Earl approaching Belize, 100s evacuated

Hundreds of people have been evacuated in Belize as the tropical storm Earl, now upgraded to a hurricane, is heading for landfall in the Caribbean country.

Some 400 people were evacuated from the country’s islands of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker in the Caribbean Sea on Wednesday and more than 1,000 people were also housed in government-built shelters in the port of Belize City.

The government, through radio and television, has urged the residents of Belize City, the largest city in country, and other coastal communities to leave low-lying areas and move to higher ground.

It also ordered the closure of the international airport in Belize City as well as archaeological reserves and national parks. No cruise ship will also sail this week.

“People must take necessary precautions. Shelters are opening, search and rescue personnel [are] on standby, and we have deployed most of the public officers in the hotspots, particularly Belize City,” said Maj. Shelton DeFour, the national coordinator of Belize’s National Emergency Management Organization in the capital, Belmopan.

DeFour also warned that heavy rain could cause flash floods and mudslides, and create a storm surge along the country’s eastern coast.

According to a report issued by the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Wednesday night, tropical cyclone Earl was blowing top sustained winds of 121 kilometers (75 miles) per hour as it reached about 64 kilometers (40 miles) east of Belize City.

It is, however, expected that the Category-1 storm will significantly lose its might as it passes over Belize and in its westward journey through a northern rural part of Guatemala and from there into southeastern Mexico.

Some 150 people have also been evacuated in Honduras and there are reports of large numbers of trees and utility poles being knocked down there. The Honduran government has closed schools, universities and two commercial airports across its Atlantic provinces. It has also declared a two-day red alert for the Bay Islands, a popular tourist destination.

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