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Special Bulletin issued by AM Costa Rica @ 4:40 PM today:

Pacific coast and Nicoya Peninsula face heavy flooding
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
(4:40 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, 2005)


Costa Rican officials evacuated some 486 persons today in Guanacaste due to heavy rains.

The emergency was declared in Hojancha, Nandayure, Nicoya and Santa Cruz on the Nicoya Peninsula. The Río Las Palmas and the Río Morote were continuing to rise in the vicinity of Filadelfia, and officials there expected to evacuate more persons. Filadelfia is on Route 21, the major highway from Liberia to Santa Cruz along the backbone of the peninsula.

Shelters were opened in Santa Cruz, Nosara,
Honjancha, Filadelfia and in Tárcoles. Meanwhile, the community of Ostional de Santa Cruz with its 760 residents has been cut off by flooding rivers there.

The Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias has issued a warning for the entire Pacific coast to stay alert in the face of heavy rains which are expected to continue through the night, according to the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional.

Ironically, Filadelfia was supposed to be the site today for a massive earthquake disaster simulation. But the simulation was moved to north central Costa Rica when the real flooding emergency took place.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Update on flooding on Pacific Coast of CR:

From Inside Costa Rica Sunday September 25.

Hurricane Rita Indirectly Affects Costa Rica's Pacific Coast: 11 Missing, 600 Evacuated
The "indirect" effect of Hurricane Rita was felt in the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica with 11 missing and more than 600 evacuated from their homes, 19 communities flooded, houses torn down, mud slides in many area, bridges damaged by the strong currents and cars and trees strewn about.

The hardest hit was the town of Quepso, were 110 people had to be evacuated and most of the downtown area flooded. Emergency crews had a difficult time to get those stranded, however, by late afternoon a helicopter was able to rescue a number of people, including two pregnant women and and elderly woman in San Cristóbal, according to the Comisión Nacional de Emergencias (CNE)

Comisión Nacional de Emergencias also called a "red" alert for the district of Aguirre, which includes Quepos, The "yellow" warning continues for the Guanacaste region.

Alexánder Solís, CNE operations chief, says Tthe situation is critical. We have the resources to attend to the emergencies, but the weather is making the situation difficult." In some cases it is taking up to two hours by helicopter to reach those affected.

Mudslides have also caused the closing some routes, like kilometre 196, about 6 kilometres ahead of Palmar Norte. Ruta 2 or the Interamerican highway has experienced problems in the southern zone. Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT) work crews are working around the clock to re-open or clear up the affected areas.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Just got off the phone with friends in the Dominical/Matapalo areas. The rains are devastating the coast south of Quepos. After 30" of rain Mon-Thu the region experienced up to 37" rainfall on Friday.

The small town of Silencio is buried in mud or washed down the mountain. The town of Portalon is completly destroyed.

This is a sparcely populated region with poor communications and little or no local governance. Many months may pass until the communities are up and running again.

My prayers are with the residents of this stricken area.