Day 55: National Emergency Update

Figured I’d provide an update on the National Emergency that devastated an area of San Jose last week. The nasty weather has finally stopped. It’s been nice, breezy and dry with periods of sun (of which Matt is sure to be standing in after more than one probably equally as pale New Englanders have commented on his pastiness).


On a sad note, the death toll has totaled 23, ranging from 18 to 80 year old victims, with 1 still missing. Newspapers printed memorials to the victims and showed coverage of the funerals that took place over the weekend, during the two designated Days of Mourning the President announced. We didn’t need to understand the language to grasp the devastation to the community. Over 10,000 are still displaced and roads in almost all directions are still closed. One of our favorite and first locations we visited in Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio, is in severe danger of collapse as it residents and businesses are built on mountainside threatening to crumble. They have been encouraged to evacuate until a geologist can confirm the mountain’s safety.


We ran into our rental agent last night and he informed us that he’s bringing his wife and toddler to his home country of Canada for a month as they’ve been without water and electricity since the storms. They live only 10 minutes from us. I guess we’ve been very lucky. And we were complaining about no cable.


Our road has been cleared of the power lines, trees and debris that covered it last week. The river has returned to a low level and the current speed has slowed. The ocean has also returned to normal with the exception of some extra branches washing up on the shore. I doubt our road will look the same again though. It was relatively smooth as clay-like dirt grouted the rocks into a sort of pavement. Now it’s just the bottom of an aquarium with the water dumped out which makes walking without twisting an ankle a chore. Areas where our views were once blocked by giant palms and trees are now completely open. I’d say in a few years, this road won’t exist. A few more seasons of rain like that and it wash into the ocean along with the rest of the chunks it just stole.

Note to anyone interested in purchasing property in Costa Rica: visit first during the rainiest months of the year. Only then will you really know what you’re buying. A land or swamp? House or submarine?  And if you think that you’ll save yourself from the floods by purchasing in the mountains, be prepared to vacation one year and search for your home the next.