By Wendy Anders

Saturday, the National Emergency Commission (CNE, in Spanish) lifted all emergency weather-related alerts. The announcement came just in time for a new spate of rain to set in.

The National Meteorological Institute (INM, in Spanish) said the rains that pelted the central and northern parts of the country most of yesterday are due to a low pressure system in the Pacific Ocean. The system is the result of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which is located near Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, and is not connected to the formation of a hurricane, said meteorologists. Rains accompanied by cool cloudy and foggy weather are expected to continue until Tuesday.

The Caribbean on the other hand is getting a respite with stable weather, said the INM.

Alerts that were in effect during Hurricane Otto, and others activated late last week after a series of earthquakes near the Turrialba Volcano, were lifted in view of the improved weather after Hurricane Otto’s soaking and after no further effects from the earthquakes were noted.

In addition, emergency officials said the humanitarian assistance has been effective in aiding people stabilize their situations after the flooding in various parts of northern and southern Costa Rica during Hurricane Otto in late November. This assistance will continue as needed, said the president in a meeting with emergency officials Saturday, reported the CNE.

The Ministry of Health reported in a news bulletin Saturday that a total of 12 shelters continue to operate, 9 in the northern towns of Upala and Bagaces, and 3 in the south in Corredores and Golfito. The 320 people residing in these shelters is a marked decrease from the high of 5,363 displaced people registered on November 27 during the peak of Hurricane Otto’s passage over northern Costa Rica.