Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Salvadoran Government Offers to Send Soldiers on Peace Mission to
New Orleans

On August 31, the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly voted to recommend that President Antonio Elias Saca send troops to support the search and rescue efforts in the areas of the United States devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The recommendation was headed in the legislative assembly by the National Conciliation Party (PCN) and won support from all political parties.

Saca officially made the offer to the US government, and a troop of 150 Salvadoran soldiers, including doctors, nurses, divers, search and rescue experts, engineers and heavy machinery operators were waiting to travel to Houston when given the order. However, Vice Minister of Defense Ricardo Ábrego announced on September 17, that “the initial emergency caused by Hurricane Katrina has been resolved by the United States through `their own means´ and with the cooperation of other countries. We will not send [troops] for now.”

Fifty Salvadorans Declared Missing in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

The Salvadoran Consulate in Houston is currently searching FEMA shelters for 50 missing Salvadorans. The list is comprised of people whose family members have called in to the consulate after failing to locate their loved ones.

Over the last few days, the number of disappeared has fluctuated as some individuals have been found while others have been added to the list. As of September 15, the chancellery has located 6 Salvadorans whose families solicited help and the current list contains 50 names.

Consular Officer Luis Carranza assured relatives the consulate “will continue to call the telephone numbers that have been provided to us in order to locate these compatriots; we believe that the number of people on the list will be reduced over the next few days.” Carranza will travel to Baton Rouge, LA on September 24 and 25. “We will also assist people in soliciting federal assistance or assistance from other US entities and try to take a census of affected Salvadorans,” he said.

Salvadoran consulates have attended to 144 cases of Salvadorans affected by Katrina. To date there are no reports of Salvadorans having died due to the disaster.

Government and Residents Prepare for Possible Volcano Eruption

Due to the possibility of an imminent eruption, one hundred residents of the San Blas community located 3 kilometers from the Ilamatepec Volcano evacuated their homes and headed to a government designated shelter. The volcano is located on the border between the departments of Santa Ana and Sonsonate, fifty kilometers from San Salvador.

Since July, the levels of sulfur dioxide emitted by Ilamatepec have risen along with seismic activity. Both are indicators of a possible eruption. On August 31, Minister of Governance Rene Figueroa declared a yellow alert Phase 1, meaning that the authorities and residents within 1,500 meters should be ready to evacuate the area if the gas emissions and seismic activity increases. Read More

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