The National Emergency Commission (CNE) in Costa Rica prepares for the effects of the hurricane season while also dealing with the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The president of the National Commission for Risk Prevention, Alexander Solis, announced that new guidelines were created for the administration of temporary shelters with the idea of protecting collaborators that handle emergencies as well as vulnerable population; the alert system used has also been modified and the security standards for first response institutions has also changed.

The alert system that used to have three categories: Green (information), Yellow (preparation) and Red (emergency), now includes a fourth one, Orange that calls for mobilization, this new alert system will be in use during the pandemic phase.

The second line of action includes the Structure of Organization and Coordination of institutions that work in the prevention and attention of the emergencies through an Operations Center (COE) as well as the 90 Municipal and Regional Committees distributed throughout the country.

The third line of action includes a solid monitoring and surveillance system that will register the weather conditions daily as well as the condition of mudslides and rivers. The information is issued by 650 radio posts located in the strategic points of the national territory. The surveillance is carried out in 1,462 communities identified as vulnerable for floods or mudslides.

The fourth line of work corresponds to shelter management which at this point requires social distancing and therefore more facilities that follow the guidelines of the Ministry of Health to guarantee the protection of those affected.

The fifth line has to do with equipment and the sixth one with rescue work during the attention of an emergency.
With this six lines of action the CNE hopes to join efforts with local government and the civil society as well as government institutions to minimize the impact of the heavy rains and strong winds common during this season