Relief Comes to Hurricane-Battered Belize

Written by Stephanie Kriner, Staff Writer, RedCross.org

October 10, 2001 — Estimates for the death toll from Hurricane Iris — the year's most violent Atlantic storm — have risen to at least 25. The Category 4 hurricane roared onto the southern Belize coast the morning of October 8 with wind speeds up to 140 mph and waves kicking up to 18 feet above normal.

Thousands were left homeless by Iris, a Category 4 hurricane that slammed into Belize on October 8.

At least 17 American scuba divers lost their lives after the tourist boat M.V. Wave Dancer capsized during the storm. Most of the Americans on board were part of a Richmond, Va., scuba diving club. They were staying on the boat because all hotels in nearby Belize City had been evacuated. The Greater Richmond Chapter of the American Red Cross is providing mental health services for the families of those lost on the dive boat.

The hurricane tore through 80 villages, destroying banana plantations, ripping off roofs, smashing homes and leaving at least 13,000 people homeless, according to the Associated Press. In Guatemala, the storm damaged at least 530 homes.

Iris lost strength Tuesday after making landfall in Belize, with winds dropping from 140 mph to 80 mph. The compact storm weakened rapidly, turning into a tropical storm later Tuesday and becoming no more than a low-pressure weather system after blowing into the Guatemala Mountains.

While some areas remain cut off from communication, Red Cross relief workers and government officials have begun assessing the damages. Some of the reports have been devastating. Early reports from Placencia, a tourist resort and fishing village, indicate that 80 percent of the houses were lost. Seine Bright lost 90 percent of its buildings. In the village of San Marcos, only three homes out of 100 remain standing. Many other villages have lost all or almost all of their homes and buildings.

Grocery storeowner Elizabeth Zabaneh in Independence told the Associated Press that the hurricane had leveled a football stadium and collapsed the only hotel in town. "There's so much damage here I can't begin to explain it," she said.

At least 17 American scuba divers from a Richmond, Va., dive club lost their lives after the tourist boat M.V. Wave Dancer capsized during the storm.

"There are telephone polls in the streets. Bananas that were in containers on the docks are everywhere, all crushed. Seventy percent of the buildings don't have roofs. There are collapsed buildings and flattened cars."

The Belize Red Cross has launched a national appeal for cash, clothing and food to assist the homeless. The national society is handing out plastic raincoats, blankets and kitchen kits. The American Red Cross has sent an International Response Team to assist the local society and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in setting up a relief operation.