Belize City’s Hurricane Lisa cleanup campaign continues

Black Immigrant Daily News

Tons of debris have been removed from the city in the days following the passing of Hurricane Lisa, but there’s still more work to be done, says Mayor Bernard Wagner.

by Khaila Gentle

BELIZE CITY, Mon. Nov. 7, 2022

The Belize City Council’s massive cleanup campaign is still underway, and according to Mayor Bernard Wagner, the Council, while far from finished, has made plenty of progress.

In an interview with KREM News’ Marisol Amaya today, Mayor Wagner spoke on the devastation that struck the city last Wednesday with the passage of Hurricane Lisa. He noted that the assessments done by the Council show that many residents will be facing an uphill battle when it comes to recovering from the effects of the storm.

From the very moment that the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) first gave the all-clear on Thursday, the Mayor and his team at the City Council have been on the ground doing what they can to provide relief to residents.

“From this hurricane, it has been constant for us here at City Hall. Just last night, the emergency operations center was able to close down its operations, given the fact that all those that were in the shelters have now left. Those residents who lost their homes, through the Human Development Office, have been relocated via rent—they’ve been able to pay rent for them for, I believe, three months until they can get their homes back in order,” Mayor Wagner said.

The cleanup campaign was launched on Friday and was bolstered by the service of close to 300 Belize Defence Force soldiers, along with the support of an extensive list of public and private sector partners. Those included the Orange Walk Town Council, the San Pedro Town Council, the National Fire Service, the Department of the Environment, the San Ignacio/Santa Elena Town Council, Teichroeb & Sons Ltd, GEL Quarry Co. Ltd, the Belize Coast Guard, Belize Roadway Construction Ltd., and Belize Water Services, to name just a few.

The campaign has been a display of solidarity that supersedes politics and partisanship, as pointed out by Mayor Wagner when asked about the show of support from UDP politicians such as Mayor Earl Trapp, the mayor of the Cayo District’s twin towns.

“We all serve the people. The people don’t want to hear about this red or this blue during disaster. The people want to hear what you will do for them … and Mayor Trapp answered the [call],” he said.

As of Sunday, the Belize City Council and its partners had cleared debris and mud from more than thirty streets. But according to Mayor Wagner, the Council will also soon be focusing on providing much-needed humanitarian aid to those residents severely affected or displaced by Lisa. The Council, said the Mayor, is committed to leaving no one behind.

In addition to those helping directly with the cleanup, the City Council has received plenty of support in the form of donations. Today, the Placencia Village Council provided Belize City with a truckload of supplies donated by villagers. Those donations included everything from bales of toilet paper to clothing and bedding. The Placencia Village Council is expected to be donating even more supplies for hurricane relief following their second donation drive being held Monday afternoon. Likewise, the Dangriga Town Council, in addition to being on the ground for the cleanup campaign, has provided the City Council with a large donation of clothing.

To add to this, Prime Minister John Briceño last week, during an emergency Cabinet meeting, committed to providing the city with food pantries, in addition to allowing local area representatives access to funds needed to bring relief to their constituencies. The Prime Minister, on Friday, joined the City Council for day two of its cleanup campaign.

“People have genuine needs. People are facing hard economic times, and it has become even harder with Lisa, and so we as leaders have to be there. I told the Prime Minister it’s very critical that we be at our best—that we move fast. We were able to do that. Within four days after Lisa passed, the mobilization of all this heavy-duty equipment and manpower to be able to take out over ten thousand tons of debris out of the city—that’s remarkable,” said the Mayor.

But while tons of debris have been removed from the city, Mayor Wagner says that there is still much more work to be done. He noted that while many of the city’s main streets have been cleared, numerous side streets have yet to be tackled. The City Council has asked residents to exercise patience and to rest assured that their areas will be cleaned.

Elsewhere, many establishments damaged during the storm have begun their own cleanup and recovery efforts. That includes Sister Cecilia’s Home for the Elderly, whose roof is being rebuilt with the help of numerous volunteers, including Carpenter Woodworks in the Orange Walk District. Meanwhile, at Saint Catherine Academy, students and staff began their day with prayer before moving the accumulated dirt and mud from parts of the campus.

The Belize Zoo, which suffered extensive damage, will be closed for quite some time while they recover. Nevertheless, the zoo continues to provide care for all the animals that are housed there and is asking for monetary donations to aid their recovery and repair efforts.

The losses resulting from Hurricane Lisa have been tremendous. And according to Mayor Wagner, many City Council employees suffered significant losses and damages as well.

“The City will be here to help our staff to get their homes back in order and to provide relief, provide pantry wherever possible for our staff to get back on their feet,” he said.

NewsAmericasNow.com