As the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season approaches, authorities in Belize City have launched a large-scale pre-season preparedness initiative, deploying more than 130 city workers and heavy specialized equipment to clear clogged drainage systems across seven of the municipality’s most high-risk flood zones. This marks the second consecutive year the Belize City Council has run the proactive cleanup campaign, designed to reduce flood damage and protect vulnerable communities ahead of peak storm activity.
On the morning of May 21, 2026, the hum of excavators, vacuum trucks and sewer jet sweepers echoed through residential neighborhoods as crews began work clearing debris and blockages from drains that routinely overflow during heavy seasonal rains. Deputy Mayor Eluide Miller told reporters that the effort goes far beyond routine maintenance, framing it as a critical proactive step to safeguard residents before hurricane activity ramps up across the Atlantic basin.
“More than 130 Belize City Council staff are on the ground today working on this project, and we’ve brought in specialized heavy equipment to complete the work more effectively and efficiently,” Miller explained during an on-site interview. “We’re traversing every targeted neighborhood with vacuum trucks and sewer jet sweepers to make sure we are fully ready when the hurricane season begins.”
The cleanup effort has also doubled as a community outreach opportunity, allowing city council members and public health inspectors to engage directly with residents on local sanitation and proper waste disposal issues. Many locals have welcomed the intervention, speaking to longstanding struggles with chronic flooding caused by blocked drains.
Rayford Gill, a long-time resident of Santa Barbara Street, shared his experience with reporters, noting that heavy rains routinely leave his entire neighborhood submerged. “Our drainage system has been clogged for quite some time, and whenever we get real heavy showers, this whole street and surrounding area floods out,” Gill said. “What the crews are doing here today is going to be a huge help for our entire community. A lot of residents even have to take off their shoes and walk through floodwater just to get to the main boulevard on rainy days.”
Lucilla Leslie, a resident of the Lake Independence neighborhood, echoed that positive sentiment, saying she is relieved to finally see long-overdue drain clearing work in her area. “Our drain was completely clogged, and water would rise so high during storms,” Leslie said. “Now that they’ve dug out all the accumulated debris, everything is working perfectly again.”
For Malcom Burgess, a sanitation worker assigned to clean up the Caesar Ridge area, the work hits close to home — he lives just a short distance from his work site. “I’m clearing out the drains so that when a hurricane hits, residents’ homes and yards don’t fill up with excess water and debris,” Burgess explained. “We’re pulling all the trash out. This is what we’re supposed to do: keep the streets clean instead of letting them get littered and dirty, so people don’t think our community is unclean. Look at our neighborhood now — we’re cleaning it up because that’s our responsibility.”
Even retired city staff have joined the push to get neighborhoods ready. Joan Bennett, a former sanitation worker who spent more than 30 years with the Belize City Council, says keeping spaces clean is a lifelong habit that stuck with her after retirement. “I retired after 30 years working for the council, in sanitation and waste control,” Bennett said. “It got into my blood after all that time — I can’t stand to see dirt. Dirt is my worst enemy, so I always keep my space clean. Even though I live in a long barracks, I keep it spotless.”
Not every part of the day’s work went entirely according to plan, however. One resident in Caesar Ridge stayed close to crews the entire time they worked near her property, after municipal equipment damaged her home’s water pipes during last year’s cleanup campaign. “I’ve been begging them to be careful with my pipes while they dig,” the resident said. “I’m so glad they’re doing this cleanup, I just don’t want them to break my pipes. Water is such an essential thing for me, I can’t do without it.”
Shortly after she shared her concern, the feared accident happened: crews did accidentally damage the pipe. But the issue was quickly repaired with plumbing glue, turning what could have been a major problem into only a minor inconvenience — one that residents agree is well worth the long-term benefit of clear, free-flowing drainage ahead of storm season.
This report was prepared by Shane Williams for News Five.