And then there was Tropical Depression 16 – and that was a whole other story! That weather event produced record rain, and created a sweeping torrent of flooding from Western Belize, down to the Central Area, and up to the north as well.  Over 30 villages were declared disaster areas countrywide by the end of it, but at the start there was Cayo.

[October 20th, 2008]

Jules Vasquez Reporting,
This was the Roaring Creek Bridge at 2:00 on Sunday afternoon, a manageable 6 inches above the deck. Emergency responders gathered around the bridge closely monitoring traffic as dozens of onlookers observed more stunned than stranded and this is how it looks from above. 5 hours later at 7 pm the levels had increased by about 6 inches with canoe operators still ferrying people across.

The Iguana Creek Bridge is buried somewhere in there under an estimated 25 feet of water. The immensity of the flood, not seen on this level in this area for maybe more than a decade, drew a steady stream of curious onlookers.

And many more onlookers than that gathered at the entrance to San Jose Succotz village where unprecedented levels of water completely engulfed the western highway in fact you'd find it difficult to say where the road ends and the river begins. The Mopan River had completely over-run its banks and at its crest the flood level exceeded both Hurricanes Mitch and Keith. Those who know the area tell us they've never seen anything like it. From above all that's visible is a swathe of water. Still, canoe operators kept busy in the area, braving massive currents.

The Bullet Tree Bridge was also submerged and the only things visible to say that it was even there are these ornamental lights. And to get an overview of the flood situation and the problems that communities are facing, NEMO Minister Melvin Hulse, Cayo Northeast Area Representative Elvin Penner, and NEMO Coordinator Noreen Fairweather went on a BATSUB helicopter tour to see the storm affected areas. When they returned an hour later, Hulse gave a quick debriefing.

Hon. Melvin Hulse, NEMO Minister
"I need numbers. Shelters are not a problem, it is those who refuse to move. I will document that we have gone every single where and from Belama to Queen's Square to everywhere, Rancho, Isabella, everywhere and 90% of the people refuse to move. They refuse."

In the NEMO headquarters in Cayo that's just what they have been dealing. Most of these people had been working the whole weekend on evacuations, shelter, and supplies.

John August, Mayor
"People have been working for the last two days. We have easily over 60 to 75 people who have been working with the rescue team and the different chairpersons from different committees and their assistants. So we have about 75 people working I would estimate. It can be more but nothing less than that. For about two, three days now they've been working."

After his aerial tour Penner joined the NEMO staff and gave us his assessment.

Hon. Elvin Penner, NEMO Coordinator – Cayo
"We just came from am aerial flight over most of the parts, all the way from Arenal down to More Tomorrow. There are a number of houses under water or in the water at least. One very striking view as Calla Creek where there was not one single house that is not in the water and most of the houses you can just barely see the roof top and others if you have a two floor house they are up to the second floor in water. In Succotz and Benque the road is well under water and far as I am concerned, this has never happened before. The bridge at the border is not under water but it is not safe for people to be crossing, they have a machinery there working and clearing it as we speak so to make sure the logs don't jam up and in turn probably damage the bridge. It is not under water but people are not passing right now."

But what worries is are these vast acreages of corn under production and ready for harvest that are swamped and destroyed.

Hon. Elvin Penner,
"One thing I would like to mention is we would have a severe problem in terms of corn supply this year. We have I would estimate up to 50% of the crops that we grow are under water and they will more than likely not be able to save them."

Al Westby, NEMO
"I am amazed and heartbroken at the same time. Amazed because I have never seen so much water in my life, a vital element for life and yet so much destruction that it can cause. What I see as heartbreaking is that this year we will have severe shortage of corn. As we flew over the hundreds and hundreds of acres of corn which were almost ready for reaping, I can see that all those will be a great loss for our economy."

And while that will be felt in the medium and long term, in the short term the priority for NEMO is securing lives. William Swan is in charge of search and rescue. When we met him on Sunday, he had gone without sleep for two to three days working through the night, sometimes without a boat, to help people in Bullet Tree get to higher ground.

William Swan, Search and Rescue
"First when we tried to do this search and rescue we had people who did not want us to take them out because they take it for granted that the water will not reach a certain height and so I advised them because we get information from the Belize Weather Bureau the situation and the water will rise and thing and so we went in the areas and tried to brief them and move them before the water gets out of control and what happens like for example last night I was trying to move a family and they refused. Early this morning we got a call that the family's blocked in and they need to be rescued and that is the thing we try to avoid."

We accompanied Swan and his team on Sunday's last check into Bullet Tree where they also took supplies to villagers in a shelter. As the daylight faded some of the scenes were almost unthinkable as our boat threaded through what used to be streets, no rivers with swirling currents. Some of the buildings were barely visible. Even as night descended, these people said they would stick it out. This is the Riverside Resort or what used to be the resort, the thatch roof is all that's left. Their vehicles, a van and a pickup, are also completely lost to the floods as coursing currents pull at this lamppost. And in the last light, these men were working in their yard trying to secure the little they could save.

As the blanket of night made the village setting even more sombre and surreal, we headed out trying to avoid rowing the boat over fences not visible but just below the water. To find the path out, we used light posts as our guide. It is a lesson for everyone, especially those downstream.

Sheldon Delfour, NEMO Deputy Coordinator
"The focus is all the communities along waterways or the path of the floodwaters coming down from the time it leaves Roaring Creek into Banana Bank and all those destinations beyond. Between 20 to 24 hours we can see that water going downstream in those areas and it will come down in waves, this is where people have to be smart in the sense that you may get a first wave and you may say well it is nothing much but we cannot anticipate what the second or third wave may be like so people have to be very conscious of the situation and be smart, take the warning and move to higher ground."

Hon. Elvin Penner,
"I would like to one last time urge the residents not only of the San Ignacio and Caye area but all over the country, the very very extreme importance of preparing for these types of situations. What we're noticing now, we've only been like let's say for instance the Bullet Tree area has only been cut off from San Ignacio itself for I would say less than 24 to 36 hours and they are already complaining that they have no supplies in their house. People when you see stormy weather coming, you need to see you get some food items into your house, some drinking water because yes NEMO is well organized, we have a lot of supplies and we can help a lot of people but we can never assist all. We will do our best job and we realize the best is never good enough and that is why the people are responsible, you need to prepare yourself for these types of situations. We do not like to see people suffering out there but as much as we are trying to do, we cannot help everybody at one time."

After the Storm

When those Bullet Tree Villagers started returning to their homes a few days later, only then did the magnitude of their loss become apparent.

[Airdate: October 21st, 2008]

Keith Swift Reporting,
This is the path of destruction left by the ferocious floods in Bullet Tree Falls. House after house – and family after family the scene was the same – homes devastated by floods. There are about 3,000 villagers in Bullet Tree. About 40 of them stayed at the shelter while others stayed at home and crossed their fingers. But most villagers fled to higher ground. This morning those evacuees began returning home.

Rosalba Manzanero returned and found her house still under a feet and a half of water. When the school teacher opened her door, she was speechless: her computer, sofa, and refrigerator were floating inside what was her living room. It now resembles a pool.

Rosalba Manzanero, Flood Victim – Bullet Tree
"We are in mud right now. My house went under water. I lost my computer, all my information from my sixth form information. I lost my sofa, everything gone. My refridge as well, some books…everything."

Keith Swift,
What did you save?

Rosalba Manzanero,
"What I saved, only my stove. That's it."

Keith Swift,
When you saw the water outside what was your reaction?

Rosalba Manzanero,
"I nearly cried, nearly cried to see all this turned over. I feel bad because I lost everything. I lost everything."

Keith Swift,
How will you move on?

Rosalba Manzanero,
"I don't know. I will have to work hard to get all our things back so I feel bad. I feel terrible right now because I don't have anything."

Guillermina Waight also returned home today. Her stove, beds, and other major possessions were inside the community center – but her home was still under water. This morning she and her children and grandchildren were cleaning up, washing, and paging through water soaked memories. The pain of what she lost brought the 64 year old to tears.

Gullermina Waight, Flood Victim
"I told my husband maybe the river is not going too high this time. So he said maybe we should just leave the balance of the things in here. The things that we could take out we took it to the center but the rest of the things stayed here so you could see."

Urel Waight, Flood Victim
"Well the river took the majority of things because fowl and a lot of the things it took I couldn't take out because it is something that came in sudden. What I could take out are this."

Gullermina Waight,
"I feel sad because you know how hard my children work for this, for me to have this here at home. Yes because everything that I have here, my children, I send them to college and they worked and tried the best for me to have my little things here in the house. So I feel sad."

Other villagers also had reasons to be sad.

Richard Shaw, Flood Victim
"I've got water, probably 6 feet into my house and looks like it is time for the cleanup crew. We've gotten through the worse of it I am sure and now the best thing we could do is hope the storm is definitely past and what can I say…"

Keith Swift,
Was a lot of your stuff damaged?

Richard Shaw,
"Mostly wet damage. Water damage was not so bad."

Rudico Manzanero, Flood Victim
"We only could take out a bed in here because the flooding didn't give us chance. I had a television, a stereo, and a radio. We couldn't take them out because it didn't give us time."

Keith Swift,
What is the feeling like after losing things you've worked your whole life for?

Rudico Manzanero,
"Well we can't do better."

Santiago Vasquez who manages the shelter says the Manzaneros and Waights aren't alone – 25 homes were lost to the flood.

Santiago Vasquez, Shelter Manager
"Some of those who had never reached their homes is because their homes are underwater. We have roughly about 94 people who have lost their homes and it is very regretful to say that at the moment well some of them cannot enter their homes and they are willing to do their evaluations and without assistance from the government and thing they will be very sad."

Sad because no one saw it coming – at least not this fast and this furious.

Rosalba Manzanero,
"I didn't expect this. When it is a hurricane I know I have to pack up everything but this only said flood so I have not seen flood like this."

Keith Swift,
How long have you lived in Bullet Tree?

Rosalba Manzanero,
"It is 33 years."

Keith Swift,
Have you ever experienced flooding like this?

Rosalba Manzanero,
"No I have never experienced a flood like this, never."

Gullermina Waight,
"I was born here in Bullet Tree. I have 64 years."

Keith Swift,
Have you ever experienced flooding like this?

Gullermina Waight,
"Yes when Hattie. Three days it took for the river to come down but now, I didn't believe because it was not a hurricane, it was just the flooding but I couldn't believe it was going to raise so high."

Villagers now have the task of picking up, washing, putting back together the precious few possessions they have left.

And while that is the situation in Bullet Tree, the scene was much the same in Calla Creek village where the flood waters are also slowly receding.