The San Pedro branch of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) was mobilized this afternoon and held an emergency meeting in conjunction with the San Pedro Town Council. Public Servants along with other volunteers were at the meeting where plans for the island were discussed.
The meeting was called at 5pm about two hours after NEMO National Office issued its first advisory. The San Pedro Sun caught up with Mayor Elsa Paz after the meeting. The Mayor stated, “We are advising the public that Hurricane Rina is approximately 350 miles southeast of Belize City. The movement is going west north-west at 3 mph. We are advising the public that evacuation will be starting as early as 6am tomorrow morning.
The evacuation is not mandatory. However the general public is advised that this storm is very serious and are all necessary precautions must be taken. Fuel for the evacuation will be provided by the GOB and according to the Mayor, the price for moving/evacuating should be lowered. The SPTC along with NEMO volunteers will be hitting the streets early tomorrow morning. Their main objective in the morning is to get people residing in the lower areas of San Pedro off the island first. Residents of San Mateo, San Pedrito and DFC area are advised to take the initiative and prepare to leave the island.
Flights are not being suspended at the moment. Evacuees are advised to take only personal belongings to make the process as easy as possible. A second meeting of the NEMO committee in San Pedro is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 8am.
