7 News Belize

Northern Belize District Inundated: Losses to Farmers
posted (June 4, 2012)
And one story that has been bubbling under the surface is the flooding in the Belize District. After 10 days of heavy rain, you might have expected as much.

A tour of the northern Belize district along the old Northern road today showed 40 to fifty farmers losing 90 day crops such as watermelon and sweet pepper.

Some folks have water in their houses and the Old Northern is impassable at night - with the bridge in Lucky Strike and the one by Corozalito both underwater.

There's also water on the crooked tree causeway.

Area Representative Edmund Castro told us more today:..

Hon. Edmund Castro
"Residents along the old Northern Highway have not experience this amount of water since Hurricane Keith I think it was back in the late 90s to early 2000. It's a disaster in this part of the constituency. I will continue on the rest of the tour in the other parts of the constituency."

"I have received calls that the Crooked Tress causeway - parts of it is already under water. A portion of the road leading to Lemonal was washed away over the night and so we will bring equipment from the Ministry of Works so that we can deal with some of the situation."

"The bridge by King's College - I think this is not recommendable for traveling at night especially since the distance that we have to cross to get to the bridge and the bridge is along a curve - it is quite dangerous."

Resident of River Valley
"I can't even get out of my house."

Reporter
"So what will you do now?"

Resident of River Valley
"I have to try to find somewhere else to go."

Reporter
"How does this inconvenience you?"

Resident of River Valley
"I can't send my children to school. I can't go to the shop and I can't do anything."

Victor Padilla, Farmer in the River Valley
"The weather affects us a lot because this is our livelihood. We live from farming and actually our farm was destroyed totally. As you notice the watermelon, tomatoes and sweet pepper, even the greenhouse - water went inside the house and destroyed everything."

Reporter
"For the record, explain what the extent of your loss is?"

Victor Padilla, Farmer in the River Valley
"Around $15,000.00 in tomato and sweet pepper and whatever else you see at the farm. If I get like $3,000 back, that would be a lot."

Castro says if the rain continues, the region may have to be declared a disaster area.


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