When it rains, it can pour!

I have always loved watching the weather.  Trying to figure out the weather here in Costa Rica is a challenge.  There is no local forecast and the weather changes very rapidly here in the mountains.  

In other blogs, I have written about our rains, the destruction it causes and impact on our lives.  I knew we had experienced some bad weather but nothing too outrageous.  The worst was the 5 inches of rain we got before a dental clinic about two years ago.  Well last month we had a rain people will not forget for a few years to come.

It started like most rainfall here.  Usually a good downpour, a bit of rain after the downpour and that is it.  On this day the rain stopped and started a bit which is not too unusual but that evening the intensity picked up and the rains kept coming.  We had 4 ½ inches by 6 AM and another 4 inches by 11 AM and another 3 ½ inches by 2PM that afternoon. 

Water running off the hillside into the road.   

Water running off the road down the mountain side.

I knew what could happen after 5 inches of rain in a short period of time, and my imagination was running wild thinking about what might be going on in our community.  So, after some 18 hours of heavy rain I was going a bit stir crazy and had to see what was going on.  So, I got the big umbrella and my boots and went for a walk.  I was tired of hearing the sound of heavy rain on the roof and the sound of huge rocks working their way down the river far the mountain from where I live.

Our neighbors house after the cleanup.

It felt great to get out of the house as I walked, prayed and checked up on how Paso Marcos was faring in these heavy rains.  I always walked to see how my neighbors were doing.  The Jimenez family was cleaning up after a landslide sent mud and water careening into the side of the house.  A bit of trenching sent the small river safely away from the house.  I have never seen so much water coming down the hillsides.  It was beautiful and scary all the same time.  Small creeks roared like jets on takeoff and I knew we were in for some trouble as mud slides were going to be a problem.

The small landslide on our main road. 

The big landslide on our main road.  

After three hours of walking and talking it was time to go home.  That evening we lost electricity and water (At least there was a water source real close).  I tried to sleep soundly but the rains kept coming.  After a period of 36 hours we had received 18 inches of rain. 

Sunday morning it was time to check out the neighborhood once again.  Our only road leaving Paso Marcos was impassable the day before, but now a large chunk of the hillside had slid down on the road.  Trees were down and we were the ones that had it good.  There was major flooding in Limon and in Turrialba many people were displaced due to high water and landslides.    

The clean up crew.  

Opening the road to traffic, ok just a small truck.

Would you believe I was tired?

Later that week after trying to get a bulldozer out to Paso Marcos it was time to take care of business ourselves.  God was good.  We started with six people working on the first landslide.  After about an hour, 5 people came to help and they went to the larger of the landslide.  Upon finishing the small landslide a truck full of people from the next town was here to help.  Seven hours later and with the help of 22 people we had made a small dent in the landslide and a car could get through.  About two weeks later we finally got a bulldozer to help clean up the mess. 

Much better after the bulldozer!

What a blessing to see God’s hand of protection on us, on our houses, and to see the community come together lifting a helping shovel.