Hurricane Otto's force is being felt throughout Central America as Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama have seen significant damages to their Caribbean coasts.
A harrowing Thursday evening continued into early Friday morning for hundreds of motorists trapped on the Braulio Carrillo Highway that connects San José to the Caribbean port city of Limón. Heavy rains triggered multiple landslides that stranded 380 people for hours in the dark and rain.
Officials of the National Emergency Commission (CNE) confirmed that a mudslide on Thursday night partially blocked the Sarapiqui River in north-central Costa Rica.
Experts from the National Emergency Commission (CNE) last week conducted aerial inspections of nine sites in the San José metropolitan area where ground conditions are prone to landslides during the rainy season. The inspections found that while active displacement of ground material is occurring, most of the land is currently stable.