Severe Floods Hammer Costa Rica, Two Dead

Relentless rainfall in the Caribbean region caused at least two deaths amid severe flooding and major infrastructure damage in northern and eastern Costa Rica.

According to the Red Cross in Costa Rica, two people were killed and another two were missing. Some 3,000 people were forced to seek refuge from the extreme weather into emergency shelters.

Nearly a quarter of Costa Rica is under a “red alert” declared by the National Emergency Commission (CNE) for flooding and landslides, including the northern municipalities of San Carlos, Upala, Guatuso and the Caribbean zones of Limón, Matina, Talamanca, Sarapiquí and Turrialba.

Turrialba, which is 60 kilometers east of San José, received in just one day the usual amount of rain for the entire month of July, according to Mayor Luis Fernando León.

The rains were worsened by the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a band of rain encircling the globe, and humidity carried by trade winds.

By Monday, rains had let up enough that authorities were able to deliver aid to some affected areas, al Institute (IMN) said in a weekend statement.

President Carlos Alvarado said there is a decrease in rainfall and it is getting easier to access aid and work to remove debris and begin to rebuild normalcy in these communities.

The IMN forecast additional but moderate rains in the Caribbean zones and an increase in rains in the center of the country and the Pacific slope.