senior public officer, Emily Guy, 54, are this week mourning her untimely and shocking death, which came one day after she was knocked down on East Canal across from the bus terminal near the Michael Finnegan market. The […]
More charges to be laid in Mason case
Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced this week that there will be more persons charged due to the criminal activities of William Danny Mason. Barrow announced on Monday that after the Attorney General’s Ministry investigated Mason’s forged birth certificate, the Ministry determined that there was wrongdoing […]
Ministry of Health warns about waterborne diseases
In the wake of Hurricane Earl, the Ministry of Health is cautioning residents in affected areas about the health hazards of flood waters. To address a growing concern about a spike in cases of water-borne illnesses, the ministry issued a release on Friday, containing several […]
Earl whips Cayo
Hurricane Earl slammed into the Belize District and ripped through the central portion of the country, dumping huge amounts of rain as it slowly made its way west of Belize, but not before also creating challenges for the Cayo district. The category one hurricane pummeled […]
Editorial
After years of planning and hard work the Santander Group, owners of the new sugar mill in Cayo, achieved success by exporting its first shipment of Belizean sugar - 6,250 tons of it, to Europe. The shipment is expected to arrive at the Port of Santander, named after the patriarch […]
Hurricane Earl hits Belize
Belize took a direct hit late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning from Hurricane Earl, the category one storm that caused tremendous physical destruction and economic loss but fortunately did not bring about any casualties. After the storm, Prime Minister Dean Barrow held a press […]
Body found at Hyde Super Market
Carl “MacGyver” Trapp, 51, was found stabbed to death in the Hyde Building across from the Michael Finnegan Market early on Saturday morning. Around 7:00 a.m. police responded to a report of a dead body found at the Hyde building. Officers discovered Trapp’s lifeless body […]
Flood warnings for western Belize
In the aftermath of Hurricane Earl, the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) has issued flood warnings for residents in the the Cayo district and the Belize River Valley. On Friday, NEMO issued the advisory warning that residents could expect dangerous flooding, due to water from […]
The Saldivar shuffle is precipitated by Hurricane Mason
John Saldivar is no longer the Minister of National Security, a position he has held since 2012 when the United Democratic Party won its second consecutive general election. He is now the Minister of Defence, responsible for the Belize Defence Force and the Belize Coast Guard. Senator Minister Godwin Hulse […]
Breaking Belize News
UB opens new school year on Monday
The University of Belize announces that it will resume operations on Monday August 8th, 2016. All employees are expected to return to work on Monday. New students are asked to take note of the following changes in the Orientation schedules; The Faculty of Science and Technology […]
Commonwealth SecGen pledges hurricane support
Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations, Baroness Patricia Scotland, has expressed concern for the welfare of all affected by Hurricane Earl and assured the Government and people of Belize of solidarity at this testing time. In her statement the Secretary-General said, quote, Extreme […]
Illegal hunting warning in Belize River Valley
The Forest Department has issued a warning to the public and restauranteurs not to buy or consume game meat at this time, following multiple reports and complaints received of illegal hunting and killing of wildlife in the Belize River Valley Area as a result […]
Cross International to help hurricane relief
In the wake of Hurricane Earl, Mark Mosely, Senior Director of Cross International and his team are headed to Belize today, Sunday, to deliver disaster relief in the form of food and medicine. Mosely and Cross International will be distributing 15 pallets of food […]
Blacakdore Caye developers move forward with consultations
According to the San Pedro Sun, After hosting their first public consultation in January of this year, followed by a media tour, the Blackadore Caye Development Group in charge of the project has released an update regarding a follow – up public consultation. According to […]
Dead elderly man found in Belize City
Police have confirmed that an elderly man’s body was found in a state of decomposition on Dolphin Street, behind Belize Dry Cleaners, earlier this afternoon at about 2. No signs of injuries have been observed on the body thus far. Police investigations continue. © […]
BEL continues restoration of power
Most of the Belize River Valley and communities along the Philip Goldson Highway and Old Northern Highway can expect to receive electricity later on Monday, according to Belize Electricity Limited. A statement from the state-run company issued on Sunday reports that as of overnight Saturday, power supply had […]
Latest on Hurricane Earl relief efforts
The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) says it is now focusing on providing immediate relief to victims of Hurricane Earl and restoring critical facilities and operational normalcy in addition to assessing critical sectors. As of Sunday evening, 164 persons remain in shelters in the Belize and […]
Francine Burns loses Senate seat
Earlier this week, the Ministry of National Security was split between Senator Godwin Hulse, now solely in charge of the Police Department, and John Saldivar, who is now Minister of Defence with responsibility for the BDF and the Coast Guard. Hulse remains Minister of Immigration […]
Four VSU personnel fingered in Mason birth certificate scandal
Earlier this week, while announcing the Cabinet shuffle, Prime Minister Dean Barrow also gave one important update on the investigation into the activities of Rajesh Ouellet aka William Mason. He said that the Attorney General’s Ministry – which is in charge of the vital statistics […]
Firearms examiner charged in Modiri/Paumen case
The Police Department is facing yet another scandal after firearms examiner Orlando Vera was charged earlier this week with Abetment of the crime of perverting the course of Justice. Michael Modiri, the neighbour of American Tour Operator Bradley Paumen, has accused Vera of trying to […]
CXC results due next Friday
This coming Friday, August 12 sees the official release of the results for all examinations offered30 a.m. local time. Evans McNiel Rogers, minister with responsibility for education in Anguilla, will deliver […]
Belize Bank International hit by crisis
According to Caribbean News Now, an offshore bank owned by British-Belizean businessman Lord Michael Ashcroft has closed a large number of customer accounts and faced a wave of withdrawal requests after becoming increasingly caught up in a US tax-evasion crackdown and the withdrawal of foreign […]
Dr. Jaime Awe finds clues to “snake dynasty” at Xunantunich
Archaeologists have uncovered what may be the largest royal tomb found in more than a century of work on Maya ruins in Belize, along with a puzzling set of hieroglyphic panels that provide clues to a “snake dynasty” that conquered many of its neighbors some […]
P.M. promotes Carla to lead hurricane relief
Financial guru Senator Dr. Carla Barnett joins the Cabinet as Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance in the aftermath of Hurricane Earl. Speaking on Thursday, Prime Minister Dean Barrow said the appointment was necessary to further facilitate the process of conducting damage […]
International Sources
Deliberately hidden tablets telling the tale of defeated snake lords have been found in a Belize tomb
THE hieroglyphic stones telling the tale of a defeated Mayan dynasty in Belize were torn from their temple and scattered to the four winds. But the discovery of two engraved panels in a recently excavated tomb means the story of the snake kings can now be reassembled.
Archaeologists working in Belize have been digging through the remains of the city of Xunantunich, a ceremonial and administration centre on the Mopan river which controlled parts of western Belize around 700AD.
They recently discovered a royal tomb buried up to 8m under rubble and grit filling a central staircase inside one of the city’s temples.
It has turned out to be one of the biggest tombs yet uncovered in Belize. And its owner — a man of about 25 years age — is yet to be identified.
Cross International team heads to Belize to deliver medical supplies, food after hurricane
Several members of Cross International headed to Belize Sunday to deliver medicine, medical supplies and food to those in need in Belize following Hurricane Earl.
The Category 1 hurricane caused extensive damage in the Central American country, impacting tens of thousands of people. "This specific trip, we are providing the medicine and medical supplies for thousands of people, as well as the 100,000 to 150,000 meals," Cross International Senior Director Mark Mosely said. "We will be here in this particular place for about seven days, and then we will just be coming in periodically to work alongside our partners and conduct an evaluation about what the additional needs are going forward, because we are committed to the people of Belize in the long run."
Some areas of Belize have two to four feet of standing water left behind from the hurricane.
Belize, scoperta tomba reale Maya: all'interno, i resti di un uomo della 'dinastia del serpente'
Una delle più grandi tombe della civiltà Maya mai scoperta in Belize. Si tratta di un sepolcro reale, ritrovato nell'area di Xunantunich, antica città del fiume Mopan e importante centro cerimoniale tra il 600 e l'800 a.c. Nel sito, rinvenuti anche dei pannelli con geroglifici, che indicherebbero la presenza sul posto di una 'dinastia del serpente', che avrebbe invaso le popolazioni vicine almeno 1300 anni fa. Le ricerche sono state condotte da Jaime Awe, che ha guidato un team della Northern Arizona University e del Belize Institute of Archaeology. Ricoperta da terra e detriti, la tomba è molto larga (le dimensioni sono di 4.5 X 2.4 metri): al suo interno, gli archeologi hanno trovato i resti di un uomo adulto (tra i 20 e i 30 anni), che giace supino con la testa orientata a sud. Seppelliti con lui, ossa di giaguaro e cervo, sei perle di giada e tredici di ossidiana, e 36 recipienti di ceramica. La tomba è circondata da un tempio, dotato di una lunga scala: le due costruzioni sarebbero state realizzate simultaneamente, hanno raccontato gli archeologi. Una novità interessante, dato che la maggior parte dei sepolcri maya erano edificati in aggiunta a una struttura esistente. "In altre parole - ha sottolineato Awe - sembra che il tempio sia stato eretto con lo scopo di racchiudere il sepolcro"
Archäologen entdecken Maya-Herrschergrab
Ein Grabungsteam um den Archäologen Jaime Awe hat in den Ruinen der Maya-Stadt Xunantunich am 19. Juli einen Zufallsfund gemacht, der es verdient, mit Superlativen beschrieben zu werden: Beim Versuch, eine Treppe zu einem höheren Gebäude freizulegen, stolperten die Ausgräber regelrecht über den Zugang zur größten Maya-Grabkammer, die seit gut hundert Jahren gefunden wurde.
Und die entpuppte sich noch in mehrfacher Hinsicht als ungewöhnlich. Nicht nur, dass das Grab völlig unberührt war, einen Leichnam und zahlreiche Grabbeigaben enthielt. Es war auch als Bauwerk eine absolute Ausnahme - und nicht nur, was seine Größe angeht.
Die allein ist schon imposant genug. Unter einer Schicht von Schutt aus rund eintausend Jahren fanden die Forscher in einer Tiefe von drei bis neun Metern eine Kammerstruktur von viereinhalb mal zweieinhalb Metern sowie einen Aufgang dahin.
Dean of academic affairs Arlie Petters shares goals, expresses excitement for time as dean
Mathematical physicist Arlie Petters was recently chosen as the new dean of academic affairs and associate vice provost for undergraduate education. Petters—the Benjamin Powell professor of mathematics, physics and business administration—replaced Lee Baker July 1 and will serve through June 2020. The Chronicle's Ajay Desai spoke with Petters about his love for interacting with students and his goals for his time as dean.
The Chronicle: Can you outline some of your major goals and plans as dean of academic affairs? What are you hoping to accomplish?
Arlie Petters: Well one of the things I believe that is very important is to ensure that our Trinity students are getting a world class liberal arts education. What is important for me is to make sure that the extraordinary in each student can be expressed. I believe we have so much talent across our student body that I want there to be vehicles through which each student can really have their signature defined. If you, for example, look at a classical way of dividing students through GPA, which I really don’t look at it like that, a student that is say B-range, I do not see that student as not as strong as a student with an A+.
Tropical Storm Earl death toll jumps to 38 in Mexico
The death toll in Mexico's landslides and flooding has jumped to 38 after Tropical Storm Earl swept through the country's eastern regions.
The state worst hit is Puebla, where officials say 28 people died. Another 10 people were killed in the state of Veracruz.
Previously, the confirmed number of deaths was six.
Earl made landfall in Belize this week as a Category One hurricane, after causing destruction in the Caribbean.
The storm was later downgraded to a tropical depression but it still left a path of destruction in Mexico.
What This Professor Says About Black History is Exactly Why Some Europeans Don’t Want It to be Accurately Portrayed
Yasser Musa and Mose Hyde were on WUB a couple weeks ago talking about the progress being made at the SJC campus in Belize City in the teaching of African and Mayan history. While this effort is to be commended it still has not made a dent in the overall scope of history lessons being taught to our children, especially Black and Brown children in Belize. Firstly, the majority of schools still have not bought into the significance of teaching that history. Secondly, even those who know that history teach it from an academic perspective and not from an interactive perspective...in other words, it's still a sharing of historical facts and not an interactive analysis of understanding why we behavior the way we do and why the same oppressive system continue to persist despite our knowledge of its origin.
Videos
Diving San Pedro Belize, 1.5min.
Belize Trip: Day 3 - Ruins and Rivers, 5.5min.
Swinging at Secret Beach Belize, 1min.
Belize 2016 Ambergris Caye Day 2, 4.5min.
Box fish, belize, 1/2min.
YWAMDP Destination Paradise, Belize - January 16' DTS, 4min. This is a selection from the 5 months I spend in Belize, where I did a DTS at YWAMDP Destination Paradise. It has been one of the most meaningful decisions that I ever took, and I will recommend it to everyone!
Belize Flooded Road - Hurricane Earl Aftermath, 3.5min. Helping a villager through the flood. Santander Road, Valley of Peace area.
Belize - Xunantunich, 3min. Second day in San Ignacio. I couldn't get anyone to go see the ruins with me so headed out on the bus
Belize - Part 7, 6min.
August 7, 2016
For the latest on Tropical Storm Earl, click here
FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE
Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report. Specials and Events
Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials
The San Pedro Sun
BFD: ILLEGAL HUNTING DUE TO RISING WATERS IN THE BELIZE RIVER VALLEY AREA
The Belize Forest Department has received multiple reports and complaints of illegal hunting and killing of wildlife in the Belize River Valley Area as a result of the flooding situation.
Concerned residents in the Belize River Valley communities have reported to authorities numerous cases of game violations within a relatively short period of time. They report that several persons have been conducting illegal and excessive hunting since the rising floods, especially indiscriminate hunting of wildlife stranded in highland areas. Residents are concerned that these actions will threaten their local wildlife populations of game species such as: deer, white lipped peccaries, gibnut and other game species.
The Forest Department recognizes that in the wake of Hurricane Earl, rising floodwaters are displacing many wildlife species from their natural habitat, and some indiscriminate individuals have seen this as an opportunity to capture or kill wildlife. When natural disaster strikes, it is often easy to prey on wildlife during their displacement but this reaction can jeopardize not only the survival of wildlife species recovering from the natural disaster, but entire wildlife ecosystems, local communities and people’s livelihoods as well.
NEMO HURRICANE EARL RELIEF OPERATIONS SITUATION REPORT #1
NEMO response to the aftermath of Category 1 Hurricane Earl continues with focus primarily on providing immediate relief to the affected people, the restoration of critical lifeline facilities, operational normalcy at all ports, and assessments of agriculture, fisheries, transportation, utilities, communication, infrastructure, housing, cultural, and environmental situation. 2. PEOPLE IN SHELTER.
164. San Pedro and Caye Caulker– 9 persons in San Pedro High School; Belize City– 78 persons in Unity Presbyterian, St. John’s Vianney, Queen Square is closed; and St. Luke; Cayo. Teakettle-16 persons; More tomorrow– 15 persons; St. Matthews– 31 persons; and Cotton Tree- 15 persons.
Funds to be disbursed to fire victims
It’s been over a month since a devastating fire struck San Pedro’s town core, leaving 98 people and 8 businesses affected, 11 structures completely destroyed, and 7 partially destroyed. The fire reportedly caused over $1 million in damages and losses. Although fire victims have been patiently waiting for their fair share, Eiden Salazar of the San Pedro Red Cross stated that the fire victims are not being disregarded. Initially, the funds were going to be distributed on Tuesday, August 2nd, but Hurricane Earl delayed the disbursement. Beside the setback of the weather, the process is almost complete.
In addition, a formula has been designed to determine disbursement on a case to case basis based on evaluation. “The funds will be based per family, and those who lost their buildings. In our assessment, we will discuss what criteria we will use, as well as what percentage will be given out to the fire victims,” said Salazar.
Salazar confirmed that the final assessment will take place this weekend, and checks should be distributed by Monday, August 8th.
Two Tropical Waves being monitored in the Caribbean
Two Tropical Waves entering the Atlantic Basin are keeping meteorologist on high alert. As of Friday, August 5th, a tropical wave is causing thunderstorms over the Leeward Islands, while another tropical wave is quickly approaching the Lesser Antilles. While neither storm is defined yet, meteorologists will be monitoring their development over the next few days as they move westward into and across the Caribbean Sea.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the first tropical wave (96L) extends along 53W/53W from9N-19N moving west near 20 knots per hour (kt). 96L has a well-defined 700 millibars (mb) trough (the minimum or lowest point in a cycle). This wave is brining scattered moderate to isolated strong convection from 15N-19N between 52W-56W.
The Blackadore Development Group provides update on EIA
After hosting their first public consultation in January of this year, followed by a media tour, the Blackadore Caye Development Group in charge of the project has released an update regarding a follow – up public consultation. According to the group, the second consultation on its restorative project is underway, as its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is currently undergoing some fine tuning.
The Blackadore Development Group has been closely working with local stakeholders who are acquainted with Blackadore Caye, a private island west of Ambergris Caye. According to Public Relations Representative Dionne Chamberlain, the biggest concern identified after the first public consultation, was the lack of communication with the people who would be impacted by the project. “We have worked diligently to remedy this and have met with over 100 people from May to the current date,” said Chamberlain. The next public consultation is being planned before the end of August, and once the date has been officially set the general public will be advised through the respective communication channels. “We will also provide a link to access the EIA once it has been uploaded to the DOE Website, and at the same time we will advise where people can obtain physical copies of the EIA,” explained Chamberlain.
Ashcroft demands BTL Payment in US dollars; Belize economy in crisis
In August of 2009, the Government of Belize (GOB) nationalized the Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) from a group of companies controlled by British Billionaire Michael Ashcroft. Immediately, a foreign arbitration was filed against Belize claiming between $300 and $600 million. This led to seven years of litigation and court battles that for the most part favored the Ashcroft Group. As a result the economy of the country is now being threatened, as Ashcroft has demanded that GOB must pay $70 million in foreign (US) currency towards the once and for all settlement of the BTL acquisition. However, the Central Bank of Belize has warned that if such request is approved, the country’s status could be dramatically affected to the extent of devaluation.
Teachers participate in CPD workshop
In effort to encourage teachers to complete their Continuous Professional Development (CPD) hours, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has designed numerous workshops for educators across Belize. Each year during the month of August, teachers are required to accumulate 120 CDP hours within a five year period. The objective of these workshops are to improve the quality of the education system, and allow educators to develop themselves professionally.
As the sessions are divided into early childhood, primary, and secondary levels, the workshop commenced on Monday, August 1st. Teachers from San Pedro Town met at San Pedro High School to be trained on oral language development, and in the second week, behavior management strategies for the classroom will be taught.
The workshops were created based on the teacher’s needs, while some reflect the needs of the district. Under the mandatory workshop category, educators must participate in a number of programs to improve development strategy planning. Said strategies are then implemented during the new school year.
Misc Belizean Sources
Rescued baby manatee and how you can help!
Washed up by the storm - meet today's latest arrival - a very young manatee, carried several hundred meters by the storm surge on Wednesday night, to be deposited in someones back garden on the outskirts of Belize City. Thankfully, she was found during the post-hurricane clean-up, rescued by Jamal Galves and is now safe and settling in at Wildtracks.
Many thanks indeed to the team from the Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development (SACD) for their assistance with transport - you guys rock!! Tomorrow will be the day for good photos. Tonight, we are just making her welcome.
Please consider supporting her rehabilitation...she has a long way to go before she will be ready to go back to the sea
Tres Pesados Slam 2016
Congratulations to Team Super Fly for capturing the top prize of the 8th Annual Tres Pesados Slam 2016!
BEL offers electricians
BEL is offering the services of licensed electricians, to conduct inspection and repairs of damaged service entrances caused by Hurricane Earl. Call 0.800.BEL.CARE (0-800-235-2273) for more information.
Caye Caulker cargo run
The ssminow will be going to Belize city on monday augs 8 to bring cargo if interested call 635 9353 or 602 0024 for more info thks
BEL Continues Restoration of Power to Belize District
At 3:00 p.m. today, power supply has been restored to 93% of the country and 87% of customers in the Belize District, where the majority of damages were sustained to Belize Electricity Limited’s (BEL) power system.
BEL’s teams resumed works early this morning and are focusing on completing restoration to areas without electricity, scheduled as follows:
•Remainder of Ladyville, including Vista del Mar: 6:00 p.m., Saturday, August 6
•Bella Vista to Vista del Mar junction: 9:00 p.m., Saturday, August 6
•Burrell Boom junction to Sandhill: 9:00 p.m., Saturday, August 6
•Haulover to Ladyville: 9:00 p.m., Saturday, August 6
•Hattieville and surrounding areas: 9:00 p.m., Saturday, August 6
•Burrell Boom junction to Belize River Valley: Update to be provided tomorrow
•Sandhill to Bomba: Update to be provided tomorrow
BEL is offering the services of licensed electricians
To conduct inspection and repairs of damaged service entrances caused by Hurricane Earl. Call 0.800.BEL.CARE (0-800-235-2273) for more information.
Belize Electricity Limited advises customers who have damaged service entrances due to Hurricane Earl, that they can apply to BEL for help
BEL is offering the services of licensed electricians, contracted by the Company, to conduct inspection and repairs of damaged service entrances. Interested customers must apply and agree to pay the cost in three (3) monthly instalments added to their next electricity bills.
BEL reminds customers that service entrances, which are required for safe and proper connection to BEL’s electricity supply, are the property and responsibility of customers.
Interested customers may call 0.800.BEL.CARE (0-800-235-2273) for more information.
Belize at Rio Olympics
Belize is at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Best of luck!
"Great show put on by the host country."
Hurricane Earl Flood Pictures
Hurricane Earl came to Cayo. Nobody was hurt, luckily, but some trees were knocked down, and it flooded some on Thursday. Daniel Velazquez captured some amazing photos of the flooding, and the people of Cayo out enjoying the amazing post-hurricane weather. Be safe. Damon Russell got some good pictures too, as did Miriam, and Sera. The Cayo Welcome Center got some good pictures. "after a crazy night, went into town did some photography of Hurricane earl flood and had some beers, ran into a old Peace Corps friend, from 20 years back."
LAMANAI UPDATE
Progess! We hope to share news about reopening early this coming week.
A HUGE thank you to Mr. Errol Cadle of Lamanai Eco Tours and his team of volunteers for all their hard work
Unusual color in Red-Lored Amazon
Meet the glorious Gloria; she was recently brought into our care after being confiscated. She is a Red-Lored Amazon but as you can see she has interesting and unusual pigmentation throughout her feathers. This comes from a terrible diet which deprived her of essential vitamins needed to be healthy, and to be able to see; because of vitamin A deficiency she is unfortunately blind. She will hopefully regain some, if not all, of her vision as well as full healthy plumage through nutrients and time. She is very calm, a big eater, and loves naps. She also likes to play, and decorate her cage with her food!
Channel 5
Hurricane Earl Tears through Belize City
Hurricane Earl drenched Belize on Wednesday night packing ferocious winds of up to eighty miles per hour. The hurricane made landfall after midnight near Belize City and moved westward. The [...]
City Council Moves Quick to Clean Up after Hurricane Earl
Today, the Belize City Council mobilized immediately after the hurricane and began cleanup efforts in the Old Capital. Debris, trees, zinc from roofs and other objects are littering the streets. [...]
Search and Rescue Teams Active as Belize City gets Battered by Storm
City folks began bracing up for the storm since Wednesday morning. Visitors evacuated the islands. Hundreds moved to shelters in both the north and south sides of the city. More [...]
Sugar Barge Crashes into Historic Monument during Storm
The weather system also caused three barges to run aground near the Belize City harbor. This morning, the B.S.I. vessel collided near the Baron Bliss Lighthouse and remained there until [...]
Hurricane Earl Wreaks Havoc in Vista Del Mar
Also hard hit were communities north of Belize City, including Vista Del Mar and Ladyville. Who would have believed that a category one storm, and barely that, could have wreaked [...]
Belize River Valley Residents Show Fortitude in the Wake of Earl
The Belize River Valley also experienced the downpour of the hurricane and residents are not bracing for impending floods. Like in other communities in the path of Earl, damages were [...]
PM Says Care Packages & Housing Assistance for Hurricane Victims
Today, Prime Minister Dean Barrow called a press conference to update the public on all things Earl – from the damage caused in various sectors to the appeal for relief. [...]
Beneficiaries will be Handled through NEMO
Prime Minister Dean Barrow explained that while Area Representatives across the political board will be used for input, no money will be given to them to disburse. All beneficiaries will [...]
Senator Carla Barnett on Accessing Aid Relief from International Partners
Barnett explained the process and plan which will be immediately implemented to ensure that Belize has the ability to access aid relief from our international partners. Carla Barnett, Senator [...]
Massive Flooding Expected in the Aftermath of Hurricane Earl
Even as Belizeans work to recover from the impact of a storm which was much stronger than expected, there is more bad news to contemplate. There’s water heading our way [...]
Hurricane Surge Litters the City with Sludge and Garbage
At new time tonight, here at Channel Five we remain without electricity even while most of Coney Drive has been powered up, which means that we are in the twenty [...]
Recovery Efforts Underway in the Old Capital, but CitCo Needs Your Help
According to Mayor Bradley, the area of Southern Foreshore, particularly near the House of Culture, has been recognized as one of several locations in need of urgent rehabilitation. Darrell [...]
Belama Phase 3 Devastated by Hurricane Earl
The task of rebuilding is humongous in Belize City. Teams have been deployed to affected areas. This morning, we headed to Phase Three of the sprawling community of Belama where [...]
The Iconic Bird’s Isle is No More
Iconic Belize City landmark Bird’s Isle, long since a popular venue for sporting activities and entertainment, is tonight no more. The prominent location in the Yarborough community was brought to [...]
Auditorium is Flattened by Hurricane Earl, but Family Plans to Restore
With irreparable damage having been done to the original structure, are there any immediate plans to restore Bird’s Isle to its greatness? Isani Cayetano “Now on a long term [...]
Another Cop is Arraigned for Sexual Assault
News Five has been able to confirm that a Police driver from Roaring Creek, Adison Gillett, has been charged for allegedly sexually assaulting a fifteen year minor. He was taken [...]
Cop to be Charged for Assaulting Another
Belmopan Police are also investigating an incident which occurred on Thursday night in which Police Corporal Derin Mariano, assigned to the Mobile Interdiction Team, was badly beaten by another MIT [...]
Salary Adjustments for Public Officers and Teachers on the Backburner
Despite the unexpected power challenges raised by the passage of the indomitable Earl, News Five has been continuing its comprehensive coverage of the storm and its impacts in the short [...]
IMF Recommendations a Real Possibility Given Belize’s Economic State
And here’s another impact you may not have been expecting, and one which certainly won’t sit well on top of the expenses brought by Earl. Remember that letter from the [...]
Agriculture Industry Devastated by Hurricane Earl
Earl wasn’t just a storm which brought high waters, tore off roofs, damaged homes and panicked a nation. It also devastated our agriculture industry which has already been facing real [...]
Corn Farms and Vegetable Production Adversely Affected
And while the crushing impact on our banana industry is bad enough, it gets much worse. Jose Alpuche, C.E.O., Ministry of Agriculture “Corn has been severely impacted, especially in [...]
Impact of Earl on Central Bank Reserves
Waight isn’t generally a politician and so, most times, can be trusted to tell it as it is. The Prime Minister, a consummate politician, sings a more pleasant tune. But [...]
Belizeans to Get Help from NEMO, Not U.D.P. Area Rep
So with all that said, the government will step in, right? Belizeans remember in late 2015 when a tropical depression flooded the south side and brought U.D.P. politicians with relief [...]
Was the City Council Prompt in Efforts to Restore Normalcy?
Was the City Council prompt in addressing the issue of debris and sludge when NEMO announced an all-clear on Thursday morning? Some would argue that the response wasn’t fast enough. [...]
The Impact of Hurricane Earl on Tourism Industry
Like in agriculture, there was good and bad news in tourism. The good news is that all tourists in the country prior to the storm were placed in safe accommodations [...]
Relief Efforts in the City
The Belize City Council has embarked on a massive cleanup campaign of the Old capital. Agencies such as the Red Cross are joining in the effort, giving a helping hand [...]
A look at the Destruction of Hurricane Earl on San Pedro
In the prime tourist destination, San Pedro, the popular Costa Maya festival has been cancelled. The influx of persons expected to attend has dropped dramatically so the festival has had [...]
Potential Health Hazards Post Hurricane Earl
The entire country of Belize is still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Earl. The damage country wide is minor for some and major for others. But there are few [...]
The Reporter
Serious accident near BEL power plant near Mile 8, GP highway
A serious accident has occurred near the Belize Electricity Limited’s (BEL) light plant near Mile 8 community at around 7:30 tonight on the George Price highway.
Reports are that a yellow Ford Ranger ran into the back of a black Ford Edge SUV. The injured driver of the Ranger was rushed by another passenger vehicle to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH), as the ambulatory service had not yet arrived at the scene.
Police have cordoned off the area to process the scene and motorists are urged to take precaution when approaching the area.
Two drown before Earl passes through
Two persons died of drowning this week, within a day of Hurricane Earl’s passage through the centre of Belize.
The day before the storm made landfall, the body of Jonathan Josue Montes Diaz, 18, a Salvadoran of Cohune Walk Area, Belmopan, was retrieved at around 3:30 p.m., from the Bobadilla area of the Mopan River in Benque Viejo town.
Police found his badly decomposed body floating in the river and because of the state of decomposition, the post mortem examination had to be conducted that same night in the water, which determined his cause of death as drowning.
Meanwhile, police were summoned the same Tuesday afternoon to Duplooy’s Jungle Lodge at Mile 5 on the Chaa Creek Road in Cayo, where they found the body of Irlan Oliver Mesh, 21, a cook at the lodge.
The Belize Times
Hurricane Earl Batters Belize
Hurricane Earl made landfall just south of Belize City before midnight on Wednesday, lashing at the entire country with heavy rains and torrential winds throughout the night. At landfall, Hurricane Earl had maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour, making it a Category One storm. Its Hurricane force winds extended 15-20 miles from the center but tropical storm-force winds of 49mph-73mph, reached out for 140 miles. That meant the effects of the storm were felt all the way to Corozal and neighboring Quintana Roo, Mexico to the north, and as far as the Toledo District in southern Belize. As Hurricane Earl made landfall, over 200 distress calls of persons trapped in flooding homes and shelters lacking proper amenities were recorded by NEMO and Police officials. The worst of them came from the Belize District region, where the storm’s impacts were direct and forceful. Residents from Belize City, Ladyville, Lords Bank, Sandhill, Gardenia and the old northern road were in perilous situations. Hurricane Earl caused devastation of homes and buildings. Roofs were badly damaged, some blown away during the storm. Various communities experienced rising waters and some residents had to find the highest areas of their homes, including their attics, for safety. There were countrywide electrical outages and up to press time on Friday, the Belize District still had power outage. The Cayo District experienced flash flooding on Thursday as the rivers swelled, causing waters to rise and force evacuations along the Macal and Mopan Rivers.
GOB Bruk – No Housing Relief for Hurricane Victims
Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced on Thursday that the Government of Belize will not be able to provide recovery assistance to hundreds of Belizeans who lost their homes to Hurricane Earl.
“It is not going to be possible for us simply to rebuild homes for people who might have been unfortunate enough to have their homes damaged to a point where it is beyond repair,” commented the PM at a press conference called on Thursday afternoon.
Barrow said that while Government will provide “basic packages of water and food”, he advised that those affected don’t should not have “any false hope on the part of expectations and create any false hope” for his administration.
The Prime Minister was beating around the bush trying to say that his Government is broke and does not have any funds to help hurricane victims meaningfully.
Statement by PUP Leader Hon. John Briceño on the Aftermath of Hurricane Earl
Hurricane Earl is now behind us and while assessments of the extent of the damage and destruction are underway, we are thankful that, so far, there have been no reports of any loss of life directly associated with the hurricane.
Early reports show that Belize City and the neighbouring communities were the areas with the greatest damage. Homes were lost, some structures were damaged, farmers lost crop and animals and many families lost their hard earned properties and assets. On some of our Islands and in communities on the Coast, piers were destroyed and beach erosion occurred. In Belize City and in surrounding communities, businesses suffered loss due to high winds and flooding and there is damage to our electrical infrastructure and other important services, mainly in the communities and areas hardest hit. We are confident that the hard working men and women of BEL and our other service providers will do all possible to restore power and services to the affected areas as soon as possible and that the cleanup in the affected areas has started.
Uncle Sam fed up with corrupt UDP
Uncle Sam sent a strong message to the Barrow Administration when it denied a senior government official entry into the United States last week Friday.
Reliable reports are that Ruth Meighan, formerly the Director of the scandal-ridden Immigration Department and current CEO of the National Emergency Management Organisation, was informed that her visa was cancelled when she arrived at the U.S. Immigration in Houston. Meighan was turned back and forced to return to Belize.
The action, sources tell us, is a serious political message from one big powerful Government to a small Government that is big in corruption and powerful against its citizens.
Think About It
Before we write anything about William Mason and the scandal swirling around the Prime Minister and his Ministers, let us recall some things.
Recall the Elvin Penner scandal. Godwin Hulse was the actual Minister responsible for immigration matters. But Penner was signing nationality and passport documents too. What the hell kind of recipe for disaster was that. Why did the Prime Minister and Minister Hulse allow that to happen? Minister Penner explained to Belize that he personally took Mr. Kim Won Hong to the Immigration Department to speed up his application for a passport.
What a naked, criminal lie that was! At the time Hong was supposedly in the company of Minister Penner inside the Immigration Department, Hong was positively in jail in Hong Kong. Neither Godwin Hulse nor Prime Minister Barrow knew of this criminal scam until INTERPOL brought it to their attention.
This became one of Dean Barrow’s biggest political and governmental scandals. At first he decided to ignore all the optics, all the criminal behaviour and bribe voters into holding on to Penner. He personally went to Santa Familia Village in Penner’s constituency and promised them “millions upon millions of dollars” for whatever their poor, needy hearts desired.
Cognitive Dissonance
Mark Twain long ago advised that one should never pick quarrels with “a man who buys ink by the barrel.” That would be a good definition of the man Evan X Hyde; publisher of the Amandala. The man does not only buy ink by the barrels but his ink can sometimes be spurious and even destructive; ask Michael Ashcroft. For that matter, you can ask any of the two major political parties of Belize!
I am an avid reader of the Amandala; have been since, as Rhaburn put it, they started printing “on two sheets of paper”. Like most people, I usually head straight to the Editorial and then to From the Publisher. Over the years, I have seen the Amandala bring down governments and prop up governments. I watched as they made people and broke people. Evan X Hyde is Belize’s version of a legitimate “kingmaker”! I watched as the X turned Said Musa and Ralph Fonseca from respected politicians to being hated and reviled. In short order, he turned Michael Ashcroft from a successful businessman to a virus. The Publisher, as they say in the streets, is “nothing nice”!
Nuri Muhammed made an interesting comment on last week’s Wake Up Belize (WUB) morning show. He was speaking about Mason and Flowers being in jail and the need for them to be protected. Nuri said that you don’t always have to worry about the person who doesn’t like you, but more so about those who might think that by doing you harm, they could please and get in the good graces of your adversary. One has to wonder if this is what the X is aiming for but if that be the case, then que sera, sera!
Political Shuffle, Political Cosmetics
Dean Barrow had no choice to remove his tainted Minister of National Security John Saldivar after two weeks of bombarding from the Opposition, the media and citizens on the morning airwaves, over the William Mason/Pastor Lucas criminal affair. On Monday, the Prime Minister announced Saldivar would no longer be Minister of National Security and only Defense. This came days after Barrow told the nation he saw no reason for Cabinet re-shuffle.
Barrow admitted that his move was a restrained reaction. The “optics” of Saldivar’s involvement with a criminal and the UDP Government’s suspected collusion were all that mattered to him.
When Belizeans examine Barrow’s shuffle however, they will see that like the man behind the decision, there is no real substance in it and is at best, pure cosmetics. To suggest to the nation that Godwin Hulse, Dean’s Minister Fix It, is going to fix the Police Force is a cruel joke. Since become a star team player for the UDP, what has Godwin been able to fix? What were his radical chances at Immigration following the Penner scandal? More paperwork to frustrate the innocent, while the rich and connected like William Mason still hustle the system? Has he not realised that it is the Ministerial power and discretion over the process which has corrupted the system? What did Godwin accomplish at Lands? Was there land reform? Or did civil society become more engaged to ensure transparency in the distribution of lands? And if Godwin was such a stellar Lands Ministry gatekeeper, why was the portfolio stripped from him this week? Did the PM get enough of the complaints?
Man chopped to death in Hattieville
A Guatemalan national has been detained for the vicious chopping murder of 40 year old Goevanni Rosales, who was discovered at his work site with brutal chopping wounds on his arm, should and neck.
Rosales and the unnamed suspect were reportedly socialising at their worksite at mile 14 on the George Price Highway in Hattieville Village when a violent altercation started on July 31st. The suspect claims that Rosales charged at him with a knife, so he has to defend himself. In doing so, he picked up a machete and swung at Rosales inflicting deep cuts. The cuts to Rosales’ neck almost demonstrate an attempted beheading.
Optics, Prime Minister??
Well, I guess we were all waiting to hear what Prime Minister Barrow would have to say on his return from abroad last Friday. And in terms of what we could have expected, the Prime Minister did not disappoint. He talked of course about the terrible, horrible optics of this Mason/Saldivar situation and about the awful political price that Minister Saldivar and the Barrow government are paying for the whole sorry, sordid mess.
Then, as we expected, he went on to say that he has not heard sufficient for the National Security Minister to be painted, as he said, with the corruption or criminal brush. He even said that for him to mightily suspect that there is wrongdoing does not meet the threshold or the bar of impropriety that would oblige him to take action against his minister. He said too that he must insist on due process. While he does, he said, respect the court of public opinion, he cannot be an unthinking slave to public opinion, and he needs more than is currently available.
Questions to Ministers!
Will the Prime Minister say when he will appoint an Independent Investigator to investigate the Pastor Llewellyn Lucas murder?
Can the Prime Minister confirm reliable reports that his decision to do a Cabinet shakeup followed a conversation with GSU boss Mark Flowers?
Can Minister John Saldivar say if he ended his relationship with William Mason in September 2015 as a result of learning that Mason was a conman, then why didn’t he warn his Cabinet colleagues right up to the convention for Deputy Leader?
Godwin LightHulse!
Hulse to the Rescue has been the watchwords for the man Clean Dean who is so concerned about optics rather than the real corruption facing his government.
But is Godwin Hulse really sent to do clean-up. Or has he been sent in to do cover-up? What is LightHulse’s duty this time?
When Hulse came forward claiming that it was because of him that the Citizen Kim case was revealed because he said to cabinet members, “TALK”, did Godwin honestly believe that we the Belizean people would believe him? The Citizen Kim saga was such a major cover-up that it forced the PUP to get a court order for the Commissioner of Police to do the job he has sworn to do. Godwin could have put some pressure for this investigation to take place, in the name of Belize’s integrity, but that didn’t seem to happen. So, Minister Godwin where is the passport for Citizen Kim? Is it still on its way from Taiwan to Belize?
UDP was praying for a catastrophe
A distraction like Hurricane Earl is just what the UDP Government has been hoping for, as they have been battered by the monster storm they created in William Mason and the murder of Pastor Llewellyn Lucas.
The Mason saga, which involves Immigration corruption, Lands corruption, Police corruption and Ministerial corruption, is a major blackeye for the increasingly corrupt Barrow Administration. UDP Ministers were accepting hundreds of thousands dollars in “special donations” from William Mason, a conman who seemed to live off extortions and bribing politicians.
Then came the discovery of Pastor Lucas’ decapitated head inside Mason’s truck and the reports of the type of Police protection he enjoyed.
The Prime Minister appears beleaguered, fatigued and frustrated every time he is asked questions about Mason and his Ministers.
With Hurricane Earl’s vast damages to homes, the focus for Belizeans will now shift to their personal situations and their crises. This is just what the UDP needed so Belizeans take their minds off the criminal and political mess.
Hard Knocks
I get this feeling that the PM and his motley crew prayed for this storm to reach so that we wouldn’t have time to ponder their general scurviness. It was too late to save my overweight friend from Belmopan who got the ax dropped on his big old head, but he deserved much more than that. Methinks he’s going to get exactly what he’s got coming to him. But first Earl. By the time you read this he’ll have departed the jewel. Here’s hoping this little bit of political mischief finds you and yours in good standing with property and lives intact. Stay safe.
It’s not exactly our preferred practice to criticize people just for the hell of it, and so we won’t. But where the new Attorney-General and even newer Minister of Natural Resources is concerned, there are some things that need mentioning. If you’re like me, you’re probably trying to figure out what Ms. Retreage did to get such bounty heaped on her head. If the Prime Minister’s back was in better shape and he was about thirty years younger, you’d probably be going hmmmm! Just saying. But here’s why this brilliant (so says the PM) young attorney has become Barrow’s golden girl. See, she’s very, very, very, very close to another golden child, the crown prince and tech-savvy wunderkind otherwise known as Anwar Barrow. He gave his stamp of approval and Ms. Retreage got hers, easy as that. And just in case you can’t connect the obvious dots, I’ll do it for you, from Ms. Retreage to the lucrative Ministry of Natural Resources to Anwar Barrow. Get it?
PUP Condemns Cabinet Reshuffle
The People’s United Party condemns in the strongest terms the Prime Minister’s attempt to hoodwink the Belizean people by orchestrating what is really no significant reshuffle but more of an optical illusion. Mr. Barrow seems to be unduly enamored of the word “optics,” using it frequently in past weeks, and that is exactly what this “reshuffle” is – optics.
The PUP believes that at the very least the confirmed relationship between John Saldivar and William Mason, one which resulted in money changing hands, should have been the subject of an intensive, objective investigation. The relationship between other Cabinet members and William Mason, again confirmed, should have been the result of an intensive, objective investigation. The relationship between high-ranking members of the Belize Police Department and William Mason, confirmed, should have been the subject of an intensive, objective investigation.
Accused Income Tax robbery accomplice gets bail
On Friday, July 15, 2016, a former employee of the Income Tax Department in Belmopan managed to pull off a major robbery that netted the thieves around $30,000, but all the robbers were apprehended, charged in court and remanded to prison.
Those who were charged with the robbery are: one woman, Ishelle Tablada, 33, a caregiver of #6 Honey Camp Street, Belmopan, who is said to have been the driver of the vehicle used in the getaway.
Tablada was charged along with Devon Brooks, Richard Hyde and David Cruz who were all arraigned in the Belmopan Magistrate’s Court, before Magistrate Ladonna John.
The three men were charged jointly with robbery of the Income Tax, while Tablada was charged along with the men for the offense of abetment to commit robbery.
Police’s Firearms Examiner accused of perverting justice
The police’s Firearms Examiner, Orlando Vera, who is attached to the National Forensic Lab, appeared in the courtroom of Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith this afternoon, charged with abetment to perverting the course of justice.
Vera, who is being represented by attorney Dickie Bradley, pleaded not guilty to the charge, after Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, who is prosecuting the case, indicated to the court that she was prepared to try the matter under the Summary Jurisdiction Ordinance, which allowed for Vera to enter a plea of not guilty.
Chief Magistrate Smith released him on a $1,000 bail plus one surety in the same amount.
Where Are We Going Belize?
Today I’m writing with a heavy heart because I don’t even recognize this Belize in which I was born and grew up. Those carefree, peaceful days I enjoyed as a child are long gone and I worry about what we as a people are facing now. I worry about what my child will face growing up. I worry about this generation and the next. There is this terrible sense of lawlessness which has taken over all our lives. There is this feeling of uncertainty because we don’t know when we could be innocent victims of violent crime. There is this sense of fear, not mostly for ourselves, but for our children who must go out to play, and must attend school, and must live.
Even as I write this, an investigation into a cruel murder right here in Orange Walk Town by St. Peter’s, and another on the Phillip Goldson Highway continue. Last week there was the brutal murder of a young woman in Belmopan, even as that community tries to understand the bizarre execution last week of a Pastor whom everybody knew well.
Breaking Belize News
2016 Olympics opens in Rio
The 2016 Olympic Games were opened on Friday night in a show stopping event highlighting the Brazilian culture. Even amid questionable circumstances, like its political unbalance and Zika fears, the Maracana Stadium was filled with an air of celebration with dancers and actors making presentations that showcased the country’s culture and diversity. Even Brazilian supermodel Giselle Bundchen made an appearance.
Firearms examiner charged in Modiri/Paumen case
The Police Department is facing yet another scandal after firearms examiner Orlando Vera was charged earlier this week with Abetment of the crime of perverting the course of Justice.
Michael Modiri, the neighbour of American Tour Operator Bradley Paumen, has accused Vera of trying to offer a bribe to get rid of evidence.
Paumen and 3 others have been charged with perverting the course of justice for allegedly trying to plant a gun on Modiri so that he could be arrested and sent to jail; and separately, contracting a hit on him. They were ordered to stand trial for these and other charges in the Supreme Court beginning later this year.
Carl Trapp stabbed to death
Police have confirmed the discovery of an apparent murder victim this morning in Belize City.
51 year old Carl Trapp, originally from Camalote, Cayo District, was residing inside the former Hyde’s Supermarket next to the Michael Finnegan Market on West Collet Canal.
That was where he was discovered dead around 5:45 this morning with multiple stab wounds.
CXC results due next Friday
This coming Friday, August 12 sees the official release of the results for all examinations offered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), on the island of Anguilla beginning at 10:30 a.m. local time.
Evans McNiel Rogers, minister with responsibility for education in Anguilla, will deliver the feature address at the event.
Glenroy Cumberbatch, registrar of CXC, will present the results of all the examinations offered by CXC in the May/June 2016 sitting. These include regional results for Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC), Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) and the Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA).
Four VSU personnel fingered in Mason birth certificate scandal
Earlier this week, while announcing the Cabinet shuffle, Prime Minister Dean Barrow also gave one important update on the investigation into the activities of Rajesh Ouellet aka William Mason. He said that the Attorney General’s Ministry – which is in charge of the vital statistics office – is looking at four persons who facilitated Mason’s bogus Belize birth certificate.
According to the Prime Minister, quote, reports have been made to the police and cases have been compiled for the public service commission, so that there are 4 persons from the Vital Statistics Unit who are going to face either a disciplinary action or criminal prosecutions or both.” End quote.
Francine Burns loses Senate seat
Earlier this week, the Ministry of National Security was split between Senator Godwin Hulse, now solely in charge of the Police Department, and John Saldivar, who is now Minister of Defence with responsibility for the BDF and the Coast Guard.
Hulse remains Minister of Immigration but drops the Natural Resources portfolio to Attorney General Vanessa Retreage.
But, to become a Minister Retreage must be named a Senator – meaning that one of the existing six government appointed senators had to step aside.
Belize Bank International hit by crisis
According to Caribbean News Now, an offshore bank owned by British-Belizean businessman Lord Michael Ashcroft has closed a large number of customer accounts and faced a wave of withdrawal requests after becoming increasingly caught up in a US tax-evasion crackdown and the withdrawal of foreign correspondent banking services.
The value of deposits at Belize Bank International (BBI) shrank by almost three-quarters in the space of just six months, and confidential emails suggest some BBI customers have struggled to recover their cash, the London Guardian newspaper reported.
Belize’s representation at RIO 2016 Inconsistent with the Philosophy of Olympism
The Games of the 8/1/2016 to 8/10/2016I Olympiad, commonly known as RIO 2016, is due to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5th to 21st 2016. Native Belizean sprinter Kaina Martinez, will not be in RIO even though she has seniority over all viable Belizean athletes, native or naturalized, and presently has the best record on the track. She was the 2012 London Olympics Flag Bearer, and she excited Belizeans at home and abroad with her advancement past the first heat in the 100 Meters Sprint in London. I want to think that the feat was unprecedented.
A Few Days of Hurricane Earl Aftermath and 2 Donation Options
The country of Belize is still recovering from Hurricane Earl and will be for a while in spite of our ever present resilience and bounce back abilities.
The category 1 storm with maximum winds at approximately 80 mph left thousands facing massive cleanup and caused millions of dollars in damages countrywide. Earl made landfall just south of Belize City, not long after after being upgraded from a tropical storm to a category one hurricane. The effects were being felt on the islands and coastal areas of Belize from late evening Wednesday, August 3 with the hard hit being very early Thursday August 4th.
Homes in San Mateo suffered a great deal of damage. About six were completely leveled and a few more had severe damaged. San Pedro Red Cross is currently working with NEMO to assist the affected persons here on the island. However because of the magnitude of damages inland, Belize Red Cross is focusing on the mainland more and has stepped back to allow NEMO take the lead on the island. They are however sending staff from Headquarters to talk to the affected families, and provide disaster comping strategies.
The Power of the Surge: Category One Hurricane Earl’s Mark on North Ambergris Caye
I arrived back in San Pedro late yesterday afternoon to power on the island (the good news) and a huge, heartbreaking mess on the beach. We made our way up north and this morning I took a walk (and a wade) – from the house at Mile 7 down to about Mile 6 on North Ambergris Caye.
Before that, a few pictures of the very swollen rivers on the mainland that I flew over – especially around Spanish Lookout where all the land is cleared for farming.
Trees all down or submerged in the muddy water.
On Ambergris Caye, I am absolutely amazed how powerful the storm surge was – even a Category One storm, even with our barrier reef.
The house is about 250 feet back from the ocean with lots of trees and shrubs in between. Now this…
Heredia’s take on the damage from Hurricane Earl . . . and more
As many as 400 San Pedro residents sought refuge in the town’s three shelters during the Category 1 hurricane Earl, Tourism Minister Manuel Heredia Jr. told Channel 7 News Belize.
The minister, who also serves as San Pedro’s NEMO chairman, added that there were “about 6 homes that were totally destroyed and another 3 or 4 that were extensively damaged.”
Heredia told Channel 7 that the “obvious” damage was seaside where “practically 90% of the piers are either gone or extensively damaged. The dive shops, likewise, I would believe that it’s only two or three that are standing, but not in a very good shape also. Beach erosion was terrible over here.”
7News also reports that some northern resorts, including Costa Blue, X’tan Ha and Saphire Beach have closed temporarily for repairs.
Hurricane Earl forces water taxis to shift to alternate piers . . . and more
On Friday, the police and Coast Guard were reportedly chasing San Pedro Express Water Taxi — one of our lifelines to Caye Caulker and Belize City — off the Municipal Pier in front of Central Park, San Pedro.
Today the water taxi had a canopy set up with benches from the old dock. Boats were pulling in and out of the pier slips, horns blaring.
Business as usual.
Even the schedule is back to normal, according to taxi staff on the pier.
After Earl: Trying to recall what was where, and is no more
How did so many well-built docks disappear?
My uneducated theory: The winds blew north to south, the waves and surge crashed in east to west. The combination set up a corkscrew motion that lifted and twisted the piers away from their pilings. Of course once whole piers were plunging into the sea, the debris set off a domino effect, crashing pier to pier until there was nothing but lumber landing on shore.
That’s what I’m thinking.
Our own waterfront ended up with huge amounts of lumber, some that went through the glass doors of several first floor condos.
Our closest neighbor has sent a crew over to retrieve what remains of his commercial, dive-shop dock. It is easy to spot his lumber — it is all brand new, still green. The dock had hardly been up more than a few months. It really sticks out from the rest of the weathered and sea-butchered logs and lumber.
An Ambergris Caye classic lost to the storm: Turtleman’s House
The Turtleman's House has been a landmark on this island for a very long time. Greg (well known for his conservation work) actually lived in a house over the water for about 20 years before I met him 20 years ago. It has been the subject of paintings and photo shoots for years. Having a structure over the water in a hurricane area means that you have to accept the loss when it occurs . We lost my favorite house to hurricane Mitch in '98, and then two others for hurricanes Keith and Dean. It was rebuilt each time because we needed it for our ecotourism business. We don't have the business anymore, but it still hurts that the quaint little house is now gone due to hurricane Earl. Many people have lost their business this week, and my heart goes out to them.
International Sources
The aftermath of Hurricane Earl, downed power, severe crop damage
Communities south of Tulum remain in darkness from the effects of Hurricane Earl.
After the passing of the hurricane on Thursday, 12 communities along the Quintana Roo border are still without electricity despite efforts by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).
The towns were doused of power after Hurricane Earl downed three power poles, causing severe damage to the supply circuits. The high impact of Earl toppled the poles, laying the high voltage cables in cornfields. The downed poles were the casing lines that fed several villages.
CFE continues to work on the problem that affects nearly 1,000 people. Earl is also responsible for severe crop damage in the district of Orange Walk, Belize, an area that borders the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Reports of more than 8,000 hectares of crop loss have been cited as fields were waterlogged and plants uprooted by the strong winds.
Maya 'snake dynasty' tomb uncovered holding body, treasure and hieroglyphs
Archaeologists have uncovered what may be the largest royal tomb found in more than a century of work on Maya ruins in Belize, along with a puzzling set of hieroglyphic panels that provide clues to a “snake dynasty” that conquered many of its neighbors some 1,300 years ago.
The tomb was unearthed at the ruins of Xunantunich, a city on the Mopan river in western Belize that served as a ceremonial center in the final centuries of Maya dominance around 600 to 800AD. Archaeologists found the chamber 16ft to 26ft below ground, where it had been hidden under more than a millennium of dirt and debris.
Researchers found the tomb as they excavated a central stairway of a large structure: within were the remains of a male adult, somewhere between 20 and 30 years old, lying supine with his head to the south.
Videos
Hurricane Earl Aftermath Ambergris Caye AUG 6, 2016, 3min. First look of beachfront destruction. Walked from Amigos Del Mar to Ramon's Village Much more damage to be seen, FYI Palapa Bar...gone! Most docks destroyed or gone. Much work to do and will provide jobs for many to rebuild in short time
San Ignacio flood, 5min. A drone piloted by Oscar Quiroz of San Ignacio Town shows a comprehensive aerial view of the flooding that happened in San Ignacio and Santa Elena.
As you will see in the video, the flooding is unprecedented and shows areas like the San Ignacio Market and parts of down town San Ignacio under water.
New born baby manatee rescued, 15sec. After hurricane Earl washed her across the highway into a private property. Heading of to the rehab center now! A beacon of hope after such a devastating storm
Belize Guatemala Talk with Wil Maheia and Patrick Rogers, 2hours.
Delegates of Miss Costa Maya 2016 saying thanks to everyone, 1min. And how they can't wait to be back on the island once again.
Adventure in Belize, 31min. Hurricane Earl strikes San Pedro, Belize during tropical vacation. August, 2016.
Belize 2016 Reef Highlights, 4min.
BELIZE 2016 (VLOG), 15min.
Pre Belize Day Dance Rehearsal in Chicago, 3min. Belize Day Chicago! Pre Belize Day Dance RELOADED - with Aziatic and 501 Band.
Belize - Cahel Pech, 6.5min. This is my first full day in Belize. I took a bus out to San Ignacio last night and arrived late. In the morning I decided to grab some breakfast in town then head out to Cahel Pech. Follow me on my day visiting Mayan ruins.
Belize November 2012, 10min. Video beginning shows the beautiful coastline of Ambergris Caye.
August 6, 2016
For the latest on Tropical Storm Earl, click here
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Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials
The San Pedro Sun
Hurricane Earl leaves trail of destruction countrywide
The island is currently recovering from the aftermath of the hurricane and a few victims continue at the shelters. According to Timrose Augustine, NEMO Coordinator on Ambergris Caye, they will remain at the shelters until they can be provided with a stable and safe place to live. “We will be providing warm meals to the affected persons who are at the shelters who have lost everything to Hurricane Earl,” said Augustin. She stated that NEMO has been busy assessing the damages and upon its completion, assistance will be provided evenly to the affected residents.
The San Pedro Town Council has also been busy organizing the clean ups in all corners of the island and along its beaches. Mayor Daniel Guerrero, along with NEMO, EOC and Area Representative Honourable Manuel Heredia Jr, have opened the communication channels with Central Government and other agencies countrywide. Both the Mayor and the Area Representative are ready to assist as soon as the damage assessment is complete.
Aquafino Island Resort & Spa raises funds for charities
On the evening of Saturday, July 30th, Aquafino Island Resort & Spa was host to a fundraiser fashion show, featuring the International Costa Maya pageant contestants and current title holder, Miss Honduras Gabriela Vanessa Salazar Valle. Part of the show involved their National Costume competition, but of course, there was some fun too, as they modeled outfits from Top Notch boutique.
A silent auction, as well as bar proceeds were to be divided to help out three different entities: the San Pedro Police Department, The San Pedro Rotary Club and The Inspiration Center. Providing music was the inimitable DJ Dzl, and food came via Pirate’s Treasure, Hidden Treasure and Caroline’s Cookin’. Guests enjoyed a wonderful evening on the deck, taking in a breathtaking sunset and even more fabulous fashion show!
Tropic Air offers discounted travel to aid in hurricane relief
The task of rebuilding has already started in earnest, and we are eager to support this effort. With this is mind, we will be offering all domestic travellers 50% off flights through August 14th, 2016. All local flights are included except for those coming from, or going to, the Belize International Airport (BZE).
Belize Barrier Reef to celebrate 20 years as World Heritage Site
December of this year will mark the 20th anniversary of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (BBRRS) being inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tittle was awarded in 1996, as the BBRRS is the largest reef complex in the Atlantic-Caribbean region, representing the second longest reef system in the world. To celebrate this momentous achievement, Wildlife Conservation Society, Belize Program (WCS) and a number of conservation stakeholders have organized a variety of activities. This year’s anniversary celebrations are being held under the theme “The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System: supporting our economy through health biodiversity”. While the theme has already been selected, the logo for the celebrations is up for a design competition. Everyone is encouraged to submit their entries and be a part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of our reef system.
Clean up campaign tackles Elliot subdivision
According to the SPTC, since the launch of the initiative in June, the support from the local community has been very positive. Deputy Mayor Gary Greif Councilor who is in charge of garbage collection is impressed with the results so far. “It was incredible to see the amount of garbage removed from these two divisions. With the help of all the volunteers, we have been able to do a good job so far, especially in the San Pedrito area,” said Greif. Last week, the campaign continued in the Elliot/Airstrip area which is one of the smallest on the island. The different organizations on the island that support the project, such as the police station, fire station, the Ministry of Health, and the SPTC, had volunteers along with residents sweeping and raking the area. Residents were glad to see the local authorities involved in an activity that aims for a healthier and cleaner community. “We are happy with this initiative and it serves as a motivation for us to continue this practice. Even though we may be too busy at our jobs and lives, it is important to keep our surroundings clean,” said a resident of the Elliot/Airstrip Subdivision.
GOB makes changes to Cabinet
On Monday, August 1st, the Cabinet of the Government of Belize (GOB) underwent an urgent reshuffling. In a press release issued on the same day, Prime Minister Dean Barrow officially announced and explained the necessity for the changes, particularly in the Ministry of National Security, due to recent corruption scandals. The other changes also gave way to the naming of a new Senator solely for the police department, and the assigning of a new minister for the portfolio of Natural Resources.
The decision to rearrange the Cabinet began brewing from Friday, July 29th, after Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s arrival from the United States. It was not made clear then, but everyone was expecting such action by Central Government given the fact that one of their key Cabinet Ministers had apparently been associating with accused murdered and international con-artist William Mason.
Ambergris Today
Coastal Devastation on Ambergris Caye by Hurricane Earl, Islanders Rebuild
As day broke on Ambergris Caye, Belize, on Thursday, August 4, 2016, on the aftermath of Hurricane Earl slamming into the country, it was evident that the majority of the devastation on the island was concentrated on the coastline. It is estimated so far that at least 90% of all piers and docking facilities have been destroyed. Every single pier on the island is either partially damage, significantly destroyed or completely wiped out. A major impact is that to the tourism sector as most dive shops that were situated on piers have been completely destroyed.
Massive piles of rubble and debris from these piers accumulated on the beach; an unbelievable site as residents headed to the shoreline to assess the damage by the storm. As the initial shock wore off though, island residents immediately commenced cleanup efforts. The entire day was spent assessing the damages and commencement of cleaning up. There is no question that the island will rebuild.
Costa Maya Festival Cancelled after Hurricane Earl
The International Costa Maya Festival Committee hereby informs the general public that due to the damages caused by hurricane Earl, the Costa Maya Festival events previously scheduled for this week-end, has been cancelled. Based on the current conditions across the country of Belize and considering that Belizean families are now forced to address their personal matters with urgency, the festival cannot be entertained this weekend.
As a result the pageant delegates will leave Belize today to head back home and the Festival Committee has informed the international artists to hold off in travel due to the current conditions in Belize. The Costa Maya Festival Committee regrets the inconvenience caused by this situation but must be cognizant of the situation faced by Belizeans following the damages caused by hurricane Earl.
Misc Belizean Sources
TROPIC AIR OFFERS DISCOUNTED TRAVEL TO AID IN HURRICANE RELIEF
Our hearts and thoughts go out to all those affected by Hurricane Earl earlier this week, including many of our own employees and those frequent flyers that we have come to know as family. We are saddened by all that was lost, but also grateful that there was no loss of life.
The task of rebuilding has already started in earnest, and we are eager to support this effort. With this is mind, we will be offering all domestic travellers 50% off flights through August 14th, 2016. All local flights are included except for those coming from, or going to, the Belize International Airport (BZE)
Carla Barnett appointed to Minister of State to Find Post Hurricane Funds
According to Prime Minister Dean Barrow:
"It will be absolutely critical for us to determine how much we are going to lose. I want at the end of the process for us to be able to say to the international community this is the volume of our losses. This is the percentage of GDP that it represents and on that basis of course we make our case for the kind of international partner relief that we will need. In that context let me announce right away that it is my intention to elevate Senator Hon. Dr. Carla Barnett to the position of Minister of State in the my ministry of finance and she will then be put in charge of leading the process that will produce that country economic damage assessment for purposes of our interaction with the international community."
The Belize Zoo after Earl
The Zoo survived the passing of Hurricane Earl, but not without significant damage to trees and vegetation. Our animals are all safe, and exhibits held up well. We are closed to the public until Monday August 8th as we undertake our extensive cleanup campaign. A big thanks to all our concerned friends and well wishers. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts.
Agriculture suffers tremendous loss to Earl
According to Jose Alpuche, CEO, Ministry of Agriculture "The areas most impacted are, as the prime minister mentioned, bananas, corn and vegetable production. In the banana industry, the initial assessment is that in South Stann Creek, approximately 75% losses, in the Cow Pen area 60%-70% losses, and Bladen & Swasey area at just about 60% losses. These losses can be categorized in 2 general production cycles, that is, those for harvest through the remainder of this year, and those for harvest next year. The losses are roughly about 50/50 in the 2 production cycles. The real issue that needs to be addressed beyond the fruit loss is a very critical one and that is to determine whether we have sufficient volume to maintain regular exports. This will need very careful study and discussion between the farmers and the marketers. this is a very substantial point, because it means that even those that are still producing a perfectly good product may not be able to export but let us see how that goes, it requires much more careful study and discussion with the marketers and producers. corn has been severely impacted, especially in the central region, Spanish Lookout alone reporting losses of 75,000 tons or approximately 42 million Belize dollars in losses.
BEL Continues to Restore Power to the Remainder of the Country
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) continues to restore power supply to the country since the passage of Hurricane Earl. Restoration efforts resumed promptly at dawn today, primarily in the Belize District, where the Company’s infrastructure sustained the most damage.
As of 9:00 a.m. today, approximately 75% of all customers have been restored. However, in the Belize District, only 20% of customers have power supply. BEL crews are now focusing on completing restoration of power, by the end of today, to most of Belize City up to Mile 4 on the Philip Goldson Highway, portions of Ladyville and nearby areas.
Works will continue into Saturday to restore the remainder of the Belize District, as those areas require extensive works. This includes from Mile 8 to 31 on the George Price Highway, Mile 4 to Mile 35 on the Philip Goldson Highway, the Old Northern Highway, Burrell Boom and the Belize River Valley.
BEL advises customers to expect intermittent power interruptions, which may be necessary during the process of reconnecting other customers.
Here's a look at Government House from Thursday
We are working to remove the debris... Full restoration of the grounds will have to wait until there is less saturation of the soil. Due to the passage of Hurricane Earl, please be advised that Government House - House of Culture will will closed until further notice.
We appreciate your patience as we try to address damages to the building and grounds
Museum of Belize cleans up after Hurricane Earl
Our friends at Museum of Belize continue the hard work of cleaning up for a second day.
Bliss Center after Earl
Earl who? The hurricane made it's mark on Bliss Center for Performing Arts, but the team there rolled up its sleeves and got to work.
THIS is the spirit of Caye Caulker!
Before & After. Hurricane Earl left its mark here on Caye Caulker Wednesday night... The front of the Island took the worst of it. Everyone has been working together to tidy up & make our island as beautiful as it was before. For us it meant we lost our base & office, but fortunately our boats are fine & tours will be running again from tomorrow! (Saturday) Ragga Caye sustained little damage. Our Captains & Guides are ready again! Please email us at [email protected] for reservations while we work to get our office back up & running! Thank you all for your kind messages & thoughts!
Santa Rita, Cerro Maya, Lim Li Punit and Lubaantun Open
All other Archaeological Reserves and cave sites remail closed until further notice...
Images from the rising waters in Sarawee
by Allyson Ally Mclaughlyn
Ministry of Health
Hurricane Earl
Public Advisory No. 2
The Ministry of Health can report at this time that all our Community and Regional hospitals and Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital have resumed regular services, and were able to maintain exceptional functioning operations to the public during the passage of Hurricane Earl with minimal disruption.
After the past couple of days of rains, many residents have been experiencing flooding in their areas. The flooding may have contaminated their drinking water leaving it unsafe to drink and requiring treatment in order for it to be potable. We are liaising with BWS to ensure this matter is addressed.
Thanks to Rosita Rosado for sending us images of some of the damges in Caye Caulker
Thanks to Lupi Guerra for sending us images of Iguana Creek and San Ignacio
NICH has released a statement detailing damages sustained by the nation's historic and archeological sites as a result of Hurricane Earl
Update from Belize Bird Rescue
Well time to draw breath. Almost all birdies accounted for - we may have lost a few chickens. :-(
We did lose a LOT of trees including many of our fruit supply trees - some trees down on aviaries and fences. Lost a freezer full of supplies too. So.. yesterday - the morning after the hurricane - we were assessing the damage and clearing up when we noticed a flood on the field in an unusual place. The flood got very rapidly bigger and suddenly - we couldn't believe it - the river was running right through our property! In a few short hours we went to from high and dry to 5 feet under water all over. We managed to rescue a lot of chickens, vehicles, empty most of our rental house, and get equipment to dry ground. We lost our trusty old tractor: it finally conked out in the flood. I don't think there's any way to resuscitate it this time. :-( We are still trying to keep everyone fed and secure while assessing what we have lost and starting on the clear up. Thankfully the barn and field aviaries were already evacuated before the hurricane. It could have been worse for sure. Thanks so much everyone for the good wishes. We will rebuild!
Both a frightening and heartwarming story all at once...
5 minutes after waking up to a call from my aunt who was asking if i was okay, i had to return that call retracting my previous statement. 10 minutes later I called back telling them that water was filling up the entire house quickly. In a matter of 15 minutes i was knee deep in water and by 12:45, i was sitting on the highest point in my house crying on the phone with about 2 feet left of air space. My aunts, mom and sister were calling at intervals trying to find a way to get me out the house. I started flashing my light through the window and saw someone flashing back. I heard a yelling outside from a distance and i climbed down from where I was and swam to the window. My neighbor was yelling and asked if i was okay and if i could get out. I came out the room and went to the side door. I knew what was going to happen next, I'd either be knocked out by the door or the water would rush in and drown me.
Paradise Theater this weekend
Due to Recent events.. The theater will be closed this weekend. We'll be continuing with movies next weekend as per usual .. Both of the projectors are being upgraded to bigger and better machines, providing a much better and higher quality experience .. we'll be taking this time to perform maintenance on the building and and the letter sign that got blown apart .. keep and eye for for the movies next week!!
Channel 7
After Earl: Scary Storm Stories From San Pedro
The country of Belize is still recovering from Hurricane Earl. The strong and large Category 1 storm left thousands of Belizeans with huge cleanup and housing problems and generated millions of dollars in damages. For many, life will take months to return to normal, and for some, "normal" may never return - or if it does, it will come with a huge bill.
Indeed Earl wreaked all kinds of havoc in the Belize District including SAN PEDRO, and CAYE CAULKER as well as PARTS OF CAYO, STANN CREEK AND ORANGE WALK.
Today we went to san Pedro - which was the first large community to feel the force of the hurricane. With the help of imagery courtesy the San Pedro Town Council and photographer Jorge Aldana, Daniel Ortiz reports:...
San Pedro, like the other parts of the country hardest hit, was on Day 2 of the journey to recovery.
San Pedro Belize Express Not Ferrying Passengers To Cayes
Now we went out to San Pedro on a Tropic Air flight - but most people can't afford that - even though, Tropic Air today announced a very generous 50% discount on all domestic flights as a post hurricane relief goodwill gesture to passengers.
But even at 50% off, a round trip ticket to San Pedro is still over one hundred dollars. That's why for mass transport, most people turn to the water taxi service - but the Island piers on both San Pedro And Caye Caulker for both major ferry services were destroyed by Earl.
Ocean Ferry has found another pier on San Pedro, but San Pedro Belize Express hasn't. A company rep says they are being railroaded and not being allowed to use a replacement pier they selected. The company says it had to turn away hundreds of customers today - mostly folks returning to their homes in the islands from relatives or shelters inland. On both san Pedro and Caye Caulker, the water taxi service claims their captains have been threatened with arrest if they continue to land at alternate piers. The company says that on San Pedro the municipal authorities are trying to force them to use the pier at the International Terminal at the back of the island.
48 Hours: Almost Half Of Belize District Residents Still Without Power
And while water taxi commuters have that problem - almost half of the Belize District is still under a blackout - and going into 48 hours without power! At 6:00 pm, BEL reports that power has been restored in 47% of the Belize District and 84% of the country.
BEL says that since the all clear, critical facilities such as the KHMH, water pumping stations, communication systems, airports and major commercial areas have been restored with power supply.
The company is now focusing on completing restoration in what are called high risk areas of Belize City and Ladyville tonight and tomorrow. They say that the Belize District continues to "require the highest level of restorative efforts and the Company expects to complete restoration to the remaining areas by the end of the weekend."
City Cleanup Requires Unprecedented Effort
Now, the story of the storm and the mass terror it produced in the Belize district when houses started shaking and roofs starts coming loose is one thing, but the cleanup is the real story right now. For the past two days, City residents have been cleaning their homes and offices from a thick grey sludge that washed in with the storm surge. It's ugly and smelly stuff, and it destroyed items in hundreds of homes. Now that residents and workers have cleaned their homes and offices, the city council has to clean the streets. Today the Mayor told us the effort is intensifying this weekend:..
Darrell Bradley, Belize City Mayor:
"What we have determined to do generally speaking, is that we've divided the city into 3 areas if you will, the area from Central American Blvd and beyond that, then the area from central American Blvd unto the Caribbean sea and then the North side. We have been given additional support, tomorrow we'll have personnel from the forestry department who will assist us in cutting down some of the larger trees so that we can shorten the amount of debris that we have to move out of our way, then we will cart those away. We've also been getting significant support from the BDF in terms of personnel."
Post Storm Flooding Threatens West, North
And while the cleanup is one very important thing after the storm, another is the rising waters in the west. As we told you yesterday the Macal and Mopan rivers were spilling over their banks which is captured in this aerial footage.
There were fears today that it would spill over the Roaring Creek Bridge - but police and the Ministry of Works today confirmed that it was receding just a few feet below the deck and the bridge was not closed.
The latest NEMO advisory issued just a few minutes ago, says that Spanish lookout via Baking Pot Ferry and Iguana Creek Bridge are impassable at this time. The access route through Bullet Tree Falls village via the Bullet Tree Bridge is impassable. The wooden bridge in San Ignacio across the Macal River is closed.
Earl Lashed Ladyville And Vista Del Mar
Now where was really "Ground Zero" for Hurricane Earl? We don't mean where the eye hit…that was somewhere south of Belize City; we mean: where were the hardest winds and rains concentrated? Most folks - especially those in the Belize District - would, understandably say, "MY BACK YARD!" And there's certainly truth in that: after all, unless you went through Hattie in 1961 - Belize District residents have never experienced anything like Earl.
And while every storm survivor has his or her own story of a very scary storm, the evidence of serious storm-related damage seems most concentrated in Vista Del Mar and LAdyville. I went to that area today where residents told me what it was like:...
Looking at these yards, it might seem like these Vista Del Mar residents were having a community yard sale Or were getting rid of old mattresses and other junk. But they were definitely not selling or giving away anything today, all these clothes and appliances were their most cherished belongings that they are now trying to salvage. Hurricane Earl hit these residents hard, most people lost everything.
15 Year Old Girl Suffered Multiple Molestations, Including One and Possibly Two By Lawmen
In a very, very disturbing case, a trio of Belmopan men - including a special constable - have been charged for the rape of a 15 year old girl.
On Tuesday, the day before Hurricane Earl, Belmopan police arrested a special constable named Addisson Gillett for the rape and aggravated assault of a 15 year old girl. They are using the charge rape because the girl is 15 and he allegedly used a gun to force her into the act. Gillett was remanded.
Two other men, are also accusing of having sex with the underaged minor on other occasions: Police charged the stepfather and the uncle - whose names we cannot release because it could lead to her identity.
Cop On Cop Crime - but No Criminal Charges?
7News has received information of a case of cop on cop crime - and the suggestion of an attempt to cover it up - or at least spare the offender from facing criminal charges. According to credible reports, a complaint has been made against Corporal Jamir Cassanova, assigned to the Mobile Interdiction Team. Constable Derwin Mariano made a complaint that the corporal beat him up - so badly that he get a medico legal form which confirmed his injuries as wounding. The beat down allegedly took place in a drinking session at MIT Headquarters at the Police Training School. But we are told that the senior ranks of the MIT are pushing to have only it only treated as an internal disciplinary matter. Now, we know the constable has requested court action, and based on our knowledge how Belmopan Police operate we would expect those criminal charges to be brought. We'll keep following up the case.
Wilder In Jail
But there was no question of whether police should charge Wilder Vasquez. He's a known burglar in the capital and police used fingerprint evidence to link him to a case of theft. He was charged and based on the strength of the fingerprint evidence he was convicted and received 7 year sentence today in Belmopan Magistrate's Court.
Police reportedly have more fingerprint evidence to link him to another break in - and he will be brought form prison next week to face that charge.
Belize City, Another Look
And so far tonight we've shown you the aftermath of the storm in San Pedro and in Vista Del Mar Ladyville. But, right here in our home base of Belize City there was a lot to capture. We showed you some of that last night, and tonight we have more stuff that we captured right after the storm before the clean up crews swept in. Here's what it looked like:...
Jules Vasquez reporting:
Belize City streets looked like a calm river after the storm. Fallen lampposts were a regular sight and here between Ferrel's Lane and Albert Street pickups had to pick the shallowest channel no one would be playing basketball on this day and the streets looked like they needed a cleanup.
Finding NEMO
And now, in the aftermath of the storm there are so many thousands in need - those who lost their homes or suffered major storm damage. They now have to go about - you could say - finding NEMO - since the Prime Minister made it clear that politicians will not be directly distributing relief. Yesterday NEMO's director explained that they must come up with a mechanism:...
NEMO Representative:
"Main thing for NEMO at this stage is to ensure that the people who are affected in the area that we considered to be the ground zero, the Belize District, people in San Pedro, Caye Caulker, people out in parts of Cayo, Stann Creek and Orange Walk - those are the areas that we will be focusing on to make sure that they are assessments that are done and the aid and assistance that people need reaches to those individuals. So in essence, that's the focus that NEMO will be doing over the next couple of days and perhaps weeks."
Ministry of Health Says It is Back In Action
And while NEMO hopes to respond quickly, the Ministry of Health says it is doing just that: The Ministry of Health is reporting tonight that All Community Regional Hospitals, and the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospitals have started to resume regular services. They were able to maintain an exceptional level of operations during the passage of Hurricane Earl over the country.
The Ministry of Health is warning that with the impending floods after the rains, the drinking water may have been contaminated, making it unsafe to drink. The Ministry says that it is liaising with the Belize Water Services to ensure that the drinking water can be treated.
The Ministry says that you can treat your own water by adding a tablespoon of Clorox to every 5 gallons of water from your drinking source. Do not use bleach that have perfumes. Boil the water to a rolling boil for 1 minute. Add purification tablets according to directions on the packaging.
NICH Reports Storm Related Site Closures
NICH and the Ministry of Culture are reporting that the storm affected several archaeological sites and NICH buildings. Altun Ha and Lamanai are closed for clean up of fallen trees and other debris. The boat dock used for Lamanai is damaged.
Caves Branch is closed. NICH assessment teams have not be able to reach Xunantunich because of the swollen river. Caracol is inaccessible due to parts of the road being impassable. Flooding at the ATM Cave and other cave sites have forced a temporary closure
For the archaeological sites themselves, Dr. John Morris, the Director of the Institute of Archaeology, say the preserved, ancient Mayan temples at these sites can be damaged by wind and rain. The Museum of Belize had 4 inches of water and silt. The Bliss Center for the Performing Arts had extensive interior damage for water, silt, mud, broken glass windows, and roof damage.
The View From Above
And as we close tonight we leave you with the view from above - provided to us by the Government Press Office which went for a post storm over flight of affected areas with NEMO, and by Panoramic Image Productions, a drone outfit in Cayo which captured the Macal river running over its banks in Cayo on Thursday.
As we go into the weekend flooding remains a factor and this evening NEMO sent an advisory warning villager sin the Cayo District and the Belize river Valley to be very vigilant this weekend. The advisory says, quote, "People living in these flood prone areas are being strongly encouraged to seek safety and move to higher grounds to protect life. Seek shelter with families or friends or go to a community shelter. MOVE OUT of areas that are likely to flood."
LOVE FM
The Landmark Bird’s Isle Court Is No More
Hurricane Earl has come and gone and like many other places in Belize, it left it’s mark on an Iconic Belize City destination, The Birds Isle. Many know the Birds Isle for their delicious food, great entertainment and of course their Basketball court. Today we spoke to Henry Young Jr. owner of the Birds Isle […]
An Aerial View of Hurricane Earl’s Wrath on Belize
Over the last few days officials and other organizations have been assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Earl. Today Minister in charge of NEMO, Edmond Castro joined in a flyover of the affected areas within the Belize District. Castro said what was evident was the destruction caused by the category one storm.
All Clear Declared; PM Addresses Nation on the Aftermath of Hurricane Earl
At 9 o’clock yesterday morning, the National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO issued the All Clear which came when Tropical Storm Earl was about fifty miles west of Belize City. It was noted, in that message from NEMO that although the ALL CLEAR Phase has been declared, some squally conditions are still likely and seas will […]
Earl Lashes Out on Agriculture Causing Millions of Dollars in Losses
The agricultural sector is one that heavy rains and severe weather conditions have always impacted, creating losses in revenue for farmers and the country, on a whole. Hurricane Earl was no different as the Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, Jose Alpuche spoke of millions of dollars in various areas. So far, […]
PM Barrow Says Government Will Explore Many Avenues for Hurricane Relief
Hurricane Earl has left a trail of destruction that now requires substantial finances to rebuild or re-establish some semblance of normalcy. As it relates to the initial steps to be taken, Prime Minister spoke of care packages for distribution as well as collaboration between NEMO and the Ministry of Human Development. Prime Minister Dean […]
Fin Sec Says Earl Will Strain an Already Weak Economy
The rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Earl will take tens of thousands of dollars and it is a point of concern considering the weak status of the economy and the destruction being done to the agriculture sector following the storm. In yesterday’s press conference, Financial Secretary, Joseph Waight did assure the public that the Government will […]
Belize City Mayor Reports on Damages and Restoration
Mayor Darrell Bradley has done his reconnaissance of the old capital and has begun to diligently address the priority areas as it pertains to getting Belize City back to normal. Bradley, who is serving his second consecutive term as the Mayor, spoke to the media this afternoon on what he found. Belize City is a […]
Earl Descended and Left Damaged Homes In Its Wake (Belize District)
Several villages in the Belize District suffered damages as a result of Hurricane Earl. Biscayne Villager, Edwin Flores spoke with us about the losses he endured. Fellow villager, Andy Dominguez showed much resiliency as he shared with us the loss of his roof as well as damage to his properties. Gardenia Villager, John Baptiste, a […]
The Eye Opener of Hurricane Earl (Ladyville Village)
Wednesday night was one of terror for a number of residents in Ladyville Village as Hurricane Earl made landfall in Belize. Yesterday when we visited Ladyville, we spoke with some of the individuals directly affected. Rosaura Alfaro told us she was shocked when her roof became the victim of Hurricane Earl’s winds. One resident […]
The Aftermath of Earl in Lake Independence (Belize City)
Hours leading up to the hoisting of the green flag indicating that the storm has passed, majority of residents from all parts of the country remained on social media expressing their shock at the strong winds and hard rains that Earl brought with him. With Belize City not being directly hit by a hurricane for […]
Breaking Belize News
NEMO Advisory No. 1 Flood situation in Belize
Cayo District – Arenal; Succothz; Calla Creek; La Clarissa; Siete Millas; Barton Creek; San Marcos; Billy White; Central Farm; Buena Vista; Providencien; Ramonal; Paslow Falls, Bullet Tree Falls; Santa Familia, Branch Mouth, villages along the George Price Highway, Roaring Creek and More Tomorrow […]
BSI joins relief efforts for hurricane victims
Today the Belize Sugar Industries (BSI) announced that it donated 100 sacks of plantation white and 100 sacks of brown sugar to the National Emergency Management Organization( NEMO) to be donated and distributed towards the hurricane victims. The sugar has a total value of […]
Belize: The Experience and Opportunities of Hurricane Earl
On Tuesday, August 2, 2016, Tropical Storm Earl was already predicted to head in the general direction of Belize and Quintana Roo, Mexico. It made landfall just south of Belize City, shortly after being upgraded to a Category I hurricane, early Thursday, August 4; […]
Tropic Air offers discounted travel to aid in hurricane relief
Tropic Air has announced that it is offering domestic travellers 50% off flights from now through August 14th, 2016 to aid in hurricane relief. The company adds that all local flights are included except for those coming from or going to the Belize International Airport. The […]
Ministry of Health issues advisory on contaminated water
This morning, the Ministry of Health issued a press released advising the general public that all community and regional hospitals countrywide including the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital have resumed regular services. In sight of the torrential rains and flooding in different parts of the […]
Street fight lands one at KHMH in a critical condition
Benque Viejo Del Carmen police responded to a report in front of Latin Bliss Bar located on George Price Boulevard on Sunday, July 31st, where they observed a man on the ground faced down bleeding from behind his head and a swelling to the […]
Roaring Creek Bridge still operational
The Ministry of Works, Transport and the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) informs the public that the Roaring Creek Bridge will not be closed at 11:30 a.m. today. According to a GOB press release, an update will be provided at 11:30 a.m. by the […]
William Danny Mason still in prison
Yesterday evening social media exploded with a rumor that William Danny Mason had escaped from prison. According to CEO Virgillo Murillo of the Belize Central Prison, it was only a rumor and that people on social media were just creating mischief. He also told […]
Belize weather: sunny with cloudy spells
The National Meteorological service of Belize is calling for a moderate east to south eastern airflow which will dominate our weather during the next couple of days. The 24 hour forecast is for sunny with cloudy spells today and partly cloudy tonight, showers or thunderstorms […]
Vacationing after a hurricane: What to expect in Belize?
The hurricane season typically runs from June 1st to November 30th, even though there have been instances when storms develop outside that time frame. These storms bring strong winds, water surges and heavy rainfall that can be very destructive to the countries that happen to be in the hurricanes path. Here in Belize, we have just been affected by Hurricane Earl. While this was only a Category One storm, it did leave quite a bit of destruction behind. Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker were among the areas that sustained the most damage, particularly to their eastern coastlines. For those who wish to visit (or may have already booked their trip), the question lingers on how the storm will affect their experience. There is no reason to worry too much, destinations affected by hurricanes – especially touristic destinations are known to recover quickly. After all, to us hurricanes are not an anomaly, we expect them every year and are well prepared!
Hurricane Earl....from a Placencia perspective...
Friday morning, Belize woke up feeling very nervous, wondering what we were all going to wake up and find. NO ONE wanted the eye of Earl to go through their town, but we certainly didn't want anyone else's town hurt either! That was the sad part, rooting for it to go north for us, because then it would be hurting somewhere else. We were all so, so happy and relieved to see that there were little to no injuries. However, poor San Pedro....they took the worst hit, with most to all of their piers destroyed, and anyone who has been on Ambergris Caye, knows part of the charm of that island is walking up the coast and enjoying all the piers, palapas, dive shops, and beachfront fun. Much of it is destroyed. We still don't entirely know how bad Belize City is.
Here is what I learned about Placencia :)
1.) This village has a GOOD sense of humor. :) The number of hurricane parties, in the midst of boarding up windows and making sure that there were enough beers on hand for the night, and kindness of checking in with one another, made us all feel very connected and proud.
International Sources
Hurricane Earl makes landfall in Mexico
This incredible timelapse video shows storm clouds rolling into the eastern coast of Mexico as Hurricane Earl made landfall.
The 30-second clip shows dark clouds approaching Cancun on Wednesday, where winds topped 70mph, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami.
It also hit Belize, where winds of 80mph and heavy rain were seen, as the storm continued its path of destruction towards Mexico.
Millionaire UKIP donor Arron Banks will represent Belize at the Rio Olympics opening ceremony
Multi-millionaire businessman and political donor Arron Banks is going to be part of the team representing Belize at the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics, a source tells Business Insider.
Banks, who is British, may even be the flag bearer for the central American nation, one source says.
The businessman is best known in political circles as a prolific donor and opponent of the European Union. In 2014 he defected from the Conservatives to Eurosceptic party UKIP with a massive £1 million donation. In the run up to the referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union, he spent millions of pounds of personal funds on Leave.EU, the anti-EU campaign group.
Jack Montgomery, a spokesperson for Leave.EU, confirmed via email that Banks will “be part of the opening.” Business Insider reached out to Banks and we will update this story if he responds.
1-228th AVN, SOCSOUTH enhance Belizean CTOC capabilities
Joint Task Force-Bravo’s 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment deployed UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters to conduct a variety of training scenarios throughout the Belize District with members of the Belize Special Assignment Group and Belize Coast Guard -- who were supported by members of Special Operations Command South -- July 18 through 21.
The BSAG, BCG, SOCSOUTH and 1-228th AVN personnel executed Fast Rope Insertion and Extraction System (FRIES) training, helocast operations and recovery with the Jacobs Ladder, and open water hoist training in order to increase the capabilities of the Belizean forces to conduct counter-transnational organized crime operations within their land and maritime borders.
U.S. Army Capt. Paul Peterson, 1-228th AVN assistant operations officer, said that although the training event was a great step for the BSAG and BCG members to become proficient in helicopter operations, he thinks a bigger benefit for our partners came in the form of planning and operating with outside air assets.
Denver to Belize will soon be a reality on Southwest
NEW DENVER TO BELIZE SERVICE ANNOUNCED.
Yesterday, Southwest Airlines, announced that it will spread some more love and, on March 11, 2017, start nonstop (Saturday only) Denver to Belize flights.
Seats from Denver to your Belize Vacation are now available for sale at southwest.com.
Our Belizean delegation of athletes proudly representing at the opening ceremony of Rio 2016 Olympic Games!
RIO 2016: Katy Sealy on belonging with Belize, shifting her focus from heptahlon to hurdles and her love of Ipswich Town
Ipswich Harriers athlete Katy Sealy arrived in Brazil this week ready to represent Belize at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. STUART WATSON spoke to the 25-year-old about how here unlikely tale unfolded.
“I’m certainly... different,” says Katy Sealy with a smile.
That’s an understatement. This is the white girl from the small village of Bawdsey in east Suffolk who will be representing the Central American nation of Belize at the Olympic games in Rio later this month in the 100m hurdles.
Belize is bordered by Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the west and south. Cuba is just over 1,000km off the coast and there is a distinct Caribbean vibe to the undeveloped nation whose population is less than that of Manchester.
Sealy, 25, qualifies to represent them due to the fact her grandparents lived out there in the 1960s – Gordon an Anglican priest in the churches and Joyce a nurse. Sealy’s father, David, was born in Belize before the whole family moved back to England at the end of that decade. Katy was born in Portsmouth in 1990 and her family moved to Suffolk in 1998.
LaPorte youth group helps build church in Belize through faith mission
It tore through a country nearly 2,000 miles away from here, but a local church is also feeling the impact of Hurricane Earl.
A youth group in La Porte just returned from Belize.
A youth group with the First Church of God in La Porte they spent ten days there through a mission program.
They helped build a church, worked with people in the community and even taught a vacation bible school.
Days after they left, Earl tore through some areas they visited and worked.
28 students and teachers spent ten days lending a hand to strangers, thousands of miles away from home.
"We went down to Billy White which is a village in the district of Keio in San Ignacio and helped with the construction on the church," said Ryan Shockey, the Youth Pastor at La Porte First Church of God.
The group poured concrete and continued the brickwork on a church that's been under construction for two years.
Canada updates Caribbean travel advisories
In a series of updates this month, the Canadian government has issued new travel advisories for a number of Caribbean countries. Most notable of these is that Canadian citizens travelling to Saint Lucia are now recommended to exercise a “high degree of caution” compared to “normal security precautions” in all other Eastern Caribbean islands.
Visitors to Saint Lucia should expect limited medical resources, generally poor road conditions, unreliable public transportation, and moderate crime rates, the advisory noted.
“Avoid unpopulated areas and unpatrolled beaches, especially after dark, and avoid staying in hotels or villas in isolated areas, which may have inadequate security. Check with local authorities to determine which beaches are safe. Avoid the districts of Marchand, Broglie, St Grass, St Leslie Land, and Wilton Yard, located off of Chausee Road, which have high rates of crime,” it said.
Saint Lucia now joins Venezuela as a country where Canadians are recommended to exercise a high degree of caution, along with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states Belize, Bahamas, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Tropical Storm in Belize City, Belize
Quickly find and connect with friends in the area. Mark them safe if you know they're OK.
Videos
More video by Ambergris Today Thursday morning after Hurricane Earl, 20min. Walking the beachfront, Ambergris Caye Belize
Day 2 after Hurricane Earl. San Pedro Town continues its way to recovery., 1/2min.
Hurricane Earl Tears through Belize City, 6min.
GoPro Belize 2016, 2min. Here is a compilation of some of the fun things we were able to do during our mission trip to Belize! The locations in this video are Caye Caulker Island, The Mayan Ruins, And Trial Farm Village, enjoy!!
Search and Rescue Teams active as Belize City gets Battered by Storm, 5min.
Belize River Valley Residents show Fortitude in the Wake of Earl, 5min.
Erik's first dive trip - Belize 2016, 12min.
A sight of Corozal, Belize in 9 minutes, 9min.
Zip Lining Belmopan Belize, 2min. Zip Lining through the forest near Crystal Cave.
, min.
Day 5 in Belize, 5min. Day 5 in Belize was our last day living by the church and visiting the school. Finished up most of the bunk beds and packing up for leaving. VBS was so much fun and awesome. I love the new experiences that I had and getting to know the kids and how individual they are. Anyways tomorrow we head to the island and then back to America!
Day 7 in Belize, 7min. Day 7 in Belize was leaving the island and coming back to America, also a reflection on the whole trip.
Day 6 in Belize, 4min. Day 6 in Belize was our vacation day and a day to helps up get back into the life style when we get back home. Snorkeling was really cool. I saw sharks and swam under 2 foot sting rays. Hotel was a nice place to be after a long week of work.
To Belize and Back!, 10min.
Volunteering with Wildtracks Belize 2016, 5min. Volunteering at Wildtracks, a non-profit organisation, based in Belize.
Disclaimer: All the animals that appear in this video are in a the process of rehabilitation and will be released back into the wild.
SSSVEDA: DAY 5 | Belize: Overcoming Obstacles, 9min.
Caye Caulker 5pm Friday after Hurricane Earl, 1min. You can see how cleaned up the place looks not even 48 hours after the storm. The people of Caye Caulker are truly amazing.
Footage of Sarawee village being impacted by flood waters after the passage of Hurricane Earl., 2min.
The entrance of the Belize delegation at the Opening Ceremoy of the Rio 2016 Olympics, 1min. Let the games begin! Go Team Belize!
Belize, 8.5min. Mission trip to Belize
Sustainable Belize City, 2min.
The Aftermath Belize City, 6min.
Hurricane Earl Causes Flooding Of Belize Rivers., 7min.
Hartl Honeymoon in Belize, 6.5min. Amazing trip to Central America!
Some of the damage from Hurricane Earl in San Pedro, Belize, 1min.
Huracán Earl en San Pedro Belize., 2min. Esto fue antes de que llegará el huracán Earl a la isla de San Pedro, las olas se veían más o menos de 3 metros en el arrecife (eso dicen).
Llegaban casi hasta la calle.
Cave Tubing, Belize, 9min.
Zipline Belize, 5min.
Three Sheets Belize, 26min.
Some of the damage from Hurricane Earl in San Pedro, Belize at Grand Caribe, 1min.
August 5, 2016
For the latest on Tropical Storm Earl, click here
FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE
Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report. Specials and Events
Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials
The San Pedro Sun
International Costa Maya Festival Cancelled
The International Costa Maya Festival Committee hereby informs the general public that due to the damages caused by hurricane Earl, the Costa Maya Festival events previously scheduled for this week-end, has been cancelled. Based on the current conditions across the country of Belize and considering that Belizean families are now forced to address their personal matters with urgency, the festival cannot be entertained this weekend.
As a result the pageant delegates will leave Belize tomorrow to head back home and the Festival Committee has informed the international artists to hold off in travel due to the current conditions in Belize.
Belize foreign consulate to raise funds for hurricane victims
Hurricane Earl has caused much damage to many communities, businesses and homes across Belize. It is no doubt that help will be needed, and assistance is due to come from abroad.
The Belize Consulate in Miami Florida, USA has set up a ‘Gofundme’ account with the aim to raise monetary donations to assist Belizeans affected by the storm.
The initiative is being spearheaded not only by the Consulate in Florida, but also by the Embassy of Belize in Washington D.C and all of the Missions and Belize Consulates abroad.
According to Janine Sylvestre at the Belize Consulate in Miami, due to delay associated with collecting clothing and food items, they are instead asking for monetary donations. This is in order to speedily reach the people and areas needing the most critical help.
Hurricane Earl leaves a path of destruction on Ambergris Caye
Hurricane Earl has come and gone, and it has left a path of destruction along its path. In San Pedro Town on Ambergris Caye, several homes were severely damaged, while along the beach many businesses and docks were partially or completely destroyed.
According to local authorities on Ambergris Caye, the preliminary damaged assessment shows significant structural damage and beach erosion. In the meantime, the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) remains active as they complete their assessment, while residents who passed the storm at the respective shelters await to hear when they can return home. Furthermore the San Pedro Town Council has started cleaning up the island.
Power and water remain off. In a text message sent to customers at 8:22AM today, Belize Electricity Limited stated, “Belize Electricity Limited is assembling its team to prepare for assessments of the power system. Currently, only the Corozal and Orange Walk Districts have power supply. BEL will provide an update by 10am regarding its assessment plan.” No word has been issued by Belize Water Service Ltd as of yet.
During the hurricane two houses were reported to have collapsed by the San Mateo Area, while two fires were reported due to electrical outages/surges. No human loss or injuries have been reported.
Ambergris Today
Hurricane Earl Belize Victim Relief Set Up by Consulates of Belize in US
On behalf of the Embassy of Belize in Washington, DC and all of the Consulates of Belize in the United States of America, the Consulate of Belize in Florida has set up a GoFundMe account Hurricane Earl Belize Victim Relief to collect monetary donations in anticipation of the damage and loss experienced by our fellow Belizeans at home.
“Due to the usual delays associated with collecting clothing and food items, we are asking your help in gathering monetary donations in order to speedily reach the people and areas needing the most critical help,” requested the Consulate of Belize in Florida.
“If however you wish to simultaneously donate clothing, food and medical supplies you may contact your local salvation army for information on how to get your items to Belize since they have a very organized hurricane relief system in collecting supplies.”
Belize Declares ALL CLEAR from Hurricane Earl
As of 9:00 a.m. the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) declared the ALL CLEAR phase for the country of Belize as the storm continues to weaken while continuing on its tracks westward, away from Belize.
Although the ALL CLEAR Phase has been declared some squally conditions are still likely and seas will be rough. Therefore small craft warning remains in effect for offshore waters.
PRIORTY OF WORK: Search and Rescue, medical care, sheltering and looking after people affected, clearing of debris along the highways, restoration of utilities, inspection of airports and seaports.
NEMO with much concern acknowledges serious sufferings endured by thousands of Belizeans and the devastation of homes, businesses, government and private buildings. Major infrastructure and building damage, many roads and streets are blocked in San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Belize City, and Ladyville, Belize River Valley, Orange Walk, Belmopan and other affected areas.
Misc Belizean Sources
Aug 4 - Aerial photos of Caye Caulker, including the "Split"
Photos by J. Zuniga
Riverside Benque by the Bus Terminal
Photos by Eleny Castellanos
Macal rising
Post Hurricane Earl Pics August 3-4, 2016
Morning has broken and all is well at my residence with the exception of some tree damage and finding my motorcycle flattened. Took a drive around town and some homes suffered water damage due to zinc roof lifting. Many trees were downed as well, some falling on structures and vehicles.
Disaster by Hurricane Earl
Photos by Ta-kneea Aguilera
Sugar barged into Baron's Bliss?
Barge hits sea wall?
Dangriga and Hope Creek Area rising Water
Water rising in San Ignacio
People try to save their produce and also wade thorough a drenched town.
Channel 7
Hurricane Earl Was Stronger Than Advertised
Hurricane Earl ripped through Belize last night into this morning - and today, thousands of Belizeans are recovering from major loss or damage to property, and a very traumatic night of being rattled by the storm.
Earl defied every prediction - when it's eye wobbled again just before landfall, and landed just south of Belize City. The strongest winds were north of that point, and so Belize city and Belize rural were hammered with winds said to be 75 to 80 miles per hour, but which felt like 90 to one hundred miles per hour.
NEMO Responds, But Don't Get Your Hopes Up
And while that's how the prime minister and the NEMO minister felt about the storm - how did those in poor housing situations feel about it? You'll hear form them shortly, but first to the issue of who do these needy people go to?
There are thousands of affected persons, in the Belize District, including SAN PEDRO and CAYE CAULKER as well as PARTS OF CAYO, STANN CREEK AND ORANGE WALK. INDEED Earl was a big storm that left a huge footprint of devastation on the country. But government does not have huge resources to meet everyone's needs. Today the PM was deliberate in not getting anyone's hopes up:
Here's Comes the Flood?
And while Earl left so many in need, there's another weather situation developing which could extend the footprint of loss even more. Today the Macal and Mopan rivers in the Cayo district started cresting, which suggests the strong possibility of flooding in the days to come. The Prime Minister discussed this today:...
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister:
"In terms of the Macal River jumping its banks, in terms of the spillage already taking place at the dams, the forecast is that we are going to be dealing with extremely serious flooding with waters either I supposed coming down from the source in Guatemala, but inundating certainly possibly Belize City again and the river valley. So, Lord, we are preparing to have to deal with another natural disaster in maybe 5-7 days."
Some Parts Of Belize City Will Have 36 Hour Blackout
And while the prospect of flooding is on the event horizon, there are far more pressing matters at had tonight. Like for example, the largest population center in the country is under a blackout! That's right, though 7News and various media outlets are coming to you live from the city tonight - we are operating on generators because BEL has not restored power to the city. That's a 24 hour outage and counting - which raises all kinds of concerns about security, and just general life issues: like how does the largest population center in the country go for a day and a half without power. Today, BEL's CEO Jeffery Locke told the media why:,,,
Jeffrey Locke, CEO - BEL:
"For the most part the only two districts that were able to stay online were Corozal and Orange Walk. All other areas were affected. The good news is that we've been able to restore to Toledo, most of Dangriga, San Ignacio, Benque, Belmopan. The bad news is the areas most hit by the hurricane, Belize District and San Pedro and Caye Caulker - we have some work to do."
Earl Affected Tourist Interests on Caye Caulker/San Pedro
Tonight the news is all about Hurricane Earl - we'll show you how the storm itself looked, and you'll see the aftermath, but first we go to what the situation is now with the assessment of damages and the current prognosis. We start with the tourism sector - which has to deal with the short term, meaning its present guests, and the medium term, meaning how long will it take for tourism services to be fully restored. At today's press conference, Tourism Director Karen Bevans gave an outline:..
Karen Bevans, Director of Tourism:
"In looking at the preliminary assessment and our biggest tourism destination, San Pedro, we had significant damage when it comes to the piers and docking facilities. It is estimated so far that at least 90% of all piers and docking facilities have been destroyed. The dive shops that are on the piers were also destroyed. We have significant beach erosion and many fallen trees and debris. Fortunately the accommodations received minimal damages and we are hoping that coordination with them, working with the stakeholders, we can get the accommodations back in order as soon as next week.
Agriculture Damage Dire
The situation is even more dire in the agricultural sector where the losses span four districts, and they are substantial. CEO in that Ministry Jose Alpuche gave us the outline today:...
Jose Alpuche, CEO, Ministry of Agriculture:
"The areas most impacted are, as the prime minister mentioned, bananas, corn and vegetable production. In the banana industry, the initial assessment is that in South Stann Creek, approximately 75% losses, in the Cow Pen area 60%-70% losses, and Bladen & Swasey area at just about 60% losses. These losses can be categorized in 2 general production cycles, that is, those for harvest through the remainder of this year, and those for harvest next year. The losses are roughly about 50/50 in the 2 production cycles. The real issue that needs to be addressed beyond the fruit loss is a very critical one and that is to determine whether we have sufficient volume to maintain regular exports. This will need very careful study and discussion between the farmers and the marketers."
Minister Dr. Carla Barnett Will Help With Sourcing Recovery Funding
And to raise money for the recovery from those massive losses the Prime Minister has promoted one of his senators. Dr. Carla Barnett has been promoted to Minister of State in the PM's Ministry of Finance to spearhead this recover effort. The Prime Minister explained today:..
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister:
"It will be absolutely critical for us to determine how much we are going to lose. I want at the end of the process for us to be able to say to the international community this is the volume of our losses. This is the percentage of GDP that it represents and on that basis of course we make our case for the kind of international partner relief that we will need. In that context let me announce right away that it is my intention to elevate Senator Hon. Dr. Carla Barnett to the position of Minister of State in the my ministry of finance and she will then be put in charge of leading the process that will produce that country economic damage assessment for purposes of our interaction with the international community."
Ladyville Took A Licking
As we told you earlier, Hurricane Earl made landfall south of Belize City, meaning that city residents and those in the central Belize District suffered the hardest blows. In fact, those living north of the city leading up to Ladyville may have been the hardest hit. Our news team went out this morning to capture the plight of these residents and the wreck on the road.
Hopeless and displaced, that is how many city and Ladyville residents are left after Hurricane Earl.
In the city, on Freetown Road, a zinc ROOF/COVERING flaps over the power cords like a worn curtain on a clothes line.
Daniel Ortiz, Stormchaser
So far on the news tonight we've told you all about the response to Hurricane Earl at the official level. But, what about the ground level? Well, you know 7News…we were out there last night, and this morning to see the storm and gauge the terrible aftermath. Daniel Ortiz has the report:...
Daniel Ortiz reporting
Just after our newscast, we set out just after 8 p.m. to take a tour around Belize City. Immediately outside of our office, the rain was already pouring down.
Across Swing Bridge, we found a homeless man under assault from the downpour, and out by Marine Parade, some 20 minutes later, the tropical storm force winds were evident in the trees.
Down by the hanger area, the thunderstorm was in overdrive, and try as we might, it kept covering the lens.
The Storm Highlighted Great Need
Of course, the story doesn’t end there, our news team of Daniel Ortiz and Codie Norales were out there all day today in the mud of Belize City looking for the stories of storm sufferers. Here’s what they found out:...
BTL Phone Service Being Affected By Extended Blackout
And, those frustrations could grow if the power doesn't come back soon. And that's because the phone service also needs power to operate. Yes they have backups - but as Executive Committee Chairman Anwar Barrow explained today, those are running down fast:..
Anwar Barrow, Chairman - BTL Executive Committee:
"Our big concern at this time is power, because we have been operating for almost 24 hours now in several sites that do not have power. This morning we had 7 out of 100 sites down. At 2pm this afternoon we have 11 out of 100 sites down. San Pedro is down in terms of voice, because we have microwave links, those are dishes on the towers that point there that have been misaligned in the storm. We expect by 6pm this evening to have those dishes realign. The riggers are on the towers right now doing that as we speak. For us as I said the biggest concern is power because a lot of the sites are running on generators or batteries and we expect that if power is not restored to many of those sites in the next 3 hours, that we will lose those sites. Particularly the ones on batteries. The main sites will stay up, because they are on generators and we are working around the clock to ensure that they do stay up. That is the current situation and we are working with BEL to ensure that the main nodes stay up and that they factor that into their prioritization schedule and so it's a wait and see game at this point."
Police will Keep City Safe Through Extended Power Outage
So, tonight power has been restored to downtown Belize City, but the rest of the city - with the exception of the KHMH area is heading into the second night of a super extended power outage. That puts more strain on the cops who still haven't quote recovered from last night. Today Southside Commander Chester Williams told us how his officer hope to avoid any opportunistic crimes:...
ACP Chester Williams, OC, Eastern Division South
"From the police standpoint operationally concern the fact that the restoration of power will not be in place until tomorrow and again I believe that it will affect mostly Southside Belize City. I just want to assure the residents of Belize City, Southside in particular that despite the fact that there will be no electricity, we'll continue to operate as normal in the sense that the police will be out there in full force to maintain law and order."
PM Praises Police
And today the Prime Minister had big praise for the job police did last night - responding to over one hundred distress calls:...
Earl Also Blew Over Belmopan
And while we showed you the havoc hurricane Earl wreaked on Belize City and Ladyville residents, how was it for people in the West? Well while those mammoth winds and hammering rains surely scared Belmopan residents, there was not as much damage or flooding in the area. As you can see of course, the extent of the damage was in yards, where trees fell, branches were flung about. In the San Martin, Salvapan area, people were out early this morning clearing up and moving the broken limbs from in front of their homes.
The View From Above
And tonight, we were hoping to have for you an extensive overview of the footprint of Hurricane Earl, but we were unable to download the files provided from a NEMO flyover of the storm affected areas. WE promise to have that for you tomorrow, as well as a broader picture of the storm's effect in the Central, North, West and South…
Mason Still In Jail
And in our last item tonight, we received word that accused murderer, and conman William Danny Mason escaped from the Belize Central Prison. It sounded farfetched to us since our information suggests that Mason is on lockdown in the most secure part of the prison facility.
Nevertheless, the reports persisted, and this evening, we spoke with Prison CEO Virgilio Murillo, and we asked him if indeed it was true. He told us that he has been receiving calls to this effect, but nothing could be further from the truth. He said that he saw Mason this evening, who was in his cell.
Murillo told us that he thinks that there is some mischief maker spreading this rumor around to cause a stir.
Channel 5
Additional Shelters Opened in Belize City
In Belize City, residents stocked up on food and other necessities to tidy them over the hurricane. Gas stations, supermarkets and hardware stores were abuzz was activity in preparation for [...]
Krooman Lagoon Residents Voluntarily Evacuate in Preparation for Hurricane Earl
On Tuesday, we showed you the Krooman Lagoon area of Belize City where residents were resisting pleas to move to escape the projected flooding. Last October, the area was most [...]
NEMO’s State of Preparedness
Earlier today, our News Five team spoke to NEMO Coordinator Clare Moody at NEMO’s Headquarters in Belmopan. Although the storm has shifted its trajectory north, NEMO continues in a state [...]
Breaking Belize News
Crops are lost and one shelter remains open following further assessments in Orange Walk
NEMO Orange Walk continues to assess the damages following Hurricane Earl and following its most recent meeting this evening has decided to keep the shelter in Guinea Grass open. The river is rising fast and affects several families living near the river bank. NEMO […]
No major loss reported in Orange Walk following Earl
All shelters in the Orange walk District have been closed as residents return to their normal routines following Hurricane Earl. At least 52 shelters were opened in the district as Earl approached the country and NEMO Orange Walk was fully activated across […]
This is Belize: Seriously, Earl was barely a Class 1 hurricane?
This morning, first light, at The Cloisters, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
There is debris everywhere from docks that were wiped out, up the coast. Ours is gone too.
Looking south, The Palapa Bar is gone too.
Hardly any docks are standing, including the brand new one built just north of us at The Dive Bar. Some of the debris shattered doors on first floor units sending sand and water inside and driving the occupants to the second floor.
I can’t imagine what the toll must be in downtown San Pedro or in the low-lying wooden-structure villages like San Mateo.
I hear Ramon’s and Ecologic lost their docks as well. Someone said there is hardly a dive shop left.
HURRICANE EARL'S DEVASTATION ON SAN PEDRO, AMBERGRIS CAYE - PART 1
Somewhere after midnight last night, Hurricane Earl came ashore on the small nation of Belize. It was a terrible experience for many who thought it would not be as bad as it turned out to be. The photos here were taken by Jorge Aldana on San Pedro, AC, Belize.
HURRICANE EARL'S DEVASTATION ON SAN PEDRO, AMBERGRIS CAYE - PART 2
THESE PICTURES ARE COURTESY OF ALBERTO TUN AND SHOW US THE DESTRUCTION ON SAN PEDRO THROUGH HIS LENS! CATEGORY 1 HURRICANE EARL CAME ON LAND IN SAN PEDRO, AC, BELIZE AFTER MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT AND LEFT IN ITS WAKE MUCH DAMAGE BUT OUR RESILIENT PEOPLE OF BELIZE WILL SEE THIS THROUGH! GOD BLESS ALL BELIZEANS IN THE HURRICANE STRUCK AREAS.
From Ak’Bol to Caribbean Villas, Ambergris Caye coast nearly stripped of piers
Among the casualties are Ak’Bol which the owners will rebuild after the hurricane season ends in November; the Palapa Bar on Boca del Rio; Fido’s dock which was home berth for the YOLO excursion boat; Dos Amigos; both water taxi piers were badly damaged or destroyed; Ramon’s Resort dock; Ecologic Tours; the pier leading out to the Tackle Box restaurant; the water slide El Diablo at Caribbean Villas and so much more. Add the gas station dock to the list.
The Dive Bar lost its almost brand new dock but the restaurant only looks devastated. Tuua says he’ll have the bar and kitchen up and running by tomorrow lunch — two days at the outside.
One dive shop owner says not a single dive shop over the water survived. Many lost tanks. All three shops with air compressors lost their equipment, making future dives difficult for a while.
Everywhere, vast swatches of vegetation were stripped away, too.
My beautiful walk north through the lovingly landscaped properties north of the bridge have almost all been stripped of landscaping, replaced by remnants of docks from up shore, like carelessly scattered piles of kindling.
Hurricane Earl in Belize, What a Nightmare: Pictures from Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker and San Ignacio
Yesterday morning, after a night of light rain in my hammock deep in the Chiquibul Forest National Reserve, the rangers radioed in to HQ for the day and we got a startling message.
It was like being hit in the face with a bucket of cold water. A storm was coming. And that’s all we knew.
We packed up our tents, gear, the entire camp on the hill face sliding down to the Raspaculo River, packed into two boats and made our way to the truck near the Chalillo Dam. Flash flooding in this area is a SERIOUS risk and the rain forest branches/tree crack and fall on normal days.
The weather was grey…but still…we had no signals on our phones, no radio. We had no idea what was coming our way.
Hurricane Earl. Just after mid-day, I was in San Ignacio town in the west of Belize. Finding out that a probable hurricane Cat One storm was headed to Belize and that all flights and boats to the Cayes were cancelled.
He hit before midnight just north of Belize City…thank god he organized late. If a Category One can do this…
What a night for everyone in Belize. Especially Coastal area like the North Cayes and Belize City. San Ignacio is dealing with her own issues. After SERIOUS rainfall, wind and power loss early this morning, this town on the Macal River is watching the river swell…consuming the market area and moving higher…
HURRICANE EARL'S DEVASTATION IN LADYVILLE, BELIZE
HURRICANE EARL'S DEVASTATION IN BELIZE THROUGH THE EYES OF RUBY FULLER
These photos show Ruby Fuller's House and the destruction inside and the surrounding neighbourhood after hurricane Earl hit early this morning ( after Midnight). Hurricane Earl was a Category 1 hurricane when it made land fall. The people of Belize were not really prepared for this hurricane as it had been many years since a hurricane had really made landfall there. There is a lot of homes destroyed and property lost as Belize is not a wealthy nation with some people living in houses that are not strong enough to stand up to a hurricane. Now that the hurricane has passed the work of reconstructing Belize will begin.
After Earl: This was the Palapa Bar
Ben Popik, owner of the popular Truck Stop and Island Films, took a number of drone shots on Thursday of what remains of the once-thriving San Pedro coast line. You can see more of his images here.
This coast was, until, Wednesday night, jammed with piers and boats and businesses. Not a single dock, commercial or private, on the 24-miles island escaped Hurricane Earl unscathed.
International Sources
Southwest adds nonstop flights to Belize
If you are among the 13,000 people who travel from Denver to Belize’s largest city last year — here’s some good news for you!
Denver International Airport said Thursday that Southwest Airlines next year will launch new, nonstop international flights between Denver and Belize City, Belize.
On the down side, the new service will only be one day a week, on Saturdays, and has a limited inaugural run: a total of seven flights between March 11 and April 22, 2017, according to DIA.
If the new flight proves successful, more service might be added, DIA spokesman Heath Montgomery said.
Belize City sits on the eastern coast of Central America and is known around the world for its reef scuba diving, fishing, beaches and eco-tourism.
Farmington church group safe in Belize after Hurricane Earl makes landfall
After spending the last few days preparing and hunkering down, members of the First Assembly of God Church in Farmington tell News 4 that Hurricane Earl made landfall last night and that everyone is safe and sound.
They have shared photos and videos with News 4 throughout the ordeal, with the most recent showing the destruction the hurricane left behind. Scott Kimrey, church member of First Assembly of God Church told News 4, “When we came down here a hurricane was the last thing on our minds.”
Hurricane Earl was upgraded from a tropical storm Wednesday afternoon, just hours before it’s expected to make landfall in Belize.
"There's a lot of unknowns as far as that goes, as far as what's going to happen, you know dealing that amount of rain and possible storm surge," said Pastor Steve Davis of the First Assembly of God Church.
Fourteen members of the church are spending all week in Belize doing construction work at a youth camp. Instead of working outside on Wednesday, they spent the day inside reaching out to family and friends back in Missouri.
Tomb of a Possible Royal Found at Ancient Maya Site of Xunantunich in Belize
Much of the legacy and wealth of the ancient Maya city of Xunantunich in Belize was dispersed by a British medical officer who excavated (some would say looted) it in the 19 th century, but last week archaeologists discovered a large tomb, possibly of a royal person. This is the first tomb discovered at Xunantunich. It contains the skeleton of a person to whom reverence apparently was shown in the tomb’s construction, writes The Reporter newspaper of Belize. In the tomb, archaeologists found ceramics, jade stones and the bones of an animal, which they say may have been a jaguar or deer based on its long femurs.
Experts examined the human skeleton’s femurs and the appearance of the skull and teeth to determine he was a man around age 20 to 30. Local legends say a mysterious woman appeared in the late 1800s to a man of the nearby village of San Jose Succotz and then disappeared into a wall at El Castillo, a towering ancient building. Xunantunich, a modern name, means Stone Woman. She has reportedly appeared to others at El Castillo.
1-228th AVN, SOCSOUTH enhance Belizean CTOC capabilities
oint Task Force-Bravo’s 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment deployed UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters to conduct a variety of training scenarios throughout the Belize District with members of the Belize Special Assignment Group and Belize Coast Guard -- who were supported by members of Special Operations Command South -- July 18 through 21.
The BSAG, BCG, SOCSOUTH and 1-228th AVN personnel executed Fast Rope Insertion and Extraction System (FRIES) training, helocast operations and recovery with the Jacobs Ladder, and open water hoist training in order to increase the capabilities of the Belizean forces to conduct counter-transnational organized crime operations within their land and maritime borders.
Videos
Live after Hurricane Earl on Ambergris Caye, 35min.
Satellite Loop of Hurricane Earl, 1/2min.
Aftermath of Hurricane Earl in Belize City, 3min. Our News5 crew was out early capturing some of the aftermath of Hurricane Earl in Belize City. Power is still down and there's extensive wind damage throughout the city.
A sugar barge which crashed into the baron bliss light house some time during the storm, 1/2min.
Hurricane Earl arrives Belize City, 14min.
Satellite Loop of Hurricane Earl over Belize, 3min. Hurricane Earl moves across the Caribbean and makes landfall in Belize as seen by the NOAA/NASA GOES 13 satellite. The video loop is through 8/4/2016 at 11:30 am CDT. Hurricane Earl made landfall near Belize City packing 80 mph winds with a minimum pressure of 979 mb after previously raking the island of Roatan.
REU in Belize 2016, 6min.
Ambergris Caye, Belize Snorkeling, 6.5min. Thank you to the friends at Searious Adventures for our first experience of snorkeling.
Snorkeling spots were Hol Chan, Shark Ray Alley, and Mexico Rocks.
Belize City Tour and History by travel tour guide. Jim Rogers around the world adventure, 4.5min.
Coming out of Ladyville into Belize City., 1min.
Prime Minister speaks of Hurricane Earl, 2.5min.
Floods in The Belama Area, 4min.
News 5 Live - Hurricane Earl (August 4, 2016), 55min.
Drone footage aftermath: Hurricane Earl batters Belize with 130 km/h winds, 1/2min. Dramatic aerials of the town of San Ignacio in Belize showed high floodwaters after the passage of Hurricane Earl.
Hawkesworth Bridge in San Ignacio/Santa Elena: Hurricane Earl, 1/2min.
Downgraded Earl lashes Belize, 1min. Reuters: Packing winds of up to eighty-miles-per-hour, Tropical Storm Earl hit the coast of Belize on Thursday morning, downing trees and cutting power and while forecasters say it is expected to weaken, heavy rains are likely through Friday. Nathan Frandino reports.
Tropical Storm Earl Batters Buildings In Belize, Heads For Mexico, 3min. View of currents caused by the rains in the Melchor de Mencos municipality in the border with Belize.
HEFY Belize 2016, 4min. I went with a group called HEFY to Belize to do a humanitarian project and see the beautiful country of Belize. It was a fantastic experience and I would recommend it and anyone and everyone.
Flooding In Belize From Tropical Storm Earl, 2min. The towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena in Belize witnessed heavy rains and severe flooding on Thursday, after the passage of Hurricane Earl overnight.
Roaring Creek - Belize River Flood Earl Aftermath, 4min. Flood at Roaring Creek Bridge leading into the Belize River behind the Guanacaste Park.
Hatchet Caye, Belize, 15min.
Pray For Belize | Hurricane Earl 2016, 2min.
Ambergris Today's video from the morning after Hurricane Earl, 55min. Beachfront, Ambergris Caye Belize
August 4, 2016
For the latest on Tropical Storm Earl, click here
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The San Pedro Sun
ADVISORY NO. 9 HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE COAST OF BELIZE
NEMO hereby informs that Hurricane Earl was centered near Latitude 17.1°N, Longitude 86.0°W or about 103 miles east-southeast of Half Moon Caye, 141 miles east-southeast of San Pedro Ambergris Caye, 147 miles east of Dangriga, 150 miles east-southeast of Belize City, 181 miles east-southeast of Corozal Town, and 198 miles east of Punta Gorda Town.
Iconic showcases summer fashion line
Young aspiring fashion designer, Adrian Roca, debuted his ‘Iconic Fashion Show’ on Saturday, July 30th. Held at Caribbean Villas, Roca launched his eternal summer resort and swimwear collection. William Neal hosted the show, while entertainment was provided by DJ Patron and Saxophonist Allan McCoy.
It was all glitz and glamour when the models strutted across the runway stage in their ensembles. From bikinis to club wear, they showed off fine fashion. With a collection of over 20 designs, Roca is confident his style rocks La Isla Bonita.
“I am very overwhelmed and I thank everyone who came out and supported me. I guess when you are passionate about something like I am about fashion design, it becomes a part of yourself. Fashion is how I express myself and it is an extension of who I am,” said Roca.
Zika; the global plague of the decade
Since the first suspected case in Belize in April 2016, San Pedro was the first municipality to produce a municipal action engagement preparedness and response plan. The aim of the plan is to combat Zika and promote vector control interventions that prevents the spread of the virus. San Pedro is currently in the stage of eradicating mosquitos |
