Are there natural disasters like flooding, earthquakes, fire or hurricanes in Cayo, Belize, including San Ignacio and Belmopan?
Gwido Mar - Grupo Mar Realty Ltd.
Our biggest natural disaster worry in the Cayo, Belize area is flooding and even that's not that much of a concern. When we get a rain shower downpour during the rainy season then we may have some flooding, but it's not something that’s super devastating that cripples the economy in any way.We're far away enough from the coast, so if and when we do get hurricanes it's not as bad. Thankfully, (and I'm 30 years old), I've only experienced one hurricane in my...
Our biggest natural disaster worry in the Cayo, Belize area is flooding and even that's not that much of a concern. When we get a rain shower downpour during the rainy season then we may have some flooding, but it's not something that’s super devastating that cripples the economy in any way.We're far away enough from the coast, so if and when we do get hurricanes it's not as bad. Thankfully, (and I'm 30 years old), I've only experienced one hurricane in my life and that was 2010 Hurricane Richard. Here in Cayo, the result was basically just rain and wind and not any damages.
We are about maybe 50 to 60 miles from the sea as the crow flies. If we were to drive to the coast the closest one would be Belize City, which is 75 to 78 miles.
Every once in a blue moon we may get a light tremor but that's about it.
We may get a wild brushfire, but it's not like neighborhoods and houses are threatened or burnt down; that's not the case.
(The blue morpho butterfly with its wingspan of five to eight inches finds refuge in the lush rainforest of the Cayo District of Belize, pictured.)
Posted July 25, 2015
John Acott
There are no earthquakes in Belize. We’ve gotten a few rumbles, but nothing more. A few years ago we got regular flooding in the Belize River Valley, in San Ignacio even, but they’ve built 3 dams and now we very little serious flooding.
We get bush fires and we have no way of fighting them. They burn themselves out. Nobody lives in those areas and if they do they get out of the way. It’s not a problem...
There are no earthquakes in Belize. We’ve gotten a few rumbles, but nothing more. A few years ago we got regular flooding in the Belize River Valley, in San Ignacio even, but they’ve built 3 dams and now we very little serious flooding.
We get bush fires and we have no way of fighting them. They burn themselves out. Nobody lives in those areas and if they do they get out of the way. It’s not a problem here. I’ve never heard of anyone getting killed of bush fire or losing their house.
I always think of Belize as a blessed country. We’re lucky with hurricanes. Hurricane Mitch a few years ago devastated Honduras, the bay islands, Mexico, and Guatemala; it went all around Belize in a circle but no damage in Belize at all. I’ve been living here for 30 years and we’ve had three hurricanes. They damaged the coastal area, Placencia was hit by one, up north sometimes in Corozal, but not too bad. The only bad one was the one that hit Placencia about 20 years ago.
They’re far more vulnerable in the cayes (islands) and the coast than you are inland, in Cayo. We get strong winds and rain, but that’s it. San Ignacio is about 70 miles inland from the coast so it doesn’t get the devastating effects of hurricanes that you would get if you were on the coast. There’s no really effect at all in Cayo apart from rain and wind.
If there’s a hurricane is approaching the coast of Belize, everybody comes to Cayo – all the schools are full, the houses are full, the hotels are full, everyone comes to Cayo for safety. In 1961, Hurricane Hattie wiped out Belize City. As a result, they moved the capital to the center of the country, to the city of Belmopan, which is in the Cayo District. Belize City is still the commercial capital of Belize, but Belmopan is the official capital of the country.
(Water Resources Management Class at Chollilo Dam, Cayo District, Belize, pictured.)
Posted August 26, 2015
Virginia Krohn - Villa Cayo Belize
Belize gets hurricanes and I have experienced them on the islands. San Ignacio is about two hours away from the ocean, so we don’t get much damage unless tornados are active. A hurricane can turn over trees and little old houses that are on rotting posts but does not affect the stronger structures except for possibly glass. The jungle areas that have heavy canopies from all the vines can come down with all the rain and wind pulling down large trees or their...Belize gets hurricanes and I have experienced them on the islands. San Ignacio is about two hours away from the ocean, so we don’t get much damage unless tornados are active. A hurricane can turn over trees and little old houses that are on rotting posts but does not affect the stronger structures except for possibly glass. The jungle areas that have heavy canopies from all the vines can come down with all the rain and wind pulling down large trees or their branches. We do have natural wildfires every year and the farmers do set fire to the underbrush to keep back snakes, mosquitoes, and bugs but it usually only amounts to a lot of smoke. In the Pine ridge we do have some forest fires that destroy some acreage but not a lot of loss of human life.
In the rainy season we have some flooding in low lying areas but again not a lot of loss of life. Only a hurricane could bring enough flooding to cause loss of life. We're lucky because the soil here does not create big mudslides like you see in other countries.
With regard to earthquake, Belize is not known for earthquakes at all probably because we don't have volcanoes. Cayo is a pretty safe place.
(Belizean jungle canopy, pictured.)
Posted June 13, 2016