Belize's First Tsunami and Warning

Dianna and I had already gone to bed. I slept through it. Dianna was awake enough to hear our roll-up doors rattling. She said it sounded like wind blowing against the doors, only there was no wind.

Our dogs, the neighborhood's dogs, and all the dogs as far as we could hear, all went batsh*t barking their heads off.

Dianna and I were looking out the bathroom window to see what the ruckus was all about. We saw Denis and Vivien outside, walking around the driveway. They heard us holler ineffectively to the dogs to quiet down.

Denis called over to us, asking if we had felt the earthquake. He said Vivien felt the couch move, and he saw their lampshade moving erratically. They were all excited as this was their first earthquake. We told them we hadn't felt a thing.

After that Dianna and I went back to bed, being the seasoned earthquaker's that we are, coming from the northwest. Instead of sleeping right away, I got on the intertubes to see if I could find any information on the earthquake, such as intensity, epicenter, etc. Naturally, I couldn't get anywhere to check that out.

About that time, my phone rang. It was Mojan, our Internet Service Provider (ISP), wanting to know if we had felt the earthquake. It was a surprise to us that he called us, but we didn't quiz him on that. Maybe he wanted us to let him know if his tower was still standing or something. Mojan said he thought it was his kids waking up and making a racket, but then he heard all the dogs in his area of Corozal going berserk. He lives in the Sant Rita area up by the Belikin distributor.

Shortly after that, I got a Facebook message from Vivien saying she heard the earthquake was a 7.8 and wanted to know if there was any danger of a tsunami. I guessed from our experiences with the Nisqually earthquake of 2001 in Olympia, Washington, at the time, it was called a 7.8 or 7.9 earthquake. In the years since then, the level apparently was refined down to a 6.8.

With the damages from that earthquake as a guide, we assumed that the earthquake here in Belize was not very close to us. We initially had no indication of direction though and assumed that the quake had been centered in Guatemala or Honduras, as those areas are where most of the earthquake activity around here seems to come from.

When Vivien asked about a tsunami, I assumed then the earthquake had probably occurred out in the Caribbean Sea somewhere. We also have had a fair amount of experience in tsunami preparation and training up in the northwest. I said with a 7.8, that a tsunami was unlikely. Maybe if it had been like around an 8.5 or 9.0 or so. Shows what I know.

With that, Dianna and I went to sleep. It wasn't until the next morning that we found that, yes indeed, there had been a tsunami warning issued. But since we didn't have the radio turned to Love FM, and don't have cable TV, a warning was non-existent.

Earthquake and Tsunami Warning - Image Courtesy USGS

Apparently, around nine PM the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) in Palmer, Alaska, had issued a tsunami alert for all land areas within a 620-mile radius of the earthquake's center. The warning stated that the first tsunami wave could reach Belize by 10:30 PM. 

Belize City sent fire trucks out sounding their sirens to alert the city's population. Apparently, one is supposed to instinctively know to tune in Love FM, which serves as the country's emergency alert station. Not that that would have done us any good up here in Corozal.

The earthquake was believed to have been centered near the Great Swan Island off Honduras. This would put the earthquake about 300 miles from Belize.

Belize coastal waters did recede after the earthquake. In the case of hurricanes and tropical storms, this is not an unusual occurrence. For the waters to recede for no apparent reason, is disconcerting, to say the least.

In Corozal, our caretaker Carlos, told us the following morning when he came to work that local Corozal police had been trying to chase people away from the waterfront and encouraging them to head for high ground. He also said that a line had formed at the One Mall gas station of cars trying to get some gas (most local folks normally only keep a few gallons in their cars at any one time). That was short-lived as One Mall closed shortly after the earthquake. Carlos also said he heard that the Corozal Fire Station had sounded its siren in an attempt to warn people. None of us down this way heard that at all.

Channel 7News said that in Belize City "the streets were desolate and the air was tense." A few minutes before eleven PM, the tsunami warning was terminated and NEMO gave the all clear for residents to return to their homes. We got none of the warning messages or information at the time.

It turns out the tsunami, such as it was, ended up being forecast for 28 centimeters - about eleven inches. Almost laughable, but it just as easily could have turned out to be like Aceh, Thailand in 2004. A tsunami like that would have rolled over our cayes like nothing was there, and would have likely caused severe damage to Belize's mainland coastal communities. The NTWC said that a wave with a maximum height of 1.2 inches was recorded one a sea-level gauge at Carrie Bowe Caye, east of Sittee River in southern Belize.

Around midnight, water was returning slowly back to the shore and everything was soon back to normal.  There was no major tsunami in any of the countries within the threat zone.  In Honduras, water went out 10 to 15 feet from the coast and did not return to regular levels until the following morning. 

So, we lucked out big time. For a first-ever tsunami warning for Belize, the government agencies, NEMO, the National Fire Service, Belize Police, all performed well. the warning was issued, inadequate for sure, but still, the proper responses were made.

One thing that was apparent was the lack of an effective and functional warning system. Not just for tsunami, but for any large emergency or disaster. I suggested via Facebook, the following morning, that the Government of Belize (GOB) and NEMO should embark on instituting a warning system incorporating both of Belize's mobile telephone systems, Smart and Digicell, so that, in the future, when a warning is issued, it automatically goes out over the cell system's to warn the maximum number of people possible. A very brief message of what has occurred, and what to do, should be sent out and probably sent out repeatedly during the event, and an all-clear issued repeatedly for a time at the end of the event.

Remembrance Day

A day known throughout the British Commonwealth as Remembrance Day is known in the US as Veteran's Day.

The Corozal House of Culture has a supply of poppies available for a donation of whatever pocket change you may have.
Remembrance Day (Also known as Poppy Day) is a memorial day observed since the end of the World War I to remember the members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty.

Corozal World War II Memorial

Remembrance Day was inaugurated by King George V in 1919. It's observed on 11 November to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918.

The Armistice Agreement that ended the fighting was signed by Germany and the allies around 5:15 that morning. It stated that the fighting would cease at 11:00 AM the same day. World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June, 1919.

A Simple Poppy

The red remembrance poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem "In Flanders Fields" written by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. After reading the poem, Moina Michael, a professor at the University of Georgia, wrote the poem, "We Shall Remember," and swore to wear a red poppy on the anniversary. The custom spread to Europe and the countries of the British Empire and Commonwealth within three years. Madame Anne E. Guerin tirelessly promoted the practice in Europe and the British Empire. In the UK Major George Howson fostered the cause with the support of General Haig. Poppies were worn for the first time at the 1921 anniversary ceremony. At first real poppies were worn. These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders [Belgium] in World War I; their brilliant red colour became a symbol for the blood spilled in the war -Wikipedia

It's my experience that in the US, the practice of wearing poppies to commemorate the day, even though it started in the US, has for all intents and purposes, died out. The day, instead of a memorial, now marks announcements of sales of everything imaginable, with very little lip service being paid to the original intent of the occasion.

Similarly to the US, at least among the people I've talked to, very few Belizeans have little more than a slight idea, if even that, of what the day commemorates, or what the poppy stands for. It's a shame really. The sacrifices and contributions of their forebears really should be known, remembered, and appreciated by all Belizeans.

The National Belize Ex-Servicemen's League sponsors the annual poppy sales here in Belize. The sales help support essential supplies for those veterans still living. There were 129 Belizean men who participated in World War I. 29 of them died in combat.

There were 1,500 Belizean men and 20 women who participated in World War II. The women took part as nurses from the British Red Cross Society, as the Belize Red Cross was known back then. 15 Veterans from WWII are still living in Belize, with 9 of them in desperate need of help.

Channel 7 News interviewed Valerie Richardson, National Belize Ex-Servicemen's League: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2Qz29UxEno

If you're interested in learning about the contributions and sacrifices made by more than 1,500 Belizean service men and women during World War II, there's several videos about the subject available on YouTube. I've highlighted some of the best.

I'm amazed that such a small country as Belize was able to provide such a relatively sizable number of personnel to help with the Commonwealth's part of the war effort.

West Indies Calling (1944) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViGwxJloI70 The West Indies, including Belize, helping Great Britain in World War II.

West Indians in World War II (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYjP8oTAGlQ Contribution of service men and women from the British Empire and colonies to war effort in World War Two.

Lumberjacks from Belize During World War II (2014) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtBi3PiwL_U Tree fellers from Belize help with the British war effort in Scotland.

Channel 7 News, Belize City, http://7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=17704 News story about two surviving Belizean tree fellers in World War II.

There is also a video, Tree Fellers (24 min). The video tells the story of the 900 Belizean lumberjacks who in 1942 left the tropical rain forests of British Honduras to help Britain fight fascism by felling trees in Scotland. See:http://www.asylumpictures.com/tree.htm or https://www.facebook.com/TreeFellersRevisited/

Ernesto Was Confused to the End

Like I said before Ernesto just never seemed to be able to make up his mind what he wanted to be. It's gone further. Whatever caused his wishy-washy behavior transferred to the news department of Belize's Channel 7 with this story:

Mr. Editor... We Have A Problem

Here's a bit more detail:

HURRICANE ERNESTO SPARES MEXICO, SLAMS BELIZE

Hurricane Ernesto has spared Belize - the category one storm is expected
to make landfall at Mahahual on the Southeastern Coast of Mexico - about
43 miles northeast of Chetumal in the next few hours with winds of 85
miles per hour.

Only mi...

(http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=23127)

I don't know... Another Dewey beats Truman episode, I guess.

Anyway, the storm, such as it was, whatever it was, has come and gone. For us, it was a great opportunity to try out our pool house as our hurricane shelter. It passed with flying colors. There were only a couple minor problems - both taken care of with a mop.

The first one, our bathroom outside door definitely needs some weather stripping around it. We knew that going in. Heck, you can see daylight all around the door. We haven't looked at it as a problem before. The bathroom floor gets wet every time we have the pool in use.

The second one, our two little A/C units that are mounted in the wall in each bedroom, allow water to drip in - but only if the wind is really howling and with a good rainfall. I think I'll be able to solve that problem too. Not sure just yet how. Some sort of covering we put up at the same time as the window plywood.

Speaking of the plywood, that all worked like a charm for both houses. The pool house especially, since that was where we were camped out, along with the three doggies and April.

In short, other than the leakage problem, the pool house worked great. We found out that, even with no current and consequently, no ceiling fans, and with the windows secured fairly tightly with the plywood, we were still able to get fresh air circulation in the place, simply by opening the sliding glass doors which are behind the big roll-down door. Definitely need candles or lanterns inside when everything is buttoned up. It's dark, dark, dark in there without them.

We thought we had a problem yesterday morning after the storm. I was going to make coffee and our coffee maker, being electric, of course was out of commission, we thought.

We boiled some water on the stove and thought we'd have to hold the grounds basket down to keep the spring for the coffee cheater thing (that stops the coffee flow when you remove the pot) in place. It was nice to find out that the weight of the water in the basket allowed it to function in its normal way. So we had coffee. I'll tell you, those kitchen engineers think of everything, don't they?

The two downsides to the pool house are - no TV and no Internet. 'Course, when we're without current, it's moot issue. Thankfully, Dianna has a Kindle Fire, which she loves, and I have an iPod which I love as well. We both spent hours reading. What luxury! I actually enjoy reading on my iPod. The smallness really is no hindrance whatsoever. And, bonus. I found out I can recharge the iPod off of the battery in my laptop when we have no current. Read on!

So, let's see... What else? We sustained no damage to any structures or even plants. Rainfall for Ernesto came out, according to the Winjama Weather Station, to be about 2.4 inches for yesterday - at one point, the rain was coming down at an hourly rate of 12.14 inches, impressive if it had continued for very long. There is a lot of standing water all over the area. Mosquitoes are going to love it for a while - as do the frogs. For some reason, my rain gauge is working again.

Our highest winds were 45 knots on Tuesday, the day Ernesto arrived, no big deal there either. We lost current (electricity for you folks up north) somewhere around 8:30 to 9:00 PM on Tuesday. It didn't return till about 10:00 AM on Wednesday. We lost it for several more periods after that, but only for a few minutes at a time.

All in all, a nice practice for the main event. I'd be happy if this is all we get for the season - at least till I get the leaks fixed.

Sometimes Good Things Happen

Back on February 9, 2011 Belize Channel 7 News broke a major scandal regarding the outright theft from everyone in Belize by the butane companies (http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=18908&frmsrch=1). Channel 7 followed up with more detailed reports over the next few days and exposed just how corrupt the butane vending system had become - country-wide.

It was particularly onerous as this theft, which apparently had become virtually institutionalized, stole not only from the rich, but equally from the poorest of the poor and everyone in between. Everyone, in every social strata, uses butane, and from what Channel 7 unearthed, all were being systematically ripped off. At least the thieves didn't discriminate or pick on one segment of Belizean society. They hit everyone.

Well, the powers that be, from the Prime Minister on down to the concerned department Ministers, quickly jumped on the band wagon and rules were soon implemented that required vendors to sell butane by the pound and not to meter it by the gallon. The only hitch was that the scales which were necessary were in extremely short supply and also had to be calibrated and certified by the Government of Belize. It was estimated that it would be months before enough scales could be put in place to begin correcting the problem, if it was done at all. There was a lot of grumbling from the butane industry that they weren't crooks, blah, blah, blah. It seemed to everyone who read the news or saw it on local TV, well, Channel 7, anyway, that the industry planned to stonewall it for as long as it took to repeal the new rules.

I had filled a 100-pound butane tank in January, before the scandal hit. Just the other day, my tank ran out. I have an identical tank for the pool house, so I just swapped tanks. Today, I called Smith Butane to see if they could come fill my empty tank. They said they were coming 'right now', and sure enough just as I was hauling the empty tank on my hand-cart up to the gate, here they came with their old rusty, beat-up tanker truck.

I was planning on giving them somewhat of a hard time about using a meter on their truck and not using a scale. I said 'somewhat' as the couple that is Smith Butane, are both elderly and live in the part of Ranchito Village that's close to us and is called 'Alien Town' (Apparently there were a lot of aliens who settled there after the caste wars of the late 1800's). They are very nice and have been the only butane dealers who actually come when they say they will. In fact, they're so prompt, I always imagine them hiding just around the corner and saying "I know he's going to call for butane soon, I just know it." So, when I do call, bing, bang, boom - there they are - just like today when I called.

Anyway, here's what I found when they arrived. I wheeled the hand-cart around to the far side of their truck and saw the meter, disconnected and laying on a sort of shelf above the valving. Mrs. Smith was busy unloading a brand new, certified digital scale, which she promptly set up and then Mr. Smith put my tank up on the scale.

Mrs. Smith Setting Up The Scale

A big part of the operation involved watching the digital readout on the scale, especially after they placed the tank on the scale bed. It took quite some time for the scale to settle down and provide an accurate reading because of the sloshing of the remaining butane in the tank. It was for this reason that they both said they didn't like the new scale - it was too sensitive. I tend to agree with them after watching the readout go from 30 pounds to 37 or 38 pounds and back and forth, back and forth, for minutes.

Waiting for the Scale to Settle Down

Here's a view of the scale readout. The Smith's, even though they dislike the sensitivity of the scale, were very proud of it and took pains to show me the certification sticker on the neck of the scale and the lead tamper-resistant seal on the back of the scale readout.

Detail of the Scale Readout

It's not a cheap piece of equipment either. Mr. Smith said the scale cost them over $1,000.00 BZD. A considerable sum here in Belize and for the Smiths.

I don't for a minute think the Smiths purposely scammed anyone with their butane business. With the decrepit truck and equipment they are using, if they were making 'extra' money, I don't know what happened to it because they sure didn't get any of it. Like I said, they're very nice people and are also extremely proud of their new digital scale.

And I was very, very surprised and pleased to see the scale, certified, secured and in use. If the Smith's can acquire a scale and get it certified, then every other vendor in the country should be able to do the same thing with absolutely no excuses!

Sad... Funny... Sad... and Funny

I received the email news this morning from Channel 7 Belize (http://www.7newsbelize.com). This was the lead story of the morning news:

"MAN BUTCHERS WIFE & THEN HANGS HIMSELF

Last night in Belize City, a man killed himself and then killed his
wife. But it was no isolate act of deranged jealousy; the couple
shared three children. Fortunately those kids were not at home yesterday and most unfortunately..."

It's unfortunate that the violence continues in Belize City. I suppose it's no better or worse than most other big cities. Just that as I began to read the story, I almost choked on my coffee. That's just one of the fun things about living here in Belize - reading the oftentimes fractured English of the media.

A lot of times it can take several readings of an interview or eyewitness account of something to actually determine what they were most likely talking about.

Of course, then I had to continue reading the news. And then, I came on this astounding story:

Raelians Still Want to Build Embassy for Spaceships in Belize

"...He says they are going to usher in a new ear of peace and knowledge like space Messiahs with a major in science."

Do we each get one or will it be living on its own? Well, beyond the typo, the story itself. The fact that they give airtime to such a nut-case just amazes me.

At least you can't say they don't cover the news from "A" to "Z" - and beyond.

Next, Buzz Lightyear will be coming to spend the winter months at the embassy.