The mayors of the flood-ravaged cantons of Guácimo and Pococí, in the northern Caribbean region, are asking the government to declare a state of emergency to facilitate aid after last week's devastating floods.
National Liberation Party (PLN) legislator Jorge Méndez told The Tico Times yesterday that he has talked with Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias, brother of President Oscar Arias, about the need for the Executive Branch to declare an emergency to speed up repairs in the region.
“The damage is seriously alarming,” Méndez said. “If the roads aren't repaired, it's going to threaten Costa Rican agricultural products and even exports, such as banana, pineapple and ornamental plants” from the region that are exported from the Caribbean port of Limón. This, in turn, would affect the area's employment and overall economy.
Floods caused by torrential rains damaged more than 100 bridges in the Northern Zone and Caribbean, National Emergency Commission (CNE) Director Daniel Gallardo told the daily La Nación.
At least 45 bridges have been destroyed just in the cantons of Guácimo and Pococí, and some 300 kilometers of roads have also been damaged.
Cantons including Guácimo, Pococí, Siquirres and Matina, in the Caribbean, as well as the Northern Zone areas of Los Chiles and San Carlos and parts of Heredia, north of San José, are among those affected.
Floods have also damaged at least 1,000 homes, affecting an estimated 5,000 people, hundreds of whom have been forced to abandon their homes to seek shelter.
The floods are the latest spurt of nasty weather so far during this rainy season, and officials warned further heavy rains are likely.
Méndez said the Arias administration would likely announce a decision on the request to declare a state of emergency Wednesday after the President's weekly Cabinet meeting. |
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