Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, September 06, 2005
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Organizations Offer Information
For Families of Hurricane Victims
Hurricane Katrina, which struck the southeastern coast of the United States Aug. 29 with unprecedented fury and destruction, has had an impact on many in Costa Rica: both U.S. citizens living or traveling in here and watching the disaster unfold in their home country, and Costa Ricans with family in the afflicted states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
(Click for more)
Volunteers Gear Up for
International
Coastal Cleanup Day
Residents of the northwestern province of Guanacaste plan to celebrate the 20 th anniversary of International Coastal Cleanup Day Sept. 17 with a series of beach-cleaning activities, on shore and underwater.
(Click for more)
Pacheco Travels to Nicaragua
to Attend Emergency Summit
President Abel Pacheco traveled yesterday to Managua to participate in an emergency Central American summit analyzing the current political crisis in Nicaragua, according to official sources.
(Click for more)
September 06
Flamenco Mass
Orchestra, choir, flamenco ensemble, at 7 p.m., at the Melico Salazar Theater, Av. 2, Ca. Ctrl., tickets at Bansbach Multiplaza. Info: EMAI, 203-5822, and Zíngari Studios, 282-1127.
Newcomers Interest Fair
Today from 9:30-11:30 a.m., Scream Restaurant, San Rafael de Escazú, across from Chango's. Info: 232-3999.
Costa Rica Biennial
Enjoy a variety of films from Sept. 6-Oct. 15, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., at the Contemporary Art and Design Museum, CENAC. Info: 257-7202.
Edited By Leland Baxter-Neal
Tico Times Staff
lbaxter@ticotimes.net
Organizations Offer Information
For Families of Hurricane Victims
By Leland Baxter-Neal
Tico Times Staff
lbaxter@ticotimes.net
Hurricane Katrina, which struck the southeastern coast of the United States Aug. 29 with unprecedented fury and destruction, has had an impact on many in Costa Rica: both U.S. citizens living or traveling in here and watching the disaster unfold in their home country, and Costa Ricans with family in the afflicted states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
Rescue efforts in the U.S. are under way and, according to officials, are of the largest magnitude in U.S. history. As of 4 p.m. on Saturday, 35,000 people had been evacuated and 135,000 people were being housed in 499 shelters, according to a statement from U.S. Homeland Security. But with the “largest emergency domestic airlift of people in U.S. history” under way since Saturday – 10,000 people are said to be evacuated from the area each day – the numbers have surely risen dramatically since then. Estimates of how many have died have ranged from thousands to 10,000, according to various officials.
The General Consulate of Costa Rica in New Orleans estimates that 1,500 to 2,000 Costa Ricans live in the affected areas.
The consulate advises Costa Ricans with family in the affected areas to call its office in the United States at (001) (504) 638-1095, or e-mail consulcrno@hotmail.com or consulcrno@bellsouth.net with the complete name, birth date and, if possible, the location where the family member lives.
U.S. citizens concerned about family members in the area can access resources such as the Red Cross Web site, www.redcross.org, which has links to a list of survivors and a missing person registry – or call 1-877-568-3317 for information on missing family members. The Red Cross site also lists ways to donate money to rescue efforts.
The New Orleans-area newspaper The Times-Picayune also has include: www.familylinks.icrc.org/katrina/search, www.katrina-survivor.com/es/, and www.rree.go.cr/ministerio/index.php?stp=42&langtype=&SID.
Volunteers Gear Up for International
Coastal Cleanup Day
By María Gabriela Díaz
Tico Times Staff
mgdiaz@ticotimes.net
Residents of the northwestern province of Guanacaste plan to celebrate the 20 th anniversary of International Coastal Cleanup Day Sept. 17 with a series of beach-cleaning activities, on shore and underwater.
Guanacaste's Playa Hermosa diving community has celebrated International Coastal Cleanup Day for nine consecutive years with an underwater cleanup project, according to Kelley Mae Gibbs, daughter of the owners of Diving Safaris, a local dive shop organizing the cleanup and providing tanks and scuba equipment to the first 24 certified divers to show up at the activity.
This year, the Playa Hermosa beach cleanup will meet at the entrance to the second beach Sept. 17 at 9 a.m., while the underwater portion is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Post-cleanup activities will include a hot dog roast at 12:30 p.m. at the Playa Hermosa Inn, with music and a raffle whose proceeds will go to the Playa Hermosa Beach Association.
Diving Safaris is taking donations of prizes for the raffle. For more info on the cleanup activity, or to pre-register – no later than September 10 – contact Gibbs at 672-0012 or 387-471 or by e-mail at diving@racsa.co.cr.
Playas del Coco, south of Hermosa, hosted two events in honor of International Coastal Cleanup Day.
The Ocotal Beach Resort, in neighboring Playa Ocotal, organized a beach cleanup yesterday at 4 p.m. in Playas del Coco.
The resort will also hold an educational day for third-graders from the local school on Wednesday.
For more information, call Ocotal Beach Resort at 670-0321.
Private conservation association Terra Nostra has organized 5 beach cleanups this year, collecting a total 6,800 kilos of garbage from Playa Sámara in Guanacaste; Playas El Roble, San Isidro, Agujas, Tárcoles and Playa Azul in the Pacific province of Puntarenas; and the Pacuare and Siquirres river mouths in the Caribbean province of Limón.
The association plans to organize 5 more cleanups starting October 22, at the Matina river mouth, and extending into 2006.
For more information or to volunteer for the October cleanup, call Terra Nostra at 228-4317 or 289-6093.
Pacheco Travels to Nicaragua
to Attend Emergency Summit
President Abel Pacheco traveled yesterday to Managua to participate in an emergency Central American summit analyzing the current political crisis in Nicaragua, according to official sources.
The summit was called for by the government of Nicaragua, as the president pro tempore of the System of Central American Integration (SICA), and took place at the international airport in Managua.
A statement from Casa Presidencial on Friday said the goal of the meeting is to inform, and foster cooperation among, the presidents of the region.
On Aug. 30, the Supreme Court of Nicaragua issued former President Arnoldo Alemán conditional freedom and approved the validity of constitutional reforms that take away certain powers from Bolaños.
According to the Nicaraguan government, the court's resolution could threaten the institutional stability of the country.
Pacheco was scheduled to return to Costa Rica yesterday afternoon.
- ACAN-EFE
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