A relief commission has pledged to move many of the more than 2,000 earthquake victims living in crowded shelters to temporary houses starting next week, the government announced Thursday ahead of expected rain and cooler weather.

On Jan. 8, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake, which killed at least 23 people, leveled more than 300 houses in the provinces of Heredia and Alajuela, north and northwest of San José, respectively. Since the quake, hundreds of families have taken refuge in schools, churches, or tents pitched on soccer fields.

“What we want is for the people to feel more comfortable and not suffer more from the cold front and rain,” Marco Vargas, Costa Rica's inter-institutional coordination minister, said.

Vargas, who heads the commission, said several solutions for temporary dwellings are being considered. They include the prefabricated wooden constructions used in Un techo para mi país (A roof for my country), a program that Vargas said can erect more than 200 homes in one day.

Recovery workers postponed efforts Thursday because of windy conditions, the National Emergency Commission (CNE) said. A search for the eight remaining missing people in Cinchona, virtually wiped off the map by the quake, will resume Friday, according to CNE.