Thursday 22 January 2009, San José, Costa
Rica
Cinchona Isolated
Once Again Following The Earthquake
Central Bank
Predicting a 9% Inflation Rate For 2009
First Trial of New Ley
de
Tránsito Today
Ticos Prefer Civil
Marriage Over Church
Visitors To Guanacaste
Can Book Hotel On
Arrival
It's Cold Baby!
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Cinchona Isolated
Once Again Following The
Earthquake
Almost two weeks after
the 6.2 earthquake
devasted and isolated
the community of
Cinchona, the force of
nature yesterday morning
again cut off a
community that will take
years to rebuild.
Last week engineers had
placed a "bailey"
bridge, a portable
pre-fabricated truss
bridge, over a 75 metre
gap on the road between
Vara Blanca and
Cinchona, that allowed
access to the most
affect area of the
January 8 earthquake.
In the early hours of
yesterday morning,
raging waters coming
down the mountain onto
the Saripiqui river
collapsed the makeshift
bridge and once again
left Cinchona on its
own.
The Consejo Nacional de
Vialidad (Conavi) said
it will be days before a
new structure can be
erected, even though the
risks of more land and
mudslides, in addition
to the continued
aftershocks, may mean
that whatever structure
is erected may come down
again.
The Conavi was being
criticized yesterday for
erecting the temporary
bridge after it had
received warnings from
engineers that what
happened would happen.
Alejandro Molina,
executive director of
the Conavi, explained
that there is no other
solution to the problem,
notwithstanding the
risk, as there is no
other alternative route
available at this time.
Affected by the road
problems is the food
factory El Ángel,
located near Cinchona
and who production
resumed quickly after
January 8. Once again El
Ángel has to cut back on
production as employees
find a way to get to
work.
For the area the El
Ángel plant is very
important. Many people
lost their homes, but
not their jobs.
Alonso Arana of the
Fuerza Pública said
yesterday that a strong
police presence will be
kept in the earthquake
affected area to
ensuring that no one
passes through, nor take
any of the belongings of
the residents who are
currently living in
shelters. |
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The bailey bridge that allowed temporary passage between
Cinchona and Vara Blanca was swept away yesterday
morning by raging waters of the river Saripiqui.
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