This afternoon, Cayo residents got an unexpected break from the scorching heat when a sudden rainstorm rolled in. But for those in Camalote, the surprise didn’t stop there, hail began falling from the sky, catching many completely off guard. Social media quickly lit up with videos and photos of the rare weather event. While some people were amazed by the unusual sight, others worried about damage to their vehicles parked outside. Authorities are reminding the public that during hailstorms, it’s safest to stay indoors and away from windows. Drivers should pull over to a safe spot and remain in their vehicles until the storm passes.
The time for hurricane preparation is now. While the official start to Belize’s hurricane season might still be a few days away, the National Emergency Management Organization is advising the public not to wait until a hurricane is brewing to make the necessary arrangements. Earlier this month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued its official outlook for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, forecasting above-average activity. The NOAA predicts anywhere between thirteen and nineteen named storms, with six to ten of them becoming hurricanes. We spoke with National Emergency Coordinator, Daniel Mendez, for more details on this year’s hurricane season.
Daniel Mendez
Daniel Mendez, National Emergency Coordinator, NEMO
“At this point we are, we continue to monitor those along with the Met service. Once that becomes something of concern to the country, they will be alerting us and telling us what we need to or what we need to know regarding that system. But the vigilance at the national system never stops. We’re not only monitoring potential systems, we also monitor things like forest fires and anything else that, that, that is important. NEMO is not a hurricane only organization. We function 24/7 throughout the year. Our officers are on duty all the time, and so we monitor anything that is that may threaten public safety. The time to prepare for tropicals for hurricane season is now. This is the time where you need to start to create your own emergency plans for your own family. You need to know what you’re gonna do if we have a system developing, where are you going to go? What are you going to take? Who will you stay with? How will you get there? So these are things that you need to find out right now. You can go to our website, nemo.org.bz. We have provided far more information particularly and in finding templates for family plans. We have a template for business plans. You are also able to find shelters across the country. We have a function there where you can search for shelters that will help you in determining and really finding out what you want to do. We also have information packages there, so you can also track hurricanes and tropical storms from our website and also on the Met Service website.”
NEMO advises the public to remain vigilant this hurricane season and avoid spreading misinformation.
Former Area Representative Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez is under fire after fencing off a piece of land that many Belize City residents once considered part of their public beachfront. The two-and-a-half-acre property, located near what was once known as Belizean Beach, has sparked public outrage. For decades, this stretch of coastline offered a rare escape for families in the Old Capital, until the Belize Coast Guard established its headquarters nearby. Even then, a portion of the beach remained open to the public—until now. Martinez’s move to enclose the land has reignited long-standing concerns about public access to coastal spaces and the privatization of once-shared community areas.
Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez
Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez, Contractor
“You couldn’t, eena di last month and change, you couldn’t access here so easy. Thick with swamp and so, and been coast guard mi put up da fence, di people dehn use to come eena da next property deh and walk een through some picado road. Soh I don’t know… but in real truth, here was never a beach environment. This spot here was never a beach environment. You could see it fi yohself, if yoh look over deh yoh wah sih weh paat deh da mi beach environment. I noh have wahn difficulty with it, but I have problem when, eena my view, I guess because I da former politician or whatsoever, but I da Belizean. I da wahn investor, I da contractor, I do all kinda thing. I da noh no big name, soh I have a difficulty with it. Dah noh like nothing ya di destroy di environment, di destroy nothing. We noh di encroach on nobody land, yoh noh di encroach pan no private property. That is… da noh like if it’s an issue environmentally, right here is environmentally sound.”
According to Martinez, the two-and-a-half-acre property, in which he is also an investor, is being developed into a tourist destination, one that he says will cater to both Belizeans and international visitors. While many residents are upset about losing access to a space they’ve enjoyed for decades, Martinez insists that the sixty-six-foot beachfront reserve remains open to the public, by boat.
Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez, Contractor
“There will be a masterplan for here and we will follow all the processes in terms of the masterplan, for tourism.”
Isani Cayetano
“So you’re developing this piece of land for a tourism activity, a tourism business?”
Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez
“Tourism activity, both locally and internationally. And, apart from that, da something weh wahn benefit the locals because the investors, some ah mi partners di she, da only like, ih wah be like five to eight dollars fi Belizean adults fi come een ya. Ih wahn got like a bouncy house water slide, everything. Children da dollar or soh, a dollar or two or sohting like that. They take into consideration also, too, that part of the property, access… you have access to the sea which belongs to government, which we believe that people have the right to use. Like, for example, this is a private property. You have the right to use the reserve, but the only thing is that you have to come by boat, nothing wrong with that.”
As the calendar inches closer to June, forecasters are raising red flags about what could be a turbulent 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, is predicting a sixty percent chance of an above-normal season, with up to nineteen named storms expected to form. Of those, as many as ten could strengthen into hurricanes, and up to five may reach major hurricane status, packing winds of one hundred and eleven miles per hour or more. NOAA says it has seventy percent confidence in these projections, citing warmer ocean temperatures and favorable atmospheric conditions as key drivers behind the forecast. Meanwhile, in Grenada, regional climate experts are taking action. The Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum is underway, bringing together scientists, meteorologists, and disaster response teams from across the region. Their mission: to improve how we communicate and prepare for climate-related risks, especially as the region braces for what could be a very active season. News Five’s Benita Keme Palacio is on the ground in Grenada and brings us the latest insights and strategies emerging from the forum.
This week, Belize City is buzzing with ideas as passionate Belizeans from across the country come together to tackle one of our most pressing environmental challenges, plastic pollution. The non-profit group Sea of Life has launched the Plastic Solutions Academy, a three-day workshop aimed at finding real, community-driven answers to the problem of single-use plastics. With about twenty-five participants on board, the academy is equipping them with technical know-how and inspiration from both local and international experts. Their mission? To craft innovative proposals that can help restore Belize’s waters and protect our marine ecosystems.
Paulita Bennett-Martin
Paulita Bennett-Martin, Director of Programs, Sea of Life
“We have people from all over Belize that have traveled in to spend three daystogether to study plastic pollution, learn about the technical side of what plasticsare made from, what sorts of threats they create to nature and our own healthand then the people are challenged to come up with a solution. So a businesssolution. Of those solutions that are presented at the end of the three days,there’s potential for two of them to become funded projects, as well as have twoyears of mentoring from either BELTRAIDE or Sea of Life.”
Britney Gordon
“And who are some of the speakers that are here today offering their mentorship and advice?”
Paulita Bennett-Martin
“Yeah, we have Stephen Sangster from the University of Belize. We also have a woman from Rare that’s joining us from Washington, DC online. We have Phil Karp, who is retired from the World Bank and has worked a lot on plastic portfolio work across the world. And then we have Sea of Life speaking as well. And Delmer Tzib, also from the University of Belize who’ll be really connecting us with our roots and talking a lot about natural materials that are bounty full across Belize. And what we used to use before single use plastics.”
Britney Gordon
“So can you tell me a little bit about how you guys have really Belize-ified this this workshop that’s happening here? How do you make it so that it’s applicable to the people that are attending?”
Paulita Bennett-Martin
“Absolutely. So we really try to take a nice deep dive in day one we’ll be exploring all of the different natural materials that are a bounty full of cross ize, and then we do some mind mapping. So what is it that we have here that could replace single use plastics.”
As you just heard, forecasters are already sounding the alarm; it’s shaping up to be a busy hurricane season, with nineteen named storms on the radar. Experts at Colorado State University are predicting nine hurricanes, including four major ones. Now, there’s no way to know if any of those storms will head our way, but the City Emergency Management Organization isn’t taking any chances. They’re already out inspecting hurricane shelters across Belize City to make sure they’re ready, just in case.
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
“WE have done a lot of training. They have been able to do what you call shelter inspection. They have worked very closely with NEMO. I can say outrightly that this is the best relationship we have had with NEMO as a group, because the structure, the organizational structure of NEMO has really been put in place by the new leadership. We feel that with the coordinated efforts of NEMO and CEMO in the city we want to be prepared.”
Reporter
“Where are we in terms of completion with these shelters and putting out the official list for shelters this year?”
Bernard Wagner
“Again that is coordinated with NEMO and NEMO identifies the shelters. We just go along with them in terms of knowing in what capacity they are you in, are they available, do they need repairs. If they need repairs we assist with that, but in terms of identifying and selecting shelters that is up to NEMO.”
From the comfort of air-conditioned offices to the gritty reality of Belize City’s drains, Mayor Bernard Wagner and his councilors rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty today. With the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season fast approaching, the Belize City Council is stepping up its flood mitigation efforts. This morning, staff gathered at Constitution Park before fanning out across the city—led by the mayor himself—to clean drains and clear debris. It’s a job usually left to sanitation and maintenance crews, but today, elected officials joined the front lines. So, what kind of impact did their presence really make? And how is the council preparing for what could be another intense rainy season? News Five’s Paul Lopez has the story.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
They’re usually behind desks in the cool comfort of City Hall, but today, Mayor Bernard Wagner and his councilors traded office chairs for rubber boots. Armed with gloves and grit, they hit the streets to help clean out drains across Belize City.
Bernard Wagner
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
“What we normally have prior to the rainy season is a symposium. So I told my CEMO liaison officer, Melonie, let us do something outside of the box this year. Instead of going in a conference room sitting out and having a symposium, let us go into the ground, get with hands dirty and really put in the work for the people. This is what you call community. It is community at its best.”
Flooded streets and soggy yards, it’s a headache Belize City residents know all too well. Clogged drains have been a problem for years, and when the rain pours, the complaints come pouring in too. But with the 2025 hurricane season just two weeks away, clearing out those drains could mean a big difference and maybe even a little peace of mind for folks bracing for the storms ahead.
Kaya Cattouse
Kaya Cattouse, Councilor, Sanitation Department
“As you know the hurricane season is June to November, every year in December the sanitation and maintenance team at the Belize City Council start our preparation for the upcoming year. So, we are on the ground digging drains. The issue here in Belize City is that it is below seas level. So, when it rains it will definitely flood. Our job here is to ensure that the flood subsides as soon as the rain stops.”
And while the gloves came out, our cameras did not really capture these elected officials doing much work. To be fair, here is Councilor Cattouse briefly clearing some dirt before handing over the shovel. Councilors Javier Castellanos and Sherwin Garcia were caught assisting to remove a grill. Councilor Garcia once again showed he is not afraid of a little dirt and mud, while Mayor Wagner got on his knees, on the dirty sidewalk, to assess the situation. But the real experts, those who did the heavy lifting, are the councils’ sanitation and maintenance teams.
Paul Lopez
“Is all the fan fair necessary to clean drains across the city?”
Kaya Cattouse
“It just shows our commitment; at the council we are hands on councilors. This iswhat we do on a regular basis, whether the cameras are here or not.”
Javier Castellanos
Javier Castellanos, Councilor, Belize City
“We were prepared already, but this one is the final one touch that the mayor said we are going to finish it off to make sure everything is on time and everything is prepared so we can be able to have that opportunity so if any disaster comes we are already halfway in it.”
The Belize City Council admits that while clearing drains definitely helps, it’s not a magic fix. Some neighborhoods will still see water rising during heavy rains and that’s because much of the city actually sits below sea level. But there’s a silver lining: the goal is to keep those floodwaters moving. So even if the streets fill up, the hope is that once the rain stops, the water will drain away quickly, keeping damage to a minimum.
Bernard Wagner
“We want to ensure that all our drains are cleared of debris, they are connected, reshaped, connected to the canal, they are flowing to the canal, the canal is flowing to the river and the river to the sea. We know we have an issue at the Dean Street Area, Berkley Street, and East Collet Canal. Those are focus areas. We have issues on Queen Street, by the gas station on Freetown Road. Those are key areas. We have the sludge trucks with us today, two sludge trucks which are really getting in those drains and suck out all the sludge and debris in those areas.”
The positive impact of this cleanup effort will only be realized when the rains come. Forecasters are already predicting an above average hurricane season. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
Belize is once again making headlines for its leadership in conservation. This week, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust, better known as PACT, rolled out a major investment in the country’s natural future. With twelve million dollars committed over the next three years, and nearly eight million already disbursed, PACT is partnering with fifteen agencies to protect twenty-eight of Belize’s most treasured protected areas. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the story.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
The Protected Areas Conservation Trust, better known as PACT, is leading the charge when it comes to conservation in Belize. With strategic investments and strong partnerships, PACT continues to play a key role in protecting the country’s natural resources and building a more sustainable future.
Abil Castaneda, Executive Director, PACT
“The work that we do, that you do in conservation that it is a selfless commitment, it is a selfless dedication and passion and the truth is when all is said and done, we will look back, we will have pioneers and new commers and we want to be a part of that story, of the Belizean story in conservation.”
PACT is continuing its mission to protect Belize’s natural treasures. On Monday, the organization awarded a total of twelve million dollars in funding to fifteen co-management agencies. These groups are responsible for overseeing twenty-eight protected areas across the country.
Milagro Matus, Chairperson, PACT
“We come together today to celebrate the dedicated co-manager organizations that are at the very heart of our national conservation efforts. These organizations which are protectors of biodiversity, champions of communities, guardians of our ecosystems and partners in shaping a resilient nature positive future for Belize. This award ceremony is an opportunity to highlight the significant investments being made through PACTS conservation investment strategy 2.0.”
Fifteen agencies were honored as they officially signed on to a major conservation partnership with PACT. Representatives from each agency were on hand to receive their awards during a special ceremony. The agreement, which spans three years, marks a significant investment in Belize’s environmental future. During the event, PACT disbursed an impressive seven million dollars toward the total value of the project. Prime Minister John Briceño, speaking at the ceremony, emphasized the growing urgency for conservation efforts worldwide, highlighting Belize’s continued leadership in protecting natural resources.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Around the world there is this urgency of conservation and it has never been as clearer than ever. People are truly realizing how important conservation is, not only to themselves, but to planet earth. This is so much more we can do in this world, there is so much we can accomplish and in many instances it vexes me, it makes me upset. When we were in Scotland and I was interviewed I blurted out that we are doing our part, the big countries are not doing their part. The reporter pointed out what I said to Boris Johnson and he had to admit sheepishly that it is true, they are not doing their part to help us to protect mother earth for all of us.”
Minister Orlando Habet emphasized the importance of Belize maintaining its position as a pioneer in the global conservation movement. He praised the Protected Areas Conservation Trust’s latest initiative, Conservation Investment Strategy 2.0, calling it a bold step forward in protecting the country’s natural heritage. Minister Habet says the strategy reflects Belize’s commitment to sustainable development and climate resilience, ensuring that both people and the planet benefit from smart, forward-thinking investments.
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development
“It is also excitement times with in conservation and protected areas management here in Belize. With the highly anticipated Project Finance For Permanence Initiative to be launched later this year and with the newly established partnership between PACT and the Belize Fund also poised to become an avenue for further resource mobilization and support for the national protected areas system. The future is bright for conservation, indeed it is.”
The organization says its latest funding isn’t just backing NGO co-managers, but also community groups and government agencies. The focus? Building climate resilience. PACT says these investments are aimed at helping Belize’s protected areas adapt to the growing challenges of climate change, ensuring both ecosystems and communities are better prepared for the future. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
Green thumbs and bright minds were on full display as the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise announced the winners of the 2025 National Agriculture and Trade Show School Garden Competition. With thirty schools from across the country digging in, literally, the competition showcased creativity, teamwork, and a strong commitment to sustainable agriculture. In the primary school category, top honors went to San Victor R.C. School in Corozal, followed by San Antonio Government School, Sandy Creek Academy, Chan Chen Government School, and Bullet Tree Seventh Day Adventist School. Over in the high school division, the Belize High School of Agriculture took first place, with Belmopan Comprehensive and New Hope High School rounding out the top three. The top two winners in each category will be officially recognized at the National Agriculture and Trade Show’s opening ceremony on May thirtieth. The ministry extended heartfelt thanks to students, teachers, parents, judges, and extension officers for making this year’s competition a blooming success—and they’re already planting the seeds for an even bigger event in 2026.
