Authorities ask for donations for people affected by Hurricane Eta

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For more than 72 hours of continuous rains as a result of the indirect influence of the Tropical Depression Eta.
- Ministry of Transports and Red Cross photos -

Published Monday, November 9, 2020

Authorities ask for donations for
people affected by Hurricane Eta

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

"Families affected by ETA need everyone's help," authorities of the National Emergency Commission said to collect donations that would be delivered to people affected by the floods caused by the side effects of the passage of Hurricane Eta over Central America last week.

People who wish to donate food or hygiene products must fill out a form to register the donation on the Commission's website.

The commission, in coordination with the Red Cross, will be setting up sites for the collection of donations. Site locations have not been announced.

Eta caused deaths, floods, destruction of houses and roads in the country.

One of the areas most affected by the rains was the southern zone of the country, where there were two victims on Thursday.

According to the Red Cross rescuers' report, an emergency call was received on Thursday morning about a house that was destroyed by a huge landslide in the community of Agua Buena, Coto Brus Canton, southern zone of Puntarenas Province. At 11:38 a.m. officials confirmed the identification of victims, a U.S. citizen from California, surnamed LaDuke, 69, and his wife, a Costa Rican woman surnamed Sanchez, 50.

In addition to the death of the spouses, local channels reported that the maid also died at the scene. However, this version has not been confirmed by the authorities yet.

After a week of rains that caused massive landslides and floods in the country, the families who were protected in shelters are already beginning to return to their homes, due to the improvement in the weather, the commission reported.

Of the 2,056 people who remained in temporary shelters, a total of 386 people have returned to their homes. However, there are still people housed in 56 temporary shelters that were set up mainly in the southern zone of the country.

Commission officials supplied 5,544 families with food and hygiene products.

Among the areas most affected by floods are the communities on the Pacific Coast, such as Ciudad Neily, Aguabuena, Osa, Golfito, Pérez Zeledón, Coto Brus, Buenos Aires and Corredores.

In these communities, the rescue groups reported large numbers of floods, road damage, landslides and river overflows.

Also, 1,600 hectares of crops are registered with severe damage. Likewise, more than 1,500 units of cattle were moved after the flooding of the land where they grazed.

Despite the improvement in the climate, due to the hurricane leaving the Central American zone, the alerts are still in place because of risks of landslides due to the saturation of water in the soils.

The authorities maintain the status of Red Alert for cantons in Puntarenas Province, such as Parrita, Quepos, Corredores, Coto Brus and Golfito. As well as in Guanacaste Province the cantons such as Nicoya, Nandayure and Hojancha.

Red Alert is established when a threat increases in levels of size, extension or severity, requiring mobilization of all the necessary resources to attend to emergencies. Under this alert, the rescue organization proceeds to evacuate and secure the affected population.

Orange Alert status is in place for the northern zone of Pacific Coast (Guanacaste Province) and Central Pacific Coast (central zone of Puntarenas Province). This alert is established when a high-risk situation can cause an emergency for the people in a specific area.

A Yellow Alert was established for the northern zone of Alajuela Province, southern Pacific Coast and the Central Valley.

The alert status serves as an announcement for the rescue forces to prepare for an increased danger of a natural phenomenon that will affect the population in a specific region.

The Green Alert was put into place for the Caribbean Coast (Limón Province). This alert is given when it is anticipated that a meteorological phenomenon endangers a specific area in the country. The authorities activate the community's emergency commissions to take action due to the danger related to the alert.

On Thursday, authorities reported 304 landslides in the country. According to a report by the Ministry of Transport, multiple mud and rock landslides, as well as falling trees have kept several roads closed, such as routes 2,3, 158, 160, 163, 237, 605, 606, 613, 901, 915 and 934.

Other important roads also affected were routes 14, 34, 130, 141, 150, 242, 243, 245, 301, 328, 415, 617, and 903. B because of the possible dangers, officials regulated traffic with minimal passage of vehicles.

Due to the high risk of rains and saturation of water in the soils, specialists stress the following to avoid accidents, damage to structures and emergencies during the green season:

• Keep the roof of your house clean.

• Clear a path in the backyard allowing rainwater to move without problems toward the drainage, which helps to avoid damages and leaks in the house.

• Pick up the garbage so that it does not fall on the pipes or drains on the sidewalks.

• Avoid that solvents, oils, acids or corrosive liquids fall into the sewer pipes and deteriorate them.

• Organize the cleaning of public areas such as river banks in your community to avoid flooding.

• Report the lack of concrete caps or grids in the pipes to the Aqueduct Institute by calling 2547-6555.

Authorities call on the public to take the following precautionary measures:

• Stay informed about the alerts issued by the authorities.

• People living in mountain areas should increase precautionary measures against a possible landslide or material falling from the high areas of the hills.

• Have an emergency evacuation plan in the community, work and home.

• Drivers must increase precautions for heavy rain and fog.

• Take precautionary measures in case of electrical storms.

• Be alert in vulnerable areas to flooding due to sewer saturation or increase of river flow.

• In case of a thunderstorm, take refuge in a safe place.

• In case of strong wind gusts, be alert to possible falling tree branches or electrical cables.

• In the event of a landslide, do not walk on the debris, stay away from affected areas, and do not return home until authorities verify that it is a safe place.

Authorities ask for the people to call 911 to report any possible flooding, fallen trees or landslides in the country.

On Sunday, experts from the National Hurricane Center reported that hurricane Eta affected Cuba and could arrive on the coast of Florida on Monday morning. Eta is forecasted to pass near or over the Florida Keys before moving into the Gulf of Mexico between Monday night and Tuesday.

A.M. Costa Rica urges readers to share this alert with their contacts.

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What have you heard of people who need support from the Emergency Commission in your community? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com