Heavy rains flood several communities in three provinces

Heavy rains and strong gusts of wind on Monday afternoon caused dozens of incidents including flooding, downed trees, flying roofs and power outages in three provinces, mainly in Cartago.

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) reported Monday evening that winds had ripped down several trees, some of which fell on vehicles at the campus of the Costa Rican Institute of Technology (TEC). Rains flooded several classrooms, corridors, offices and parking lots.

TEC Rector Julio Calvo Alvarado‏ confirmed in a public statement that the university evacuated some of the buildings on campus at around 3:30 p.m.

Floods in other areas

The CNE received 20 reports of flooding caused by rains and roofs removed by high winds in the communities of Dulce Nombre, Caballo Blanco and Agua Caliente, south of Cartago.

In San Rafael de Oreamuno, in the eastern part of the province, a tree fell on power lines and caused a short circuit that left most of the community without power for several hours. Fallen trees and strong winds also caused short circuits in downtown Cartago and in the canton of El Guarco.

The Firefighters’ Department reported that they evacuated students from a public high school in Agua Caliente due to flooding and also a blind senior citizen who had been trapped by flooding inside his home.

The CNE also received reports of damage from floods in the Alajuela canton of Naranjo, and in Puerto Jiménez, in the South Pacific.

The National Meteorological Institute (IMN) forecast for Tuesday says that high temperatures during the morning, and new humidity coming into the country from the sea, will cause more rains and thunderstorms in the afternoon and the evening. The IMN expects the heaviest showers and storms across the Central Valley, the Southern Pacific, the Northern Zone and the mountainous areas of the Caribbean region.