Continuing now with our coverage of Tropical Storm Franklin - the storm's center is about 120 miles east of Chetumal right now - our estimates put it closer to Mahahual which is 85 miles north of Chetumal.
But, the bottom line is, the storm is looking to make landfall more north - meaning that most likely only Corozal and Ambergris Caye will feel the effects of it.
Still, Belize City is within the Tropical Storm watch area - and as the biggest population center, the City Council has to get residents on the alert. CEMO Coordinator Phillip Willoughby told us what they are doing to make sure the emergency response mechanism is ready for anything:...
Phillip Willoughby, City Councillor
"Remain calm, don't get excited, just breathe and relax, listen to the local media, listen to the advises coming out from NEMO. 2, the deputy mayor Dean Samuels and I will be out checking culverts to ensure that the water can run off as swiftly and as quickly as possible, that's one. Councilor Latchman Cuellar along with her manager will be out to ensure that we communicate in English, Spanish and probably mandarin to the various communities to ensure that they pay attention and focus on the weather that is coming. What is most important, whilst those are critical, the opening of shelters. We have our security forces in place, our medical committees in place. Relief and supply committees in place and if the needs be we open the shelter, but that will be a collaboration and discussion we have with NEMO or based on the advice coming from the MET office to prompt us to step forward or we wait or we proceed and advise NEMO that we will be opening shelters at that. And I hope that at the conclusion of this system or this event as it passes to ensure that there's no loss of life. That is our primary focus, houses will come and go, material things will come and go, but we need to ensure that residence preserve their life and protect their property."
We'll have more on the Tropical Storm Franklin in the next segment.
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