Residents OK to return home after flooding, officials say

A noticeable decrease in rainfall prompted National Emergency Commission (CNE) officials on Thursday to give the green light for hundreds of families in six shelters to return to their homes in the northern and Caribbean regions of Costa Rica.

“Rainy conditions have declined significantly, and that has led us to take three specific actions,” CNE operations director Walter Fonseca said Thursday morning. “The first is to approve the return home of 627 people who were in emergency shelters. We also will close the shelters and were able to evaluate all 27 affected communities.”

Despite the improving weather, the CNE will maintain a yellow, or preventive, alert in five of the most affected cantons: Sarapiquí, Matina, Siquirres, Pococí, Grecia and San Carlos.

In addition to authorizing the return of evacuated residents, CNE crews are delivering food and other supplies.

“We asked residents to continue monitoring the areas prone to flooding. We hope they will follow all of our recommendations,”Fonseca said.

The National Meteorological Institute has forecast rains to return intermittently in both regions over the next few days.

President Luis Guillermo Solís on Wednesday visited several affected communities and reported the government had allocated ₡150 million ($278,000) for emergency supplies.