The relentless rains plaguing Costa Rica this month have moved to the northwestern Guanacaste province, where about 800 people remained in shelters yesterday after being preventively evacuated from their homes.

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) Monday placed Guanacaste under a red alert when the Nosara and Tempisque rivers overflowed, flooding communities including Filadelfia, Carrillo, Nandayure, Hojancha, Santa Cruz, Liberia, Nosara and Nicoya.

The CNE opened 14 shelters in Guanacaste, and shelters also remain open in Santa Ana, west of San José; Atenas, northwest of San José; and the central Pacific towns of Parrita and Tárcoles. A total of 1,367 people have been evacuated from their homes by the CNE and are staying in these shelters.

A red alert remains in effect for Guanacaste as well as Parrita, while the rest of the country is under a yellow alert except the Caribbean, where the alert remains at the green, preventive level.

Those who want to help flood victims can make donations to the CNE to following bank accounts: Banco de Costa Rica account numbers 118281-1 in dollars and 91100-3 in colones or Banco Nacional account number 911-8 in colones.

Non-perishable food items, personal hygiene items and other goods can be donated to the Red Cross.

-Tico Times