Schools across the country were closed today - as thousands of teachers converged on Belmopan to send a message of dissatisfaction to the Barrow Administration. We'll have that's tory for your shortly, but, first, we turn back to Friday's headline story. It was about the house that fell on Dolphin Street in Belize City at 4:00 on Friday evening. That house was the headquarters for the Soca Moca Mas Camp and as many as twenty persons were underneath working when it collapsed. Six of them had to be hospitalized with mostly minor injuries. Only Deborah Humes was seriously injured. The 39 year old mother of three ran in the wrong direction, and her midsection took the full weight of one corner of the falling house. She died at 9:30 Friday night - 12 hours before her beloved Soca Moca Band was to take to the streets - but after losing a long time member so tragically the band just didn't have the "ganas" to go out on the road the next day. But then, a quite remarkable thing happened, the Carnival community bonded together and turned all that sadness into positive energy - because the lifetime reveler Debbie Humes would have wanted them to carry on, regardless. They did so in her name - making for an unusual Carnival day:
Jules Vasquez reporting
With heavy hearts under a foreboding sky, two of Deborah Humes's daughters - who are also in the Carnival - gathered with band leaders on Caesar Ridge Road for a moment of silence to honor their mother
Patrick Thompson, Belize Carniv. Assoc.
"So at this time I would like for us to all bow our heads and silently say a prayer to the family. Let's bow our heads please."
Sandra Mahler, Pres. Bz. Carnival Band Assoc.
"We want to dedicate 2016 carnival road march in memory of Debby and also in solidarity with Soca Moca. All the bands today will be coming down the road in solidarity with them."
An unprecedented and unusually somber note to start a Carnival like no other:
Daughter
"We revel in the name of Debby Humes, Carnival 2016."
And the Carnival that started out with tears turned into revelry on the road, which her family and friends say is just what Debbie would have wanted because Carnival was her joy:
Gloria Meighan, Debbie's Mother
"When Friday came, she was happy for the carnival, dancing inside and couldn't wait for the carnival to come. She was happy."
Audrey Bradley, Bandleader - Soca Moca
"I thank Debby most of all for wining, it's because of her we win. She gave us the strength to go back out there, because I personally gave up and didn't want to go back out. Her family would get upset and say 'if you don't go we'll get mad, so please go, everyone find the strength'."
Jules Vasquez, 7News
"Did you still go out there on carnival day?"
Kimberly Lockwood, Debbie's Sister
"Yes because she'd be out there partying so we had to go. It was kind of hard but we still had to go because she loved carnival and that's why she was under the house that day."
And while Soca Moca won as the best senior band - Today at their camp they were still nursing injuries, and picking up pieces and marveling at the fallen house wondering how more people weren't hurt. This iron frame saved many lives when it stopped the building from crashing all the way to the ground.
These insufficiently strapped wooden stilts giving some suggestion as to why the top heavy house toppled. This one actually split open.
Homeowner Marsha Smith who is recovering from a bruised back and a broken nose was bottling mud for the jourver't under the house when it gave way:
Marsha Smith, Owner of Fallen House
"I heard something and I looked up and said 'the house looks like it's going to fall, everybody out', but who could have gotten out did and thank god. I started to shout out because I know everyone was here. Because of how fast everything happened, I wasn't even conscious Debby was in the corner doing her bra for next day carnival morning."
Her sister and fellow band member was under the house with Debbie:
Kimberly Lockwood, Debbie's Sister
"I heard her cry out for help but I had to hurry come out because I didn't want to stay under there."
Jules Vasquez, 7News
"How did you get her out?"
Kimberly Lockwood, Debbie's Sister
"Some guys from all over the place, got hot saw and crowbar to try and take out the walls that were on her."
But the impact was too great for her slender body, she received massive internal injury:
Gloria Meighan, Debbie's Mother
"Truly, they fought with her. In here, everything got wrecked. When I went to see her in the ICU I came out crying and said 'my daughter will not make it'. She went 2 times on the operating table and they tried to bring her back, they did but they said 'Miss Meighan, we tried our best and they did try their best but she was too broken up."
Now there is only awful sorrow for this mother, but there was also the catharsis of the carnival:
Jules Vasquez, 7News
"Was it emotional out there on the road?"
Audrey Bradley, Bandleader - Soca Moca
"Very emotional, the girls cried all the way. I left my phone at home but when I got back the night, a million text saying 'I saw the tears in your revelers eyes'. I had friends hugging me and crying on the side saying 'oh my god you give us Goosebumps, we love you Soca Moca'. Along the whole way people were cheering us on."
Kimberly Lockwood, Debbie's Sister
"Well that's why we went out there to hold the win for her."
Audrey Bradley, Bandleader - Soca Moca
"The revelers they really understood, they didn't worry about anything. They said 'whatever it is Miss Audrey, just give us we're going out there for Debbie, this is not for Carnival anymore, and this is for Deborah'. Deborah just gave us the strength to go back out there because like I said, I personally gave up. She gave us the strength to go out there. I guess if we didn't do it, she was going to be upset with us, because all the thunder, lighting and rain that day was saying 'come on you guys better do this and bring it home for me'."
Her Mayflower neighborhood spray painted an RIP for the woman known as D-Cat, and to have the entire Carnival in her memory is a fitting epitaph for the lifetime reveler.
The funeral for Debbie Humes will be held on Saturday.
NEMO has told the family it will fix the house this week.
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