The National Meteorological Institute forecasts continued rains for the Caribbean and northern regions, and precipitation in the Pacific region, including Guanacaste. Currently 1,630 people forced to leave their homes by flooding and landslides are being housed in 17 shelters.
A noticeable decrease in rainfall prompted National Emergency Commission officials on Thursday to give the green light for hundreds of families in six shelters to return to their homes in the northern and Caribbean regions of Costa Rica.
The National Air Vigilance Service, the Coast Guard and the Red Cross launched a rescue operation by air, sea and land to find the missing man, who is approximately 30 years old.
Motivated by increased drownings that they perceived as preventable, a group of passionate people in this small, yet increasingly popular beach town have started their own nonprofit lifeguard program, Santa Teresa Lifeguards. They hope to not just save lives, but also to prevent dangerous situations by educating the public on water safety.
The missing U.S. man was swimming on Jacó’s main beach Sunday when a riptide pulled him out to sea, according to Red Cross spokesman Freddy Roman. The body was spotted more than 2 miles out to sea by a Aerial Vigilance Service search-and-rescue flight Friday morning.
The Red Cross usually sees a spike in requests for assistance during the holiday but this year’s death count alarmed officials even after the first weekend of the Easter vacation. The number of people the Red Cross attended to this year was more than twice that of last year.
The weekend of Palm Sunday, on March 29, is the unofficial start to spring break in Costa Rica. School lets out for the Easter holiday and those with vacation time head to the beach. Unfortunately, the weekend signaled an unusually deadly start to the festivities.
