Archive for January 13th, 2009
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
The death toll from Costa Rica’s magnitude-6.1 earthquake rose to 19 dead, with 23 missing, officials said Monday.
The quake rocked the Central American nation on Thursday, unleashing massive landslides and destroying homes in a mountainous, remote region popular with tourists and farmers. Fifteen of the victims have been identified.
The death toll rose by one Monday as rescue officials suspended from a helicopter dug out the body of a man who was buried in his car on a steep incline.
Rescue efforts have been slow, and more than 100 people had been listed as missing over the weekend.
But judicial police said in a statement that authorities had located most of the missing in shelters. Most of the dead and missing appeared to be Costa Rican or Nicaraguan.
President Oscar Arias declared five days of national mourning and issued a national emergency, making it easier for quake victims to receive aid.
His government also asked Congress to request a $65 million loan from the World Bank and a $850 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank.
Preliminary figures estimate nearly $100 million in damages and 250 families left without homes.
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Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
The Costa Rican government decreed a national emergency Monday following last week’s magnitude-6.2 earthquake that left 20 people dead and at least $100 million in damage.
President Oscar Arias and the head of the CNE emergency management office, Daniel Gallardo, signed Monday the decree declaring a national emergency that will allow quicker mobilization of the resources needed to aid thousands of people left homeless.
The authorities also declared five days of national mourning. (more…)
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Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
The Ombudswoman’s Office (2248-2374), the Christian charity organization Asociación Obras del Espíritu Santo (2286-5252), the Costa Rican Red Cross (2542-5000) and the National Emergency Commission (2210-2828) are coordinating all donations to assist those affected by Thursday’s earthquake. They can direct anyone wishing to donate to the nearest drop-off or bank account. (more…)
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Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
Thirty-four American servicemembers and four helicopters from Honduras-based Joint Task Force-Bravo deployed to Costa Rica Jan. 10 to assist with disaster response efforts in areas affected by a 6.2 magnitude earthquake near San Jose.
The team, comprised of Army and Air Force aviation crews, rescue, medical and support members, supported ongoing efforts to search and locate victims of the natural disaster.
The military members are working in coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and representatives of Costa Rica’s national disaster response organizations.
Navy Adm. James Stavridis, commander of U.S. Southern Command, headquartered in Miami, directed the deployment after Costa Rican government officials requested U.S. assistance from the U.S. Embassy, located in the nation’s capital.
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Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
When Costa Ricans are done celebrating the Christmas and New Year holidays, they have yet another party to look forward to: the Palmares fiestas, one of Costa Rica’s most anticipated traditional celebrations. Palmares, a small town between Alajuela and San Ramon, is known for hosting the best fiestas and tope (horse parade) in the country. During the second half of January, Palmares becomes the focal point for many locals. each year, the Palmares fiestas begin the second week of January and continue through the month with a series of events planned by the Asociacion Civica Palmarena. these include concerts, fireworks, sports activities, “chinamo” tents with alcohol and food, the toros a la Tica (Costa Rican-style bullfighting) and a traditional horse parade.
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Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
Police seized slightly more than one ton of cocaine at a warehouse in San Lorenzo, a city in Costa Rica’s central Heredia province, and found a man with a gunshot wound to the head, the Security Ministry said.
The cocaine was found Friday night when officers responded to an emergency call from a woman who lives near the warehouse and heard shouting at the property.
Officers found a man, identified as 43-year-old Gerardo Varela Araica, who had been shot in the head and transported him to a hospital, where he is listed in serious condition.
The warehouse contained 500 kilos of cocaine and two vehicles packed with another 547 kilos, police spokesmen said, adding that the drug cache was taken to a police facility in San Jose.
Investigators are trying to determine who smuggled the cocaine into the country and what the wounded man’s role in the operation was.
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Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
The Costa Rican Red Cross said Sunday it was focusing on the search for the missing and buried bodies, as well as the rescue of people who remain cut off after the magnitude-6.2 earthquake that rocked the central part of the country last week.
Several rescue teams are currently at work in Vara Blanca, one of the areas hardest hit by the quake, seeking bodies that witnesses say were buried in landslides. (more…)
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