Heavy Rain And Flooding Continues
The heavy rain and tropical storms are keeping the Comisión Nacional de Emergencias (CNE) - National Emergency Commission - very busy as they attend to communities in the Central Valley, the southern Pacific and the southern Caribbean.

The heavy downpours have caused and continue to cause flooding of low lying areas, damaging hundreds of homes build in the flood zones. Two tornadoes last week took the roof off homes in Cartago and Alajuelita that damaged some 3.000 homes, 250 of them "severely" damaged.

In the Central Valley, the area most affected by the rain are the cantones of San Antonio de Belé and Flores, both in Heredia and part of Alajuela, who are on "red" alert because of potential flooding.

Authorities in Belén say that the bridges are becoming a major problem for the area, as they act as stoppers for the rushing waters to back up and flood. The mayor of Belén said that a clean up of the river Quebrada Seca and its bridges will be carried out to ease the potential flooding.

The CNE is asking residents near rivers to keep a vigil eye on rising waters levels.

To help out the affected, the CNE and the Cruz Roja (Red Cross) have brought in sheets of zinc, a ton of nails and other materials costing in excess of ¢60 million colones (us$116.000 dollars) to repair the damages. The Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social (IMAS) - social assistance institute - is coordinating with the CNE for emergency funding for the affected families.

Once the rain begins, the water levels rise so fast and without warning that the rivers overflow their banks, storm sewers and ditches back up and the roads and low lying areas flood.

In other locations around the Central Valley and the country,  24 bridges have been damaged, four completely destroyed by the raging waters. The areas affected are Bambú in Desamparados; Santa Fe in San Carlos; Calle Monge in Turrúcares; Calle Tejarcillo  and Pedra Fuego in Alajuelita.

A help fund has been set up at the Banco Nacional and those wanting to give financial aid to the affected can make a deposit to account number 4172- 0 at any  branch of the Banco Nacional de Costa Rica.