A tornado ripped the roofs off of more than 20 houses in the low-income San José neighborhood of La Carpio Thursday, leaving their owners among the many in the Central Valley whose homes have been damaged by recent violent weather, according to a statement from the National Emergency Commission (CNE).

Additionally, flooding caused by torrential rains damaged more than 80 homes in the Alajuela communities of San Rafael, La Guácima and El Roble, the statement said.

The commission has invested about ¢5 million ($9,615) in assisting La Carpio and these Alajuela communities. Emergency workers have brought sheets of zinc to repair damaged houses and provided food, blankets and other supplies to families affected.

This inclement weather follows a series of floods, landslides and a tornado that occurred this month, hurting cantons around the Central Valley including Belén and Alajuelita. President Oscar Arias last week ordered a state of national emergency to free up funds to aid those affected (TT, June 22).

-Tico Times