What did you do when the quake struck at 2:30 this morning? That’s been
the most asked question in Belize for the last 16 hours. It was really at 2:24
this morning, when a powerful earthquake of 7.1 magnitude struck off the coast
of Belize and Honduras – the epicenter was about 140 miles from Belize
City and 80 miles northeast of La Ceiba, Honduras. The epicenter was closest
to La Ceiba, but almost directly in line with Monkey River Village.
After the earthquake, a tsunami alert was put out for Belize, Honduras and
Costa Rica. Most of you didn’t know about it, except in Belize City where
the City’s Emergency Management Organization went out with a siren wailing
and a bullhorn blaring, warning, and indeed, terrorizing bewildered residents
– who in many neighbourhoods, just started coming out of their homes,
not sure of what to do/. But very fortunately, there was no tsunami –
just the most powerful earthquake in collective recall.
The quake’s most damaging effects were concentrated between Placencia
and Monkey River, and was felt strongly throughout Belize, from north to south,
but most powerfully between the southern border and Central Belize. But Honduras
was the hardest hit, International news reports say that 6 are confirmed dead
and 40 were injured in that country. A major bridge also collapsed.
Belize was much more fortunate; there is one possible related death of an elderly
woman in Dangriga. She is reported as an 85 year old, and is believed to have
died of medical complications produced by the sudden fright when the quake struck.
That has been reported to us by sound sources, but at this time, it is not confirmed.
But that is the only fatality and NEMO has not reported any serious injuries.
So that’s the good news.