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Earthquake Update – Bad Stuff

January 12th, 2009

post2Now I can Blog about something really important after having to deal with that earlier time-waster.

Earthquakes never bothered me before. The house would rock and roll and everyone would call everyone to find out if they felt it.  Kind of exciting really. There was always damage somewhere in Costa Rica,  and occasionally, someone would be seriously hurt or die, but for some reason, I was detached from it. Not any more.

Latest stats look better than they are and do not tell the whole story:

Most recent death count: 14 (way down from earlier but I am not at all sure we have the final number)

Missing and presumed dead: 23

Injured: 100

These sound like low numbers… until you read this:

Shelters set up: 21  housing 2,238 people

Affected: 128,135 people in 61 communities of Alajuela and Heredia.

128,135 people out of a population of only 4 million people. A bit over 3%.   If these figures were translated to equal numbers reflecting the US population of about 305 million people, that number would be almost 10 million people! Does that get your attention or what?

Then, there are the news broadcasts. Mothers and fathers weeping. Children unable to cope. Homes destroyed. Families suffering.

One man this morning talking about how he must start again, but has no idea how to do that as the bank will not forgive his mortgage.  Of course they won’t. Tears rolling down his cheeks.

People need help.

YOU can help those affected by the earthquake, by donating stuff  to the Cruz Roja Costa Rica.

Needed are  non-perishable food, canned milk, bottled water and toiletries.

Banco Nacional de Costa Rica has set up accounts: 100100-7 (colones) and 68666-7 (U.S. dollars) to receive monetary donations.

The Costa Rican people need your support.  I mean really.


3 Responses to “Earthquake Update – Bad Stuff”

  1. Girlblue on January 12, 2009 6:01 pm

    That is so very awful. Glad that you and the Mrs are alright, I’ll find out if my country is initiating anything to help and try to contribute that way, or else approach my company and see if we could drum up support that way. I really hope we could help

  2. Mario on January 12, 2009 6:14 pm

    I´d check out what they classify as “affected”. For example affected might count people without electricity and water, or communities with damaged roads in which case it´s normal for the number affected to be huge. But the number goes down just as fast as soon as they start reconnecting cables and repaving.

    61 communities sounds way too high to be a solid number, more likely one of those bogus statistics politicians at the CNE put out to make it look like they´re doing their job.

    But… those 2000 in shelters is a whole lot more real. The other day I met up with a newspaper crew coming back from the disaster area, they say the epicenter is pretty much leveled and very few will have a home to go back to.

    So keep the help flowing. People out there need it…

  3. Richard Noah on January 13, 2009 11:28 am

    Wow, glad you and yours are OK. Been through some big ones here in California, so I know just how much damage they can do.
    I take it that CR has nothing like FEMA… so if you lose your house and have a mortgage, you are screwed ?? Wow… that is really bad stuff.
    And I was looking at the Alajuela area to get a rental, in the future. (Busy taking Spanish at college now)

    My heart goes out to you all
    R