TCRN Staff:
The chain of tropical storms continued to saturate Costa Rica collapsing highways, overflowing rivers and flooding towns. Hundreds of people are in shelters, many lost their homes and the Central Valley is almost cut off from the rest of the country as the roads are closed down.
In San Antonio de Escazu, the river Agres and its affluents broke out of their beds, and the main road became a furious torrent. According to the commission the country cannot possibly take much more rain. In the Pacific more new tropical storms are being formed, many to grow into hurricanes.
Intense rainfall caused mudslides in Santa Ana Central Valley, destroying homes and infrastructure in the area and forcing nearly 60 people into temporary shelters.
A mudslide damaged the bridge at Calle Montoya in Cerro Chitaría on Saturday. Authorities said that, with the bridge down, they fear that water and sediment could surge down Quebrada Canoas and reach Río Uruca, endangering more homes.
Last week’s heavy rains, damage occurred in other areas such as Los Angeles de San Rafael de Heredia.
President Laura Chinchilla visited the affected area on Friday.
It was one of several stops on a half-day helicopter tour of the country in which she stopped in Parrita, San Ramón and the closed sections of the Inter-American and Caldera highways.
The rain season, which usually ends mid November is expected to last into the first week of December.
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