From time to time, my mom opens up about Hurricane Hattie — sharing more information about that day. She was a child who almost drowned during the storm and can still vividly see debris floating underwater. Hurricane Hattie made landfall on October 31, 1961. Over 300 people perished — more than 100 people was from Belize City. To date, Hattie is the deadliest and the most destructive storm in Belize’s history. Below is my mother’s recollection of her experience.
“There was a sense of urgency based on the weather report from the U.S. showing the hurricane’s path. People were moving around preparing to make Johnny cake and bread and packing non-perishable food to take with them to shelters. My mother and I went to the Salvation Army. Many people were there. We all gathered on the main floor and stayed there during the heavy rain and wind. Then we went up to the second floor where I saw one of the windows blow out. The men who were there tried to board up the window but the wind was so fierce, they were unable to board it up.
The water started to rise on the first floor. Everyone panicked thinking they would be trapped in the building. That’s when we all started to run downstairs and I slipped out of my mother’s arms into the dirty water filled with debris. My mother started to feel around for me and pulled me back up. We managed to leave the Salvation Army to look for shelter elsewhere. That’s when my father guided us to a safe building to ride out the storm. We stayed there until the water subsided. After the storm passed we were walking around. I saw dead people and animals. People were hanging from trees (the wind was so ferocious it lifted people up and they landed on trees). We eventually went back to our home and the clean up process began.”
Hattie's Impact
When Hattie hit, life as Belizeans knew it changed forever. Winds were over 150 mph and flood waters rose as high as 15 feet. High winds flattened wooden buildings — it is estimated 70% of Belize City’s buildings were damaged (damages totaled $60 million — $598 million today).
The Split - Caye Caulker
Hurricane Hattie swept through many coastal communities including Turneffe Islands Atoll, Mullins River, Caye Caulker, St. George’s Caye and Belize City. My mom lived in Belize City and looked forward to going to Caye Caulker on the weekends. Back then life was simple. Her grandfather was a fisherman and bartered with neighbors for provisions. The food was fresh and since there was no refrigerator her grandmother only cooked enough to last for the day.
When the storm hit, The Split was created by Hattie’s ferocious high winds. After the cyclone passed, the Caye had a channel of water running through it. Today, The Split is the most popular destination on the island.
Taking a look back at Hurricane Hattie
The aftermath of Hurricane Hattie. (Channel 5 Belize)
Feature image: stgeorgescayebelize.org
