The town of Puerto Viejo in the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica is a haven for backpackers, vacationers and expats seeking a warm climate, an ultra-relaxed atmosphere and the friendliness of the local Afro Costa Ricans and indigenous inhabitants. Alas, the infrastructures of Puerto Viejo and the city of Limon are vulnerable to natural disasters such as storm surge and tsunamis.

 

According to a report by Jason Torres of online news daily CRHoy.com, researchers from the Scientific and Technological Program to Prevent and Mitigate Disasters of the University of Costa Rica (Spanish acronym: PREVENTEC) have been busy studying the geological and topographical conditions of the region, and they have determined that Caribbean towns such as Puerto Viejo sit on low altitude plains with insufficient forest coverage to mitigate tsunami conditions.

 

In addition to the geographical characteristics above, the residential and business settlements of Puerto Viejo are not constructed in a way that they can mitigate tsunami damage, and the road infrastructure is not conducive to evacuations.

 

Other nearby areas such as Cahuita and Manzanillo are more likely to withstand tsunami conditions since they are protected by rock formations along the shore as well as by considerably dense jungle. When compared to residential settlements in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Puerto Viejo and Limon are certainly at greater risk of tsunami damage.

 

Fortunately, the Southern Caribbean region of Costa Rica is not known for its seismicity; however, PREVENTEC researchers mentioned that all recorded earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 Mw and above in that region have caused tsunami conditions; albeit non-threatening to the populations of Puerto Viejo and Limon.