Belize - Disasters and Catastrophies

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For this semester, the country I chose to work with is Belize. 

        Belize is a small country located in Central America. On the northeast coast, it borders Mexico and Guatemala as well as a Caribbean Sea coastline to the east. The country is most famously known for its barrier reef, a world-class destination for diving and snorkeling. Belize is also home to numerous Mayan ruins and its unique cultural diversity. It contains beautiful beaches as it borders the coastline. 

    Although the country is beautiful and attracts many tourists to vacation spots, it does face severe and frequent natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and droughts. This leads to severe economic loss and vulnerability.  

    In the most recent events, Belize suffered through two tropical storms, Sara and Nadine, in November and October of 2024. Although these didn't do much damage within the country, other disasters that Belize had previously faced include Hurricane Lisa in 2022. A category 1 hurricane that struck southwest of Belize City. Causing around $100 million in damages. Before that, Hurricane Nana struck in September of 2020. Although the hurricane was minimal, it caused around $20 million in economic losses. 

    In summary, natural disasters in the country of Belize are not irregular. Since it is a tropical environment, they face numerous disasters from time to time, ranging from minimal destruction to hundreds and millions of losses and serious economic and environmental damages



 


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