Costa Rica Secures Aid from Inter-American Development Bank

Costa Rica secured $200,000 in aid money from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on Thursday, funds that the country had been seeking since last week when severe rainfall caused floods and landslides that claimed lives and caused widespread damage.

The money will be directed to Costa Rica’s National Emergency Commission (CNE) and will be used for humanitarian efforts such as transporting food, water and medical supplies to affected communities and evacuees in temporary shelters.

As of Thursday afternoon, 1,169 people remained in 29 temporary shelters nationwide.

Last week’s storm forced more than 4,000 people to flee their homes. Some have returned to their homes while others have moved in with family members and await damage tallies and financial aid.

The CNE maintained the red alert for the Central Pacific Coast and the San José metropolitan area Thursday in anticipation of moderate rains in the afternoon. The commission warned that the rainfall could provoke landslides or floods.

The red alert is the highest of the country’s three alert levels.