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The
Commission has a budget of
₡4 billion colones, about
$6,725,800, from the
National Emergency Fund to
address any emergency
situation. / CNE
courtesy photo
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National
Emergency Commission prepares
for arrival of green season’s
heavy rain
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By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
Before the
arrival of the rainy season,
also known as the green
season, the National
Emergency Commission (CNE)
is prepared to address the
situations that may arise
based on the rain forecasts
that the National
Meteorological Institute has
made.
At a press conference,
Alexander Solís, president
of the CNE, said that
efforts have been linked
with the support of
approximately 18,000
officials from different
first response institutions
which seek to mitigate the
impact of and give an
effective response to the
people and communities that
may be affected by the
rains.
The CNE
has a budget of ₡4 billion
colones, about $6,725,800,
from the National Emergency
Fund to address any
emergency situation.
Before the beginning of the
rainy season in different
regions of the country, the CNE
planned for the season and
organized a four part
response to reduce the
impact of rain in the
communities usually heavily
impacted.
The first part is activation
of the alert and monitoring
mechanisms, which includes
the close coordination with
the Meteorological
Institute, for the
declaration of Green, Yellow
and Red alerts.
The CNE
also carries out
surveillance in 1,462
communities identified as
vulnerable, through daily
monitoring of the weather
and conditions of rivers and
surveillance for landslides.
The information is issued by
650 radio stations placed in
strategic points of the
country.
The second part is the
organization and
coordination with the
institutions dedicated to
the prevention of and
attention to emergencies in
the country through the
Emergency Operations Center,
which are 90 Municipal
Emergency Committees.
The third part is the
provision of first response
inputs by the institutions,
which aims to provide
efficient assistance to the
population threatened or
affected by the floods.
The CNE
has 54 warehouses and an
inventory of facilities
arranged as temporary
shelters in each canton,
which include local
resources such as blankets,
foams, chainsaws, etc., the
acquisition of items for
permanent stock such as
boats, and the inventory of
local suppliers among other
tasks.
The last part is informing
the people about the
meteorological phenomena,
the preparedness measures,
and the probable and
existing emergency states.
As part of the preventive
actions, the CNE
invested more than ₡8
billion colones, about
$13,451,600, for
construction of drainage,
purchase of machinery and
prevention, in areas with
greater vulnerability to
floods and landslides.
According to the report of
the National Meteorological,
the presence of the El Niño
phenomenon during most of
the year means that the
rainy season will bring
between 10 percent and 30
percent less rain in
Guanacaste.
In the Central Valley, the
central and southern Pacific
coast, rainfall is expected
to decrease between 10
percent and 20 percent.
In the North Zone and the
Atlantic coast, the
Caribbean, no decrease in
rainfall is expected in
comparison to last year.
In relation to the hurricane
season, the meteorologist
reports that a lower number
of storms is expected than
last year.
With the goal of avoiding
emergencies, the CNE
makes recommendations such
as:
- Keep the ditches and yards
clean so that the rainwater
runs smoothly into drainage,
helping to prevent damage
and leaks in your home.
- Pick up garbage so that it
is not a problem on public
roads.
- Try to keep solvents,
oils, acids or corrosive
liquids from falling into
the sewer pipes where they
can cause deterioration.
- Organize with your
neighbors to clean up rivers
or streams to avoid
flooding.
- Periodically check the
drainage around your home,
making sure it is not
clogged and that the water
runs freely.
- Stay informed through
official means of
communication about weather
conditions and the
recommendations of the
Commission.
- In case there is a natural
phenomenon causing possible
danger, such as floods,
landslides, report it to
9-1-1.
- Organize a group of
neighbors in your community
that are vigilant to any
possible situation of risk
from the rains.
On Thursday May 9, as A.M.
Costa Rica reported, the CNE
announced the increase of
heavy rains in the nation
due to the presence of the
Inter-tropical Convergence
Zone over the country.
The Inter-tropical
Convergence Zone,ITCZ, known
by sailors as the doldrums
or the calms because of its
monotonous, windless
weather, is the area where
the northeast and southeast
trade winds converge. The
ITCZ appears as a band of
clouds, usually
thunderstorms, that encircle
the globe near the Equator.
Variation in the location of
the ITCZ
drastically affects rainfall
in many equatorial nations,
resulting in the wet and dry
seasons of the tropics
rather than the cold and
warm seasons of higher
latitudes. Longer term
changes in the ITCZ
can result in severe
droughts or flooding in
nearby areas.
Due to the current
conditions, typical of the
beginning of the rainy
season in the South Pacific,
Central Pacific, North
Pacific, and Central Valley,
there should be heavy
showers in the afternoons
that can be extended until
late at night, so people
should be alert especially
in areas of high risk due to
floods and landslides.
At present, the areas of
major risk are the northern
Atlantic zone and the
Atlantic coastal zone. For
this reason, the CNE
has declared a green alert
in the province of Limón*
and the north-east area of
the provinces of Cartago*,
Heredia*,
and Alajuela*.
The AM Costa Rica team calls
on readers to share this
alert among their contacts.
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Have you organized an
emergency monitoring
committee in your community?
Send your
comments to: news@amcostarica.com
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