Floods Wash Out Cartago, East of San José

Torrential rains washed over the eastern province of Cartago Wednesday, wiping out nine bridges, flooding at least 300 houses and leading the National Emergency Commission (CNE) to declare a red alert for the canton of El Guarco and the center of Cartago.

Water rushing down from mountainous areas of Llano Grande de Cartago caused ReventadoRiver to overflow and damage everything in its path.

About 330 people had to evacuate their homes; some of them took shelter in centers established by the CNE in La Lima, El Guarco and Quircot, while others headed to relatives’ homes outside the flooded area, according to a statement from the CNE.

The commission dispatched teams of geologists and engineers around the province to assess damages caused by the “avalanche of water” that washed over the province, the statement said.

CNE president Daniel Gallardo lamented poor planning that’s allowed for construction on top of riverbeds as the cause of Wednesday’s destruction.