Costa Rica Earthquake Update

Costa Rica is still recovering from the quake that hit here on Jan. 8th. Yesterday authorities called off the recovery efforts. The area is still being shaken by tremors and the area is just too unstable to continue, putting the lives of recovery personnel in danger. There are still at least 7 people unaccounted for, but the search for them is over for the present. OVSICORI geologists have continued to keep a close watch on Poas Volcano even though they feel fairly certain that the quake did not disturb the magma pool under the volcano and there has not been any increase in volcanic activity. Geologists have also been keeping a close watch on other faults in the quake area, but are reporting that none appear to have been activated by the quake. We are still having hundreds of tremors (aftershocks) daily, but they are becoming less frequent and of less magnitude.

We and Costa Rica appreciate your continued prayers.

Earthquake Update

We want to thank you for your prayers during this time of grief and hardship for the people of Costa Rica. As of this morning there are 25 known fatalities and 64 people are still missing, several of them are tourists who were in the area of the epicenter. Both of those numbers is expected to increase. We have had over 2200 aftershocks and these will continue for possibly days or weeks until the fault stabilizes. Recovery operations are hampered because of the danger of more landslides. Help is coming in from outside the country. The US military (from a base in Honduras) sent in 4 helicopters and 35 personnel to help with the rescue and recovery operations. Columbia sent one of it military helicopters and crew also. Most of the rescue and recovery operations have been by air because the ground is very unstable.

A close watch is being kept on Poas Volcano. Immediately after the quake, there was an increase in fumarole activity which has since subsided. There was some structural damage to the walls of the principle crater as well. However, at this time the national geological institute OVSICORI is reporting that the volcano shows no signs of increased activity. They will, of course, continue to be very watchful.

The quake occurred on a local fault called the Rio Sarapiqui Fault. This fault is part of the surface evidence of the location where the Caribbean and the Cocos Tectonic Plates converge many miles underground.

Several folks have contacted us thinking that our ministry location was affected by the quake because they have heard the name Cartago mentioned in news reports. We minister in the city of Cartago. One of the mountain villages severely damaged is called Los Cartagos.I am including photos with this post. I did not take them myself but rather got them from the Costa Rican news agencies websites.

Your continued prayers are much appreciated.

Urgent Need of Prayer

We urgently need your prayers here in Costa Rica. Yesterday at 1:21 p.m. we were hit by the most damaging earthquake Costa Rica has had in 118 years. It registered at 6.2 and the epicenter was some 10 kilometers from Poas Volcano. The damage is extensive due to the mountainous nature of the area. There are 14 known dead so far as of 7 a.m. today with dozens missing and feared buried under landslides. It is raining in the mountains this morning which is seriously hampering rescue operations, and increasing the possibility of more landslides. Entire communities are cut off as many miles of roads totally disappeared and bridges are gone as well. The Red Cross is trying to get into those areas by helicopter and the latest report is that the U.S. military in Honduras is sending down two large helicopters to help airlift people out. So far we have had over 1500 aftershocks and OVSICORI (the earthquake/volcano people) are advising that this may go on for an indefinite period of time. The epicenter was 35 kilometers NNW of San Jose where we live. We were shaken up quite a bit, but suffered no major damage. The quake was caused by movement of a local fault system (not tectonic or subductive). Geologists are keeping a close watch on Poas Volcano because the epicenter was quite close to the principle crater. Will try to keep everyone updated as much as possible.