Belize Hurricane Update
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea.
Before the Storm
We literally only had a few days warning before hurricane Lisa would show her face to the country of Belize. Sunday October 30th was when the news broke that there was a disturbance in the Caribbean that could potentially be a tropical storm or even a hurricane before making landfall in Belize. And of course, people started freaking out, acting as is we are without hope. Monday evening the government announce that all schools will be closed until further notice. The first phase of hurricane preparedness plan was in full effect, Tuesday got crazy as people were boarding up windows and buying all the can food supplies that they could afford and finding higher ground or suitable hurricane shelters. By Tuesday night many supermarkets were out of supplies and gas stations out of gas. It was very real and staring us right in the face. We had the church van filled up and on standby to move congregants to a safer place if they needed to be evacuated. Wednesday afternoon at about 12:30 pm the wind and rain started.
After Hurricane Lisa
Hurricane Lisa, a category one 85mph beast was originally projected to hit in the southern part of the country just south of Gales Point. But as it drew closer to the country it shifted more north and the center of the storm made landfall just a few miles south of Belize City. She was a wild one no doubt, leaving destruction as far as 40 miles north and south of its center. The hurricane beat down on Belize for as long as 8 hours before the wind quieted. In the midst of it the air was filled with both prayers and fear while roofs kept flying around and trees falling over and slamming against homes.
Assessing Damages
After it was over, we knew that people needed to be checked on. Most of the people fared off well. Praise God for the fact that that there was no loss of life or no injury to persons. The homes on the other hand did not do well against hurricane Lisa. Many were left without a roof and flooded. On the south side of the city there was a thick nasty muck that came with the flooding that ruined many appliances and furniture for most people. From our church community, one family had lost their house completely, a few other families that was affected by the flooding and the muck, four families who received roof damages, and two families who received structural damages due to trees falling against the house. On the church compound the Sunday school building was severely affected by the flood ware and the thick muck. This will have to be replaced as soon as we can. The fence around the church received some structural damages as well.
Down in Gales Point the storm wasn’t as harsh as it was for the city, however, we lost some fruit trees and other plants, five families lost their roof, one unfinished home was smashed to the ground, and the aquaponics farm, which helps to feed the people of the village, lost the roof for the aquaculture area and received damages to the greenhouse as well.
The power went out at around 3:30 on Wednesday, November 2nd during the storm, and is still out at this time for many people. Most of the city is still without power right now and there is no indication as to when it will be turned on. Many of the power lines are down and those that are up has roofing wrapped around them. Fortunately for Gales Point we received power after 30 hours.
As a church we desire to supply our people with needed food and water as they continue to recover from this hurricane. We want to reach 100 families with food hampers valuing $50 each for a total of $5,000. We also would like assistance with the rebuilding of the roofs of home that was lost. We covet your continues prayers and generous support to make this happen. We thank you in advance.
Pastor Kenneth Welch, Belize
To help support these efforts, you can give through the LifePointAZ app, under The Big Give.