Stranded In Town...

 Stranded In Town... 

Narated by Wilhemina (Minita) Young

My name is Wilhemina but many know me as "Mina" or simply "Minita". I was 16 years old when I first saw the real force of nature. I was a teacher's assistant at the local primary school at that time, when nature taught me my greatest lesson. I was the oldest daughter of Miss Dominga and Mr. Peter Young and the older sister of Wilhem, Doglas, Nora, and Madeline.

Madeline, my youngest sister, was sky flying with fever. My parents were concerned for Madelin's health, so my father hired Mr. Hernan Perez to transport my mother, Madelin and myself to Corozal Town despite the weather conditions. Madeline needed to see a doctor as her fever was only increasing. We knew that Janet was on its way to Belize, but Madelin's life was also in jeopardy and we needed to move quickly.

We departed for Corozal Town at around 2 pm on that stormy afternoon. I clearly remember that the weather was already harsh at the time we left. We were afraid but we were more concerned for Madelins's well-being. Our journey to Corozal was only supposed to be an hour and a half boat ride but it took forever due to the stormy weather. The sea was angry and roaring, announcing Janet's arrival. The boat moved like a paper boat indefensive at the angry bay. The entire journey to Corozal was a horrible experience itself, but that's nothing compared to what would happen next.

The rain had been cascading down for many hours but that wasn't stopping Mr. Hernan that evening. We knew that something strange was happening when we had first heard about the storm back home. The normal, distant rumble of thunder had been accompanied by a strange wind, almost a whooshing sound. The only time we have heard a noise like that before was when we had strong cold fronts. We stared up at the remarkable view behind us, and we knew this would be something historical, something horrendous. As we traveled across the bay, our minds were still thinking on Madeline and prayers for her. It was a tough, unforgettable, scary journey. We almost capsized, but we managed to reach the town before Janet's grand appearance.

As we arrived, Mom hired a taxi and headed straight to the clinic to try to give medical attention to Madeline. To our disappointment, the clinic was closed and so we had to go to a private doctor. When we reached the doctor's house he was already on his way out. He was safeguarding his medications and equipments before Janet's landfall. He hurriedly checked Madeline and gave her a shot. He told us that she would be fine, but in reality this shot changed Madelin's life forever. It was impossible to return home that evening. Janet was here and she was already demonstrating her mighty strength. We sheltered at a family friend's house. Janet began her destruction on this quite beautiful little town. The gusty winds began tearing down everything in its path. The noises outside were as horrifying as the shaking of the house we were sheltering. We thought the roof was going to fly off or drop over our heads. Janet was already tearing and dismantling our shelter! We stayed close to Mom and silently prayed to God. The house was weak and we knew it wouldn't withstand the entire night. We were worried and we didn't know what to do. Thankfully, later that night the storm ceased down; we were in the eye of Janet. We took that 5 minutes of calm to look for the new shelter. We all ran to the

police station right next to the sea. The sea was still angry but the gusty winds were gone.

We were greeted by the entire town at the shelter. The place was so packed that it seemed as if the entire town was in this building alone. The police station was so packed that we were unable to move or stretch a hand or two. People were all standing packed like a can of sardines. People were against the wall, with no space in between them. We stayed in that building for the remainder of the night, uncomfortable but safe.

No storm lasts forever and so Janet was gone in no time after the second half of the night. The aftermath was the worst I have seen and probably the worst I will see in my lifetime. Corozal Town was destroyed and only four to five buildings were left standing. We couldn't go back home that week. We had to stay in Corozal for about 2 weeks as there was no transportation and nobody was allowed to move out.

When we went back to Sarteneja, the destruction was even worst than Corozal Town, and that was because Corozal was in ruins. Sarteneja was wipped off the ground. It looked as if a Tsunami came over and had taken everything in its path, leaving only mud and dead vegetation. My description was quite accurate, Sarteneja was washed away by a powerful storm surge. Luckily Nora, Whilhem, and Dad were all alive but unfortunately, we were homeless. As for Madeline, she became cripple a few days after receiving that shot from the doctor. Madeline received a little more of the dose which caused her to stay cripple, but thanks to God she is still alive.