The Government of Costa Rica decrees a national emergency due to heavy rains

( Spanish) – The Government of Costa Rica declared a national emergency due to the intense rains affecting the country and the probability of floods and landslides in the most affected areas, especially the Pacific, with a red alert since Tuesday. The Central Valley, the Northern region and the northern Caribbean of this country remain under orange alert, while the southern Caribbean is under yellow alert.

President Rodrigo Chaves and the Minister of the Presidency, Laura Fernández, signed the decree that was published this Wednesday in the official newspaper La Gaceta.

The declaration indicates that the measure is due to the intense rainfall resulting from several factors, among them, the indirect influence of Hurricane Rafael, the proximity of the intertropical convergence zone and the remnants of the passage of tropical wave No. 45. The decree takes effect as of this Wednesday in 20 cantons, the majority in the provinces of Guanacaste and Puntarenas, on the Pacific side.

The declaration expedites the response of State institutions in the hiring, rehabilitation and reconstruction processes to address the affected areas. The Minister of the Presidency, on a working tour of the southern zone – among the most affected – said that “all State institutions through the National Emergency Commission (CNE) direct resources towards emergency response.” ”.

The official added that the declaration consists of three phases, and that at this time the Government is concentrating on the first, with the care of people, the provision of shelters and roads.

The CNE reported that there are 1,440 people distributed in 31 shelters.

For its part, the Red Cross records two people who died, a young university student when a tree branch fell on him due to heavy rains and a child who died in his home as a result of a landslide. The institution also reports four missing people, two in the Greater Metropolitan Area and another two in Guanacaste.

Daniel Poleo, meteorologist at the National Meteorological Institute (IMN), told that there were regions in the country where it rained about 1,000 liters per square meter between November 4 and 10. He added that the country will be affected by a tropical depression – which will possibly become Tropical Storm Sara – that formed in Honduras and will generate more rain in the coming days.