Earthquakes « A Broad In Costa RicaA Broad In Costa Rica

Letter From A Couple At The Epicenter

This letter was in a local gringo newspaper last week. What a vacation!

Dear Editor,

My wife and I had just checked in at the La Paz Peace Lodge after our flight to Costa Rica and were taking a nap when the Jan. 8 quake hit. I write in response to some letters and articles, and to give our thanks and perspective.

Our first thanks go to the architects and builders of the Peace Lodge. Had it not been . . . → Read More About Letter From A Couple At The Epicenter

Earthquake Relief

These are the two places I know of where you can donate money from outside Costa Rica: Western Union and Tico Bingo online. The money ends up at the Cruz Roja [cruise ROW-ha].

Cruz Roja is literally Cross Red, or Red Cross. They are the relief program here. Donating to the Red Cross in the states will not, as far as I can tell, trickle down to Costa Rica. The Cruz Roja is critical here, they rescue people all the time from flooding and landslides. I don't think they have enough money to be corrupt… but who knows.

Western . . . → Read More About Earthquake Relief

Updates: Quake, Hotel, EFT

The tremors under my office chair, all the way over here on the other side of the valley from the epicenter, have finally subsided. We had one – a long one – at 3am Monday morning, but it'd been several days since the one before that. Thank goodness! Those tremors are unnerving. I'm sure the survivors near Poás are grateful the aftershocks are mostly gone. They have enough to deal with. I imagine freedom from the anxiety over an immediate repeat performance is welcome.

Recovery and reconstruction are underway. The area will be affected for years to come. . . . → Read More About Updates: Quake, Hotel, EFT

HEY, CNN. What about us? We had an EARTHQUAKE!!

If CNN or Fox drags one more hapless frost-bitten shell-shocked body up onto their dais to ask the same questions (what was it like? isn't it something that everyone was so calm? didn't that crew do a great job?) to get the same answers (everybody was calm, no one was hurt, the water was really really cold), I'll have to scream.

I'm thrilled their plane crash went so well and no one was hurt – honest. But the desperation of the MSM to be the One You Watch… . . . → Read More About HEY, CNN. What about us? We had an EARTHQUAKE!!

Quake Update

Earthquakes don't get names like hurricanes do. I suppose one reason is because there aren't enough of them, thank goodness. They just get their location and year: we just had the Costa Rica 2009 one. At least we're all hoping that was it. If we get another, we'll have to call this the Costa Rica January 2009 one. I'll keep you posted.

This was a 6.1 which is a pretty big earthquake. If the epicenter had been in San José, buildings would have fallen. For an idea, here's a video of . . . → Read More About Quake Update

Hurricanes vs. Earthquakes

Right off the bat, I prefer hurricanes. You get ample warning, at least a week. You won't know whether or not the 'cane is going to land on your house until the last 8 or so hours, but that's way better than no warning at all. Which is what we got today.

At 1:20pm, a big badass earthquake shook the central valley. According to the OVSICORI, the tremor had a magnitude . . . → Read More About Hurricanes vs. Earthquakes

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