While the MET office and the NEMO Minister had the official take on the earthquake and tsunami threat, what was it like for you?  

This morning we took the streets and found out that some people took the threat very seriously while others just relied upon the man upstairs for protection.

Interviewee #1
"Mommy I feel the earthquake."

Sahar Vasquez
"Where were you?"

Interviewee #1
"At home."

Sahar Vasquez
"Did you see anything moving, what did you do?"

Interviewee #1
"I saw I was shaking..."

Sahar Vasquez
"Did you hear about the Tsunami, you moved for that or you stayed at home?"

Interviewee #1
"Actually I stayed there because even if it comes you could never what could happen if you go shelter somewhere directly I go there and things might be more dangerous right there so I just wait."

Sahar Vasquez
"Where were you?"

Interviewee #2
"I was right home. When I felt the earthquake I felt so bad I don't know what to do. The pinki come and tell me ma earthquake I said Jesus Christ we must will dead now."

Sahar Vasquez
"After that they said Tsunami is coming, what did you do, did you stay home, did you evacuate?"

Interviewee #2
"I stayed home, I never did gone nowhere because I'm afraid of thieves because directly you go somewhere when you see everything is gone from your house so me and my children stay outside for a little while then they said it gone, all kind thing they say but anyways."

Interviewee #3
"I was watching TV and I see the Christmas tree because it is still up start to shake and then I gone on the verandah and I look at the lamp post and I see it the shake so I know it was an earthquake and then I gone back to sit down and afterwards my husband called me because he was at work and he told me that they are giving Tsunami warning watch and I put on Love FM and then I start to follow it and I get up and I start to think my plan like get little documents and whatever money I have and a piece of clothes and my grand baby, worrying about my grand baby in Ladyville. We went for her and her grandmother and we were going to Belmopan through the Boom cutoff. We were by the prison area and then they said the warning lift and so we turned back."

Sahar Vasquez
"Where were you, were you at home?"

Interviewee #4
"Yeah around my table the eat, had supper."

Sahar Vasquez
"Then what things started to shake?"

Interviewee #4
"Yes I notice the decoration on the Christmas tree shaking so I tell my ma look here what is happening here, she said an earthquake. Little while after that we hear a Tsunami warning."

Sahar Vasquez
"What did you do for the Tsunami warning?"

Interviewee #4
"Stayed home, I had no intentions of going anywhere. Belize is blessed."

Interviewee #5
"I hardly felt it."

Sahar Vasquez
"You knew about the Tsunami warning right? What did you do stay home?"

Interviewee #5
"I'm filled with the spirit, I'm a god person. If you filled with god you no make anything bother you."

Interviewee #6
"I travel with bad heart and my heart gone from this side to this one right (laugh)."

Sahar Vasquez
"What you did for the Tsunami though?"

Interviewee #6
"I get down on my house on my knees and pray for the sins that I do."

Sahar Vasquez
"Were you sleeping?"

Interviewee #7
"I was at Long Caye close to Half Moon Caye."

Sahar Vasquez
"But then the Tsunami warning came in so is that concerning to you being on a caye?"

Interviewee #7
"A little so we got on our phone and we checked on the news and stuff."

Sahar Vasquez
"Okay and did you have anywhere to shelter?"

Interviewee #7
"Yeah we had some buildings so we monitored the tide."

Sahar Vasquez
"How was the tide?"

Interviewee #7
"It just went down a few inches."

Interviewee #8
"Not a hell god damn earthquake come to Belize, I no feel nothing."

Sahar Vasquez
"You never feel it?"

Interviewee #8
"No."

Sahar Vasquez
"You were in the city?"

Interviewee #8
"You feel it?"

Sahar Vasquez
"I felt it."

Interviewee #8
"I no feel nothing I was right home, I no feel god not even a hand shake me, nothing move."

Sahar Vasquez
"Okay then you heard about the Tsunami warning you stayed home?"

Interviewee #8
"I done know that is lone fallacy that people like talk about because nothing that is in the media in Belize say is true, so I don't believe in those, its lone false alarm."

Interviewee #9
"I was at home sitting on my chair. I just saw the chair shaking and I asked my lady if she heard what was taking place, she told me she didn't hear anything but at the same time I told her it was a tremor."

Sahar Vasquez
"And then the Tsunami warning, you guys evacuate or you stayed?"

Interviewee #9
"We had to evacuate because we were in a low building."

Interviewee #10
"I was at home."

Sahar Vasquez
"Did you see things start to shake?"

Interviewee #10
"Curtains, things, my house, lamp post, wires."

Sahar Vasquez
"And then the Tsunami warning came did you evacuate or you stayed home?"

Interviewee #10
"I left, I wasn't going to wait for nothing, take no chances on that, I left."

Interviewee #11
"I stayed home."

Sahar Vasquez
"You have a two story or a one story?"

Interviewee #11
"One."

Sahar Vasquez
"One and you stayed home?"

Interviewee #11
"Yes I stayed right home."

Sahar Vasquez
"So the earthquake you saw things shaking?"

Interviewee #11
"Yes shaking."

Sahar Vasquez
"Okay excellent thank you miss."

Interviewee #12
"I stayed at my house."

Sahar Vasquez
"You never moved?"

Interviewee #12
"No, my mom lives in a high house so I stayed right there."

Sahar Vasquez
"And then the Tsunami warning was out, what did you do, did you move or you stayed home?"

Interviewee #13
"We stayed home but we just got everything packed in case anything and we never really feel no way but people were, everybody was moving out."