Hundred year rain every five years?

Before we moved here full-time we planned to visit the end of October, five years ago.  We had to reschedule our plane tickets because so much of Belize was flooded, including the bridge over Roaring Creek.  There is one spot on Paslow Falls Rd that was also under water for a short time.  Well, here we go again.  We haven't had flooding here in Bullet Tree Village, but much of the savannah area along the coast is suffering.  I also just heard from some folks in Succotz that the lower bridge there is under water.  I was also told that a man drowned after losing control of his kayak. 

I am so happy that I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get any laundry dry, so on Monday I took our laundry to town to have Sylvi wash & dry it.  Also took advantage of the trip to stock up on some groceries and gas for the generator.  We're now happy to be sitting on top of our hill, away from all that water.  Riverfront property doesn't look so appealing now. 

The Mopan is running fast, high and very brown.  Looks like the chocolate river in the Willie Wonka movie.  Lots of debris, but, so far Paslow Falls Rd is fine.  One blessing we can be thankful for is that both Paslow Falls Rd and our road up the hill have a rock base.  They might be rough, but are nearly always passable with 4 wheel drive.  Have been down in both the truck & the old Trooper and both did fine.  I just don't dawdle, but put the peddle to the metal and climb up our hill. 

The forecast is for continued rain all week.  We'll be fine but I pray that the rest of the country gets some relief.  Even if the rains subside here in Belize, we have to be concerned about the rains in Guatemala.  There has been so much deforestation in the Peten and that's where most of the Mopans flow originates.  The Mopan starts in Guatemala, crosses into Belize at Benque, past Succotz, to Bullet Tree and then joins with the Macal at Santa Familia to become the Belize River. 

The little ferries at Central Farm and Xunantunich aren't running and the low bridges across the Belize River are under water.  That leaves the only access to Spanish Lookout via the "back way" which is thru Bullet Tree.  The stream of huge trucks lumbering thru the village is upsetting as much of the road is dirt and the heavy traffic is causing major damage as well as being extremely noisy.  

This is indeed the jungle and we need the rain to maintain the green, but enough already.