Shocking Photos Show Beach House Being Taken by the Ocean

A house in Monkey River, Belize, has fallen into the Caribbean Sea. As the rainy season progresses, the coastal community fears for further losses.

"It rains like this every other October," local resident Jean Castellanos told Newsweek. "Right now, the whole village is in water."

Photos taken by Castellanos show the house collapsing into the sea. "After the hurricane passed and all that rain, the sea was crazy that morning and [the house] just fell," she said.

The house had belonged to community leader Ms. Eleanor, who died before the incident. "She was like the best leader our community had," Castellanos said. "She used to fight for support for our village. Since she passed, we don't really have that cheer person to really push for our village."

Castellanos said that many of the other houses in the village were also vulnerable to the surging waves. "You have many other houses right at the waterfront," she said. "In the morning when I got up, the water was high in my room. Walking out to the front of my house, the water was at my knee!"

The rainy season in Monkey River has just begun. "October, November, December—those are all rainy season," Castellanos said. "Just imagine how crazy it will get if we get more rain.

"After Ms. Eleanor's house, [the water] is going straight to the primary school...I think eventually when the water hits the school we will have to have school in the hurricane shelter."

After years of coastal erosion, rising sea levels and extreme weather, the Monkey River community is suffering severely from the effects of climate change. "Rainy seasons a couple of years back didn't affect us like this," Castellanos said. "It's only in the past five to seven years, it has just got worse and worse."

The community has called out for support from local officials, but so far nothing has been put in place. "If we had rafts and sandbags maybe it would be different...They told us they would come and help, but it's just a story," Castellanos said. "Eventually, I will have to move from here—it's not getting any better because we are not getting the help we need."

The rising water has had economic consequences for the community too: "Everyone here works in the sea or in tourism," Castellanos said. "If you go now and say you want to borrow a loan for your house from the bank, I don't think they will give it to us because they will say Monkey River is eroding, we won't have any value for your house."

Castellano's photos were shared by marine conservationist, Rachel Graham, on Facebook. In the post, she said: "Climate change is here. It's no longer at our doorstep, it has taken our doorstep. And in Ms Eleanor's case, it is taking the whole house."