September 11, 2010
 
The Tragedy.
Monday September 6th, the rain came down in sheets.  School was canceled, roads were closed, the river filled up with brown muddy water - but the worst was yet to come.  Tuesday night the town of Sayulita, and up and down the coast line of Bandaras Bay, saw rains continue to fall, and the full force of Mother Nature was unleashed.  The river flooded over its banks, filling houses with many feet of water or taking them away all together.  People fled on foot, leaving all of their personal belongings behind.  Sayulita's bridge collapsed, shops and restaurants on the river fell, and Costa Verde International School could only watch as a house, then a road, then their retaining wall was taken by the now powerful river, threatening many of their classrooms.

A Community Responds.

In the following days - without electricity or running water - neighbors helped neighbors by taking them in, providing a hot meal, or filling sandbags.  It was a town in crisis. Now, as tractors and people mobilize, we are able to assess the damage and the need - and it is great.  Costa Verde International School, along with a group of volunteers, is now calling out to their international community for help.  


Our plan.
Tamarindo and Mangal Neighborhoods: These were the areas of town most affected.  We are organizing clean up crews to go door to door with buckets, mops, and shovels.  Many neighborhoods are simply unlivable until the mud is cleared away and garbage is taken away.  Once houses have been cleaned, we will assess and provided needed household supplies.

Beach:  Cleaning crews will also be mobilized to clean up the beach, which was filled with garbage and debris washed down from the river.    This will be an on going effort.

Public kindergarten school (next door to Costa Verde):  Their building was badly damaged, so we will be helping them clean, providing them with laborers and building supplies so that they can rebuild, and will replace lost teaching supplies.

Costa Verde International School:  With our retaining wall gone, Costa Verde school is on the edge (literally) of being taken by the river with the next rain.  Thirty volunteers - teachers, parents, children and even a couple of tourists - laid 1,000 sandbags in the hopes of saving their school.  But it is only a band-aid.  It will take many generous donations to be able to rebuild the retaining wall and keep the river secure from future flooding.

Here is how YOU can help.

There are three simple things you can do: volunteer your time, provide supplies, give money.

Time: 
If you are in the area, your donation of time is needed.

Here is a schedule of activities that Costa Verde is organizing: 

Saturday September 11

9am at CVIS with Jessica to go into neighborhoods to help

9:30am at Don Pedros for a Sayulita beach cleanup

Monday September 13

9am at CVIS with Lina to go to the Kinder and into neighborhoods to help

Tuesday September 14

9am at CVIS with Lina to go into neighborhoods to help

Supplies: 

These items can be dropped off at Costa Verde:

gloves/sunscreen/mosquito repellent

mops/brooms/squeegies

multi-purpose cleaning liquid

rags

trash bags

buckets

Money:  

We understand many of you care deeply for the Costa Verde and Sayulita communities, but may not be able to physically be here.  That does not prevent you from making a difference!  One hundred percent of your generous tax deductable financial donations go directly to supporting the people of Sayulita and to rebuilding Costa Verde International School.  Your money will support our clean up efforts, provide emergency supplies to families and local public schools, and to ensure Costa Verde's retaining wall is rebuilt.    

Donate by clicking on this link! 
http://www.colegiocostaverde.com/indexCVIS.html#

This will take you to the Costa Verde International School website.  Please then click "Donations" to donate via Paypal.

Thank you.

Simply, thank you.   We literally could not do what is needed here without you.  This blog will be updated daily, so please check back frequently for updated information and photos.  Also, please share this blog with others.  We know not many news organizations are not reporting on the flooding here, so please spread the word about our plight.