Umbrella’s Won’t Do You Much Good During a Costa Rica Rain Shower!

The recent increase in rainfall throughout the Pacific coast and Central Valley of Costa Rica is just a taste of what is to come, according to national weather authorities. More heavy rainfall is on its way, and it is apparently going to stay this way without much relief until mid-November. At least five more tropical storms are expected this season, and any one of these could become a hurricane, stirring up the Caribbean waters and altering weather patterns all throughout Central America and the Caribbean islands.

The Pacific Coast is the generally the most affected area on the Costa Rica map, however the Central Valley has had its share of showers which have led to dropping temperatures in the capital region. The National Emergency Commission (CNE) is on the alert and is ready to cover the areas that are on the high-risk list, like those of the South and Central Pacific, Guanacaste and the Central Valley. It seems that whatever they do, however, it is never enough or help always arrives too late.

Areas of high risk are generally low-lying areas and those traversed by rivers. Locals that live in the proximity of a river must always be on guard for abrupt changes in the water levels that could be the precursor to flash floods, which take everything in their path. Several towns that get hit hard every year are Parrita in the Pacific, and Filadelfia, in the Carrillo canton of Guanacaste. The locals do not have any where else to go or any money to move, yet year after year, they lose what little possessions they have, every year they have to start again what they never get a chance to finish, and what is being done to help these poor people?

Landslides are also a menace and if possible it is best to avoid areas where they can occur. While it is difficult to predict where and when this will happen, areas susceptible to landslides are those where trees have been cut down, including many sections of the Interamerican Highway and areas around recent hillside developments. Cutting so many trees should not be allowed to begin with as they serve a crucial purpose by holding in loose earth. When removed, heavy rains cause mud and sediment to wash over roads, homes and into rivers and the ocean, causing pollution and traffic problems.

Costa Rica has two seasons it could be said, the rainy season and the dry season. The rains usually first appear after the Easter Holidays around the end of April. Frequent showers alternate with sunshine, and come July, the locals enjoy what they call the “veranito”, or little summer, as it seems that the rainy season is put on pause and the days are dry and breezy. In August the rains start again and by the end of September, expect downpours, with October marking the peak of the rainfall, which begins to slow through November in time for the tourist season to start again.

The hot humid weather is chased away by cold dry winds and the tourists start arriving in great numbers, running toward the beaches of the Pacific Coast, looking for the sun and sea to escape the cold winter back home. Early birds may likely find signs of the devastation of the last floods still present, debris along the beaches and the roads full of potholes.

Each year it is the same story during the rainy season, with the same flood damage, as if this was an unusual situation and nobody was prepared! The CNE is slow to react and slow to clean up the mess, which is often still hanging around when the next season of rain fall begins. Nobody can stop the rain and it is precisely for this reason that proper measures should be taken rather than hoping for calmer skies ‘next time’. The less fortunate should receive more help with relocating, and permanent solutions should be the goal rather than the seasonal patchwork on roads and bridges.

One step in the right direction is the allocation of funds to 50 cantons to refinish roads that are critical for agriculture and tourism with asphalt, rather than using lastre, the Transportation Ministry’s favorite hole-filler: a combination of dust, dirt and rocks that get rolled over roads all over the country to stabilize them until the next heavy rains.

This post's rating:

Related Stories

Filed under: Living on October 1st, 2008