More than 3,000 people are housed across 52 shelters after flooding and infrastructure damage across Costa Rica, President Carlos Alvarado reported Sunday night.
The leader said he and other authorities will visit some of the affected areas on Monday now that the most dangerous conditions have subsided.
“During the present emergency, one of the priority tasks is the protection of the families impacted by the floods,” said the National Emergency Commission (CNE).
“For this reason, through inter-institutional work, today [Sunday] the care of a total of 3,000 people in 52 shelters is guaranteed. They are provided comprehensively, psychosocial and health care and food, including the vaccination process.”
The following areas were affected the most:
- The Caribbean: Matina, Limon, Valle de la Estrella, Sixaola and Cahuita.
- The canton of Turrialba, Cartago.
- The Northern Zone: Sarapiquí, Upala and Guatuso.
Of particular importance is Route 36 (pictured above), the primary connection between the southern Caribbean and the rest of Costa Rica. The Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) on Monday hopes to install a Bailey bridge over La Estrella River.
“The buildable bridge will connect the highway to the bridge, that is, it will replace the approach fill undermined by the rains, and that connects the highway with the existing structure. In this way, traffic on National Route 36 can be recovered,” MOPT said.
The canton of Turrialba has received 720 mm of rainfall this month, the most for any July since 1942, when IMN began tracking these data.
“We cannot look at this as an isolated incident. These rains, these extreme phenomena are related to climate change, to which we must adapt,” said President Alvarado.
At least one person has died due to the rainfall and flooding. The body of a 60-year-old, drowned by the swollen river, was found Sunday in Horquetas de Sarapiquí, La Nacion reported.
