Fall 2017 ~ Hurricane Nate October 6th

While only a tropical storm when in Costa Rica it certainly did a lot of damage here in the southern zone. It moved north and also played havoc in Nicaragua. Nate was blamed for more than 22 deaths in Central America.

The rains caused rivers to rise and major flooding and the washing out of 8 bridges in the area where Orchard del Sol is located. Rivers changed course which in turn washed away homes, land, and livestock. Here our General Viejo bridge, which had been affected back in 1996 during another hurricane, was washed completely away.

San Isidro, P.Z. was cut off of road access via the mountain pass between it and San Jose, the capital.

Three major bridges were lost. Road traffic was routed via the coastal road which resulted in 8 to 11 hour bus rides that would normally take 3 to 4 hours.

October 26th and we are still feeling affects of tropical storms and making our rainy season into a monsoon season (unusual for us on the Pacific Coast).

My Canadian friends say they heard very little about the affects of the storms here. I see that most of the published media is all about how it was going to hit the USA.

But, here in the south zone it affected many people, mostly those who are poor and have little. Mud in there homes up to their arm pits. Contaminated water supplies. No cloths. No boots or shoes.

But, Ticos are a resilient bunch. The schools were opened as hostels. Food and water was shipped in. And even today as we are being hit once again with steady rain fall there are many out there trying to make a difference in the lives of those who need help.

Check out the link for pictures and more information. And one other thing. If you are coming from Canada and can fill a suit case with clothes, do so. It does make a difference and there is always someone along your trail that will need it.

http://www.ticotimes.net/2017/10/05/tropical-storm-causes-deaths-flooding-costa-rica-region

http://www.ticotimes.net/2017/10/09/help-victims-tropical-storm-nate-costa-rica

Today is just one of those rainy days. Curl up with a book or blog! And, just to let everyone know Orchard del Sol is on high ground and other than water that dissipates quickly, it was not affected.