An earthquake hit Belize. Does anyone have stories to share about the experience?
The magnitude-7.1 quake struck at 3:24 a.m. (0824 GMT) at the relatively shallow depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers), according to the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colorado. The epicenter was 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of La Ceiba, Honduras.
In Belize, people rushed from their homes as glasses and framed pictures crashed off of shelves. At least five wooden houses on stilts collapsed in three towns and a water tower toppled in the town of Independence, local officials said. Electricity was out all the way to the Mexican border.
“I urge you not to panic, but to remain calm,” National Emergency Minister Melvin Hulse said on the radio. “Your government is monitoring the situation and will be keeping you informed.”
Ruth McLean Dawson
May 28, 2009
The quake shook us in our beds and houses swayed in Punta Gorda in the early morning hours. As staff come in to work at TIDE (Toledo Institute for Development and Environment) we are checking on how everyone fared and so far we are well, with the loss of a few lamps and light items.
Josh
May 28, 2009
Wow! Are there any fears of Tsunami?
belizenewspost
May 28, 2009
Thanks for sharing Ruth. We will continue to monitor the situation and update when we can.
Red Mangrove Eco
May 28, 2009
Here in Caye Caulker, we were woken by the bed shaking, but there was little else. Nothing fell from shelves, no pictures off the wall. Knew it had to be a large quake somewhere as there is no seismic activity in this area.
There was a tsunami watch in effect for a short time, but it seems that's just standard policy for coastal earthquakes. There was no wave activity at all.
Red Mangrove Eco
May 28, 2009
Here in Caye Caulker, we were woken by the bed shaking, but there was little else. Nothing fell from shelves, no pictures off the wall. Knew it had to be a large quake somewhere as there is no seismic activity in this area.
There was a tsunami watch in effect for a short time, but it seems that's just standard policy for coastal earthquakes. There was no wave activity at all.
belizenewspost
May 28, 2009
Red Mangrove Eco, thanks for sharing! We are glad to hear there was no killer waves.
Peggy Penner
May 29, 2009
Live in the San Ignacio area and woke up to a rock and rolling bed.Heard a big bang and felt the earth move under my feet. Felt like the floor was rolling and it was hard to walk.Made me dizzy,Dog did a lot of howeling after it was done…Did not wake up to there barking but they sure were happy to see me out of the house.My water tanks rocked for about 5 min after the rolling feeling.
belizenewspost
May 29, 2009
Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
Mark
February 12, 2010
Well the hurricane season is coming back so I hope we don't get any earthquake with it .