$69 million estimated for repairs after November’s storms

Costa Rica’s Ministry of Housing (MIVAH) estimates that home repairs or reconstruction due to November’s deadly storms will cost $69 million.

The ministry announced this week that officials began evaluations in the first week of November. Engineers and architects have inspected 1,050 of the 1,746 homes that were destroyed or damaged by indirect rains brought on by Hurricane Thomas. Floods and landslides in early November forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate their homes. The ministry did not issue a timeline on when they expect to complete the inspections. 

Most of the homes will require repairs to damage caused by flooding, according to the ministry. The greatest cost will come from purchasing new lots and rebuilding houses to replace structures that have been deemed uninhabitable.