San Pedro Daily
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Ambergris Caye, Belize Saturday July 14, 2007 Belize's only Daily- Seven Days a Week |
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NEMO Director says
‘plan now for hurricanes’  Stark words were
delivered
from the District Coordinator for the
National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) last week during the
Chamber of Commerce meeting regarding hurricane preparedness. Jim
Janmohamed said if you can’t afford to get yourself off the island and
a safe shelter in case of a hurricane, you should not be living on the
island. “We will not provide emergency shelter or provide free
evacuation, therefore people should not plan on it,” he stressed.
Janmohamed, the NEMO District Coordinator for Ambergris Caye and Caye
Caulker was the guest speaker during the Ambergris Caye Chamber of
Commerce monthly meeting last Thursday. He shared with the group the
current hurricane plan. Hurricane season officially started June 1 and
ends November 30, with the peak months being September and October.
Because the cayes are so vulnerable to a major storm, worldwide organizations refuse to support the construction of a hurricane shelter. The presence of a shelter on this island would give a false impression of a safe haven, and possibly encourage people not to evacuate. “They do not want to give a false sense of security,” said Janmohamed. “The best protection is to get off the island when you can,” he stressed. “Of course, we will assist those who do not make it off the island or choose to stay for whatever reason. What we are saying is that people should not count on this type of support and instead should make a plan in case an evacuation must occur.” In the past, the Roman Catholic Primary School on both Cayes and the Community Center on Caye Caulker have been used as a shelter and are still listed as shelters on the NEMO web site. ; The plan notes that historically, 90 percent of all hurricane casualties have occurred from drowning and 10 percent from other causes. Therefore, it is imperative that all persons should evacuate the Cayes, beaches and other locations, which may be swept by high tides or storm waves. The highest tide occurs during the second half of the storm and that the rise of the water may take place very rapidly immediately following the eye of the storm or the time of the lowest barometric pressure. If your only passage to high ground is over a road subject to flooding, leave early. Do not run the risk of being marooned or having to evacuate at the height of the storm amid flying debris. It is important to have a planned place to go. Hotels and motels quickly fill up during these times. When an evacuation is determined necessary the media will be notified to immediately inform the public. In addition, all the resorts will be notified by the Belizean Tourism Board in an effort to get all tourists off the island immediately. Resorts are required to ‘insist’ that the tourists leave. Allowing them to stay may result in the loss of their tourist license. “Some tourists think it would be fun to experience a hurricane, until it hits. Then they want to leave when it is too late,” he added. Also in the past, major US airlines have added flights so that visitors can return to their home countries. Tropic Air and Maya Island Air fly as long at it is safe and also to allow them time to secure their aircraft, according to Janmohamed. Janmohamed is part of a committee that includes the Mayor, Area Representative, police and the fire department who determine when an evacuation notice should be called. In addition to the safety of people, Janmohamed stressed the need for people to make arrangements for their pets. He said in the past, some owners tied their dogs to fence at the airport. They were forced to release the dogs and provide them limited amount of food and water. He asked that pet owners make plans and arrangements for their pets to be cared for. All businesses and individuals are encouraged to make specific plans ahead of time that will fit their needs. The complete hurricane plan can be found on the NEMO website: www.nemo.org.bz Read More Belize
still not out of the woods,
says Moody’s Adele Ramos
Belize has been lauded
in some
financial circles for the successful debt restructuring it undertook in
February this year. The restructuring was necessary because the
Government had found itself in a tough position where it was unable to
pay its existing creditors and furthermore, unable to get new
commercial loans to cover those debts. Even though the restructuring of
US$546.8 million in debt has saved the Government from a financial
crisis, Belize is not yet out of the woods, as there remains “a
very high risk of default despite substantial liquidity relief that was
provided as a result of this February’s restructuring.”
This was the caution coming from Moody’s Investor Service in its 2007 report on Belize, which was issued on Monday, July 9. Moody’s Senior Analyst Alessandra Alecci said in the report that Belize remains “extremely vulnerable” to exogenous shocks (such as a hurricane), leaving little room for Belize to slip, as the Government’s ability to adjust is still very limited. The Moody’s report notes areas in which the Government has improved fiscal targets, such as the projected deficit of 1% of GDP in this year’s budget, but whether a government in an election year can and will achieve such targets is quite another story. Moody’s says that, “While these targets send a positive signal, they must be viewed against Belize’s very poor track record of meeting fiscal objectives and the fact that this is an election year. Regarding the latter, there is a considerable amount of uncertainty regarding whether the outgoing administration will preserve the objectives of the program or attempt to salvage some popularity by incurring additional expenses.” (Most recently, Government has announced plans for a $6.5 million free textbook program, as well as subsidies of $100 a month for 1,624 people mortgaging low income homes whose loans are under $35,000. Both of these programs were mentioned when the Prime Minister read his budget speech in March, suggesting that they would have been factored into the current year’s budget.) The Moody’s report indicates that the country’s debt burden of over a billion US dollars “remains onerous,” and Belize is not doing so well when compared with its peers, such as Nicaragua. The public debt stock was still 90% at the end of 2006 and four times the value of the debt in 1997. As much as 60% of the country’s debt is owed to commercial creditors. On the upside, the report comments that Belize’s macroeconomic performance was rather favorable in 2006, despite Government’s financial challenges. The discovery of oil and multi-million-dollar loans from “friendly countries” worked very much in Government’s favor, which helped to avert the infamous “d” word – devaluation. “The most surprising element of last year’s macroeconomic performances was the ability of the authorities to avert a full balance of payments crisis and a devaluation. This is mostly explained by the unexpected build-up in FX [foreign exchange] reserves due to an unusual confluence of positive factors, including the discovery of oil and loans from Venezuela and Taiwan,” the report said. One of the key issues is sustainability, however, and whether a new administration would continue the so-called “home grown” adjustment program of the present Musa administration. “Assuming that the next administration is keen on restoring fiscal responsibility (regardless of the availability of funding), its efforts in sticking to the very tight fiscal framework…are likely to be challenged by a variety of factors,” Moody’s opines. “Among others, these include ‘adjustment fatigue’ on the part of the electorate and the possibility of exogenous shocks that would require additional expenditures.” The report points to recent events that signal deterioration in governance, particularly finance issues relating to the Development Finance Corporation, the Belize Telecommunications Limited and the Universal Health Services. “Thus far, little has been achieved in terms of ensuring accountability, thus reinforcing the perception that poor governance could become a chronic issue in Belize,” the Moody’s report cautions. Read More NOTICES/LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
The National AIDS
Programme, Ministry of Health was pleased to have participated in the
recent Health Fair held in San Pedro this past Sunday, July 8th, 2007 held
at San Pedro Town. The Programme
conducted 39 free HIV tests and provided conselling,
educational material and condoms to those requesting them. Special thanks to Nurse Bradley and Mr. George Carr for their invaluable assistance in providing the above. Marvin Manzanero, MD Director of National TB, HIV/AIDS and other STIs Programme Ministry of Health #####
San Pedro Town Library
Needs Volunteers for Summer Program San Pedro Town Library is
about to start its summer program for children. This runs for
three weeks, five days a week with an educational field trip at the
end. It starts on Monday the 16th of July. If you have the
time to help, please contact the Senior Librarian, Iracela Acosta on
206 2028.
#####
Church
services will be
held at Holy Cross Anglican School on
Sunday, July 15th at 11am. Guest preacher will be the Rev. Don
McNichol from Charlottesville, Virginia. The entire community is
cordially invited to attend!
#####
Holy
Cross Anglican School
will hold Summer School for
entering
Standard III, IV, V students who received less than 75% in Math and/or
Language Arts for the previous school year;and for ALL entering
Standard VI
students starting on Monday, July 16 at 8:45am. Classes will run
for
two weeks and are designed to provide a basic review in core
subjects. Cost is $40 per
student. For additional information, please call the School at
226-3456.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY The greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. As you think, so shall you be. William James LINK
OF
THE
DAY
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