Saturday, September 25, 2010

Effects of Tropical Storm Matthew felt in San Pedro!!!!!!!!

The center of Tropical Storm Matthew made landfall this afternoon at about 1:00pm approximately 60 miles south of the Belize City at a reduced to intensity, with winds measuring at 35mph sustained winds with higher gusts, and with a central pressure of 1003 milli-bars.

There are some reports of flooding across the country, with damages centrally concentrated in the south of the country. As of present no fatalities have been officially reported. Reports of two vessels leaving early this morning, en route to Belize City were confirmed. Around 10:30am, the vessels arrived safely in Belize City.

In San Pedro, there were flooding in most of the low lying areas, including Boca Del Rio, San Marcus and immediately across the bridge leading northward. Wave height beyond the reef was estimated to be around 12 to 15 feet and hitting the shores of the island at about 4 feet.

According to Mr. Winston Panton of San Pedro’s National Emergency Management Organization, (NEMO), residents of San Pedro should expect to experience continuous rainfall for the next 12 to six hours. No major concerns, however, three classrooms at the San Pedro High School have been opened to accommodate individuals whose homes have been inundated, and that are in need to clean dry area.

While some residents go in search of safety, other residents saw this as the perfect opportunity to "Ride the Waves"



Just across the Bridge, the streets were covered with about 6 to 12 inches of water in some areas, and deeper in others.

Holy Cross School and what used to be the Road leading to San Mateo



The Cut at Boca Del Rio became what seemed like a River with strong currents.


The road along the beach leading to Boca Del Rio.

Residents come out to see the damage caused by Tropical Storm Matthew.








BEL Provides Report on Power System Performance

Released: September 25, 2010

BEL Provides Report on Power System Performance

Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) advises that in the event there is loss of power supply due to damages caused by Tropical Storm Matthew, the Company will dispatch work crews to the field as soon as it is safe to do so. If weather conditions are such that it would make it unsafe for work crews, works will be delayed until conditions improve.

Customers are asked to call BEL at 0-800-235-2273 or 0-800-BEL-CARE to report any damages to power lines.

The Company also takes this opportunity to report on a few power outages experienced in the Belize District between last night and this morning.

At approximately 7:30 p.m. yesterday, the Company received a report of loss of power supply to sections of the West Landivar Area in Belize City. Work crews were dispatched to the field and once the power line fault was located the Company had to commission a power outage for the entire West Landivar Area at 12:36 a.m. in order to carry out repairs. Poor visibility and difficulty in accessing the location of the fault, slowed restoration works, however power was fully restored to West Landivar at 1:08 a.m.

In North San Pedro, there were intermittent power outages between 9:30 p.m. yesterday and 11:40 p.m. at which time the power supply was stabilized.

At 7:30 a.m. today, power supply was lost to the Lake Gardens area in Ladyville, as a result of a blown fuse on the distribution system in the area. Power was restored at 9:43 a.m.

At approximately 9:00 a.m., power supply was lost to portions of Belize City as a result of a power line fault on the distribution system. Power supply was restored within 30 minutes to the affected areas on the North Side. Power supply will be restored to the affected areas on the South Side, by 12:00 noon, except for Magazine Road up to the bridge on Fairweather Street, Cemetery Road from Pound Yard to Partridge Street and Raccoon Street, Seagull Street and the immediate surrounding areas. Power supply to these areas will be restored by 2:30 p.m. today.

BEL apologizes for any inconvenience caused. For more information, contact BEL at 0-800-235-2273.

-END-

Tropical Storm Matthew

Although San Pedro was spared a direct hit from Tropical Storm Matthew, which headed to southern Belize instead, the island is still seeing high seas and lots of rain. The storm is on a steady course and weather should improve later in the day.

Photos courtesy of our Facebook friends: The Tacklebox Bar & Grill, Matt King, Conch Creative, Linda Carter and Joanne Zore Buettner.