The strong storm that has hit the country since the weekend killed three people and 30 communities remained isolated yesterday due to flooding and landslides. That was the count made Monday afternoon, the authorities of the National Emergency Commission (CNE). According to the report, 16 people incommunicado are located in the cantons of Paradise, Jimenez and Turrialba (Cartago). Other sites affected are in Matina, Talamanca and Limón on the Caribbean.
In other 20 localities that were isolated was possible to reopen the access, explained Walter Fonseca, head of operations of the CNE.
Fonseca emphasized that, in total, the storm has beaten over 100 communities.
He also reported that they remained open 28 shelters, where 1,871 people remained. Another 17 shelters have already been closed and the victims were able to return to their homes, said the Commission.
Fonseca said the hardest hit areas are Matina and Talamanca, the latter, very difficult to access.
The official said yesterday it had invested about ¢ 125 million in primary care emergency.
Authorities have not yet determined the cost of damages.
The heavy rains are caused by a low pressure system over Central America.
Yesterday, the National Meteorological Institute (IMN) announced that the rains could continue.
As a result, the CNE decided to keep the yellow alert in Talamanca, Siquirres, Limón center, Jimenez, Paradise, and Turrialba. The other affected areas remain under green alert.
Lives lost. Yesterday, authorities located the bodies of two youths who had been washed away in Estrada de Matina, Limón.
This is Gilbert Martinez Zamora (25 years) and Salvador Gomez Velasquez (21 years), two banana farm workers who were missing since Saturday.
The cruzrojistas located the first one (Zamora) at about 7 am, about two miles away from where it was washed away.
Meanwhile, the body of Gomez was found in a field of cane, according to aid workers.
According to the account given by relatives, the young men were friends and worked on the farm Agrodisa in that area.
Jose Rosales, one of his friends, narrated that on that day they were to share with others.
Apparently, when returning home passed through a small bridge, one of them lost his balance and fell into the water, so the other tried to help and both were swept away.
The other victim is a woman who suffered a cardiac arrest after being buried for eight hours on Christmas Eve of Turrialba embankment.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) reported that work on repairing the roads.The closed roads are Route 36, which communicates with Sixaola Lemon, obstructed, in the field of Cataract; Route 10, between Siquirres and Turrialba, the 224, Paraiso-Orosi, and 225, Cachi-Tucurrique-La Suiza.
