Green Country Parents Worried About Daughter Serving In Belize During Hurricane Beryl

As Hurricane Beryl moved towards the coast of Belize, many folks worried about their safety, including some Broken Arrow parents whose daughter was stationed in Belize for the Peace Corps.

Becca Hembrey joined the Peace Corps in September 2023 and got stationed in Belize. She became the Warden of Southern Belize for the Peace Corps and was responsible for keeping other volunteers there safe during the hurricane.

"Hello, Hi Becca! Hi mom!" Becca Hembrey said on a phone call with her parents. 

From the comfort of their home, Russ and Carla Hembrey called their daughter.

"How are things going there?" Carla asked. 

While they looked forward to hearing about her day as a teacher in the Peace Corps, the Hembreys were concerned about Becca's safety.

"Today, we're boarding up the windows of the auditorium to make sure that it's weatherproof in case people end up needing to consolidate over here," Becca told her parents. 

"Yeah, you hate to hear that coming right towards your child," her father, Russ, said. 

Hurricane Beryl was the earliest Atlantic hurricane to grow to a category 5.

"If it gets bad enough, she says they have a plan to fly them back to the States, if necessary," Carla said. 

"What's the weather like?" her mother said.

"Well, it's pretty chill right now. It looks like the hurricane won't hit until Thursday, but it also looks like it changed trajectory a little bit, and it's going to probably be north of us," Becca said to her parents. 

Even though the town of Dangriga didn't look like it would take a direct hit, Becca said the people living there were nervous.

"This is the earliest hurricane to happen in years, so it's going to be a pretty active hurricane season overall, so I think that's more the reason they're nervous is they're afraid they're going to get hit multiple times," said Becca. 

While her parents would continue to check in with her, they were proud of what she was doing.

"That's really always been her goal has been to travel and to serve, and she's doing that right now. We're very proud of her," Carla said.