Mudslide Wipes Out Bridge in Santa Ana

Intense rainfall caused mudslides in the western San José suburb of Santa Ana, destroying homes and infrastructure in the area and forcing nearly 60 people into temporary shelters.

On Saturday, a mudslide damaged the bridge at Calle Montoya in Cerro Chitaría, just above Salitral, among the worst affected areas in the recent rainstorms. Municipal authorities told the daily La Nación that, with the bridge down, they fear that water and sediment could surge down Quebrada Canoas and reach Río Uruca, endangering homes in the town of Paso Machete.

In last week’s heavy rains, damage occurred in other areas such as the road photographed here, on Calle Hernández, in Los Angeles de San Rafael de Heredia.

President Laura Chinchilla, who lives in Santa Ana but on the other side of Salitral, visited the affected area on Friday. It was one of several stops on a half-day helicopter tour of the country in which she stopped in Parrita, San Ramón and the closed sections of the Inter-American and Caldera highways (see separate story for road update).

The purpose of her trip was to ensure that emergency crews were equipped with needed resources and that affected families were being attended to.