Government Decrees
Five Days Of National Mourning
Costa Rica president,
Oscar Arias, yesterday
signed a declaration for
five days of "duelo
nacaional" - national
mourning - from
yesterday to January 16.
The executive order also
calls for a national
emergency for those
cantones in the
provinces of Alajuela
and Heredia that
suffered major losses in
Thursday's earthquake.
The national flag will
also be lowered to half
mast for the coming
days.
The announcement was
made at Casa
Presidencial by Oscar
Arias, his minister de
la presidencia and
brother, Rodrigo Arias,
the ministro de
Hacienda, Guillermo
Zúñiga and the president
of the Comisión Nacional
de Emergencia (CNE),
Daniel Gallardo Monge.
The cantones in the
province of Alajuela
that were declared a
national emergency were:
Alajuela centre, Grecia,
Poás, Alfaro Ruiz and
Valverde Vega, while in
Heredia: Heredia centre,
Barva, Santa Bárbara and
Sarapiquí.
The national emergency
declaration mobilizes
all state institutions,
as well as autonomous
state agencies, and
municipalities to aid
the CNE in any way
possible, including
donations, lending of
services and manpower.
The declaration also
allows the government
the power to
expropriate, without
prior compensation,
properties or necessary
rights to meet the
necessary works for the
reconstruction of
infrastructure damaged.
President Arias also
urged legislators to
quickly approve the
us$850 million dollar
loan by the Banco
Interamericano en
Desarrollo (BID), part
of which will be used
for the reconstruction
of the infrastructure,
as well as the us$65
million dollar credit
being offered by the
World Bank.
Minster Zúñiga made a
special appearance
before the Legislative
Assembly yesterday
afternoon to instill on
legislators the urgency
of the matter. |
