Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Limon (Agenzia Fides) – Bishop Jose Rafael Quiros of Limon has issued a statement along with the priests of the diocese, showing his concern for the difficult situation in which a large number of families in the diocese are living, as a result of the emergency situation following the serious flooding in November 2008 and this past February.
“Year after year, Costa Rica witnesses how many families have their homes flooded and falling apart and have even completely lost their homes as a result of the flooding,” the Bishop said, analyzing the “sad reality.” According to this statement, the families have not received any solution regarding their housing. In addition to their homes, many families have also been affected in their agriculture, with the loss of products like bananas, plantains, corn, beans, rice, and others. Some have also lost their lands.
“The situation is serious,” the Bishop says, as “many of these farmers raised debts to plant their crops, which is why now they have no money to cover basic needs in the homes or replant, let alone pay their debts.” In addition, there is also the fact that hundreds of workers have lost their jobs as a result of the companies affected, who were forced to cut down on staff. The small cattle farmers are also suffering the negative consequences of the death of cattle, along with their low prices.
As for the roads and infrastructure in general, “the deterioration and destruction is evident to everyone” and furthermore, “the solutions do not arrive with reasonable promptitude.”
In light of this situation, the Bishop recalls that as Pastors, “we cannot fall into indifference, which is why we feel called to stand by our brethren who are suffering, to 'cure their wounds with the oil of counsel and the wine of hope'” and manifest their solidarity “with those who in our Diocese at this time feel abandoned, without what they need to live on, and without being heard.”
They later make a series of proposals to try and remedy the situation. Among them are: perform a study on families that have loans and because of the floods cannot pay them; offer workers who were laid-off from flooded ranches some kind of job option or subsidy so that their families can survive the crisis; carry out concrete initiatives of rehabilitation of agriculture, which would really help the families of the producers affected; regulate the price of cattle and meat; offer the cattle and agricultural industry an urgent assistance program to avoid further deaths of cattle and allow for replanting; reopen the aqueduct that were damaged by the flooding, as they now lack drinking water and are exposed to the dangers of contaminated water.
“We think it is high time that a time to find a lasting solution to the flooding problem,” the Bishop concluded. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 6/3/2009)
