Over 2, 400 small and medium producers have
lost their crops in the province of Limon due to the last
flooding this first
week of February 2009. A total of more than 6,400 acres were affected. This
number
doesn’t include the banana fields from the big banana companies in the
country. Winds were up to the speed of 100 kilometers per hour. Temperatures reached 13 degrees Celsius were usually the temperature is
25 degrees. This phenomenon has affected all of Central America, but Costa Rica
has borne the brunt of it since the country was hit really hard by catastrophic
flooding barely two months ago.
After three days of endless rain, 18 shelters
were opened last week to welcome rescued people from their endangered areas. In
total 18,000 people were affected by the flooding, 125 communities are under
water, 3,500 people were affected directly and another 15,000 indirectly
according to the National Emergency Committee in Costa Rica. Three people were
killed by being dragged by the current of the water, not in or near the rivers,
but on the main road between San Jose and Limón. One of the rivers submerged
the highway and trapped a motorcycle driver. He just couldn’t fight against the
power of the current.
An entire bus was dragged down the main highway when a
“rush of water” covered it with 30 passengers. Fortunately nobody died as the survivors were
forced to swim away between plantain trees. One person is still missing, and
that’s without counting the Indigenous territory where the news reporters haven’t
gone because access is nearly impossible.
These incredible news stories are all over the
local TV stations in the country. We watch them in shock and we pray for all
these people who have lost so much. Yet at the same time, we’re complaining and
suffering ourselves from the cold weather conditions. However at least we’re
safe, as we’re in a different part of the country.
Costa Rica has always been a country that knows
how to respond to these kinds of problems. Solidarity is part of our culture,
even when you hear about all these crazy events where crime, drugs and
insecurity present problems. Supposedly, we’re growing more and more distant
from each other as a culture. Not because we don’t want to talk, but because we
feel safer avoiding other people. At least that’s what they tell us.
The recent earthquake that brought us all to tears
killed 23 people. Seven are still missing. Damages are estimated in the
hundreds of millions of dollars. Four towns have been completely wiped off the
map. One of the most visited waterfalls in the country doesn’t exist anymore.
And now, for the second time in less than 2 months, flooding hits the same area. All these natural disasters have reminded us
how vulnerable we are and how everything can change in just one day. And at
same time, these disasters bring us closer together as a community.
The Bank of Costa Rica, along with channel 6
and other radio stations started a campaign to raise funds for the people affected
by the earthquake. The bank pledged to match the amount of money raised by the
campaign. More than $ 900,000 USD was raised in just a week. On top of this, more
than 364 millions of colones ($661.000 USD) were received in international help.
China, Spain, USA and the World Bank were the first to respond to the requests.
Spain donated $200,000 USD, China $100,000 USD,
USA $50,000 and the World Bank $200,000.
For the flooding on the Caribbean side of Costa
Rica last November, tons of donations were received through local organizations
and even the USA. Through seemingly endless helicopter hours, food packages and
water were delivered to the mountains of the indigenous territory where people were
trapped with nothing to eat or drink.
For the earthquake, the Colombian government
brought a special team with a helicopter to rescue people from the mountains who
were trapped in the landslides and underground.
This is just the way it is when you live in a
country like Costa Rica. We appeal to other countries’ hearts for special help.
Even when there's a crisis, we still need to ask for help.
Being a very small, “third world” country with
no army (since 1948), asking for help from more developed countries is
sometimes our only option.
When we all hear about the economic crisis
around the world, do we really think about how this is affecting the poorest
countries in the world? To some, economic crisis means to sacrifice a vacation
or to eat out less often. To less fortunate countries it means to sacrifice
food at home. And what does it mean to the people affected by these natural
disasters?
They say that it’s during tough times people
are willing to give more. If you try to make sense of this, you may find
yourself confused. Why would anyone, knowing that everything can just collapse in
a few months, still be willing to give more instead of saving more to secure
their future? Why would I want to share what I have if I don’t know if I’m
going to lose it because of this economic crisis? Would it be because we still have hopes about
the world? Do we all need these events to remind us that we’re all sharing the
same planet? What is the world trying to tell us all? Are we listening to
what’s happening or are these events just news on the TV? Who are we nowadays?
Is it too hard to cooperate “just because?” What can we do? How can we be
proactive in our relationship with the world?
Shelter in Cinchona for the people affected by the earthquake
All of us at Tropical Adventures are appealing
to the core heart of the people reading this. We’re looking for help from those
willing to share this story with others and do something about it. Tropical Adventures has been sharing three
beautiful years with the people of Bambu, one of the areas most affected by the
flooding. More than 100 volunteers have chosen this area as their project. Here
we have created beautiful unconditional friends who are happy to share their
love and humbleness with others. This is the way people live their lives in the
indigenous communities here. They just open their arms to their brothers. We’re
all humans and we’re all the same. Whatever you have, you just share it. This speaks
to the essence of the costarican people. This is why our volunteers love
spending time with our host families, getting to know the communities and
experiencing a sense of belonging. If you visit these areas, this is what you
get. Is this worth saving? Are they worth helping?
Once,
the president of Uruguay in 1989 said: “Wherever there’s a costarican, wherever he is, there’s
freedom.”
Help us again to bring joy and hope to the people
affected by the flooding in Talamanca. Please, give us a chance to let these
people know that, even in spirit, you’re with them and that you don’t feel
sorry for them. You share in their pain and you support them.
If you’re reading this and want to help out
here are some suggestions.
·
Daily
Food supplies (rice, beans, grains, pasta, salt, coffee, sugar, toilet paper,
cans, oil, and cookies)
·
First
aid kits and basic medicines
·
Clothes for all sizes
Please contact us toll-free at 1-800-832-9419 from
the US or Canada, or internationally at +(506) 25-74-4412, or send us an email
to info@tropicaladventures.com