500 New Homes Need To
Be Built Following
Earthquake, Says Housing
Minister
The Comisión Nacional de
Emergencia (CNE) said
Wednesday that there are
812 homes damaged by
last Thursday's
earthquake, 360 of which
are totally destroyed.
The Ministerio de
Vivienda (Housing
Ministry) estimates that
it will be necessary to
build some 500 new homes
in the earthquake
affected area.
The reason for the
building of new homes is
that, even though the
damage is partial, the
families cannot return
to them as there still
exists a high risk of
more damage during the
aftershocks.
The CNE also said that
of yesterday it was
housing 2.238 people in
21 shelters.
The president of the CNE,
Daniel Gallardo, said
that the rescue and
recovery efforts will
continue until Sunday.
Gallardo added that the
mobilization of
personnel to the area
has decreased as the
situation is under
control, as the
Ministerio de Obras
Públicas y Transportes (MOPT)
has been successful in
re-opening many of the
routes affected by the
land and mud slides.
Today the Fábrica el
Ángel will be beginning
production again and
there is access to the
Watefalls gardens, an
impossibility only a few
days ago.
"The idea is to maintain
rescue crews in some
areas until further
notice as efforts to
identify the missing
continues. We will keep
searching at least until
Sunday, then withdraw
while keeping a low
profile in the area",
explained Gallardo.
Gallardo added that the
low profile is part of
the second phase of
operations as calm
returns to the area
altough "not all has
been resolved".
To cheer up the hundreds
affected by the
earthquake, former
Formula 1 driver and 8
times winner, Michael
Schumacher, visited some
of the shelters in the
area including the one
in Poasito.
Schumacher is in Costa
Rica on a call
from Transportes
minister, Karla
Gonzalez, as part of a
safe driving campaign.
Schumacher and Gonzalez
toured the earthquake
zone by helicopter
before visiting the
shelters.
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