Wednesday, March 4, 2015

AMERICAN CITIZEN SERVICES NEWSLETTER - Spring 2015 - from the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica

Seal with blue background
Embassy of the United States of America

AMERICAN CITIZEN SERVICES NEWSLETTER Spring 2015

 

Reaching Out to U.S. Citizens Where You Reside

On January 14 and 15, ACS traveled to Puerto Viejo and Bribri to meet with U.S. citizens and Costa Rican officials from the Ministry of Public Security.  ACS will be traveling to Golfito to meet with U.S. citizens during the second week of March.  In an effort to improve our services, we want to hear from you.  If you have a group of U.S. citizens that would like to meet with someone from the consular section, please send us an email.  We will do our best to schedule a visit to your community.  

In Case of Emergency: Tune In

The ACS Section of the U.S. Embassy is prepared to assist U.S. citizens in case of a natural disaster, be it an earthquake, volcanic eruption, flood, landslide, etc.  If there is a major earthquake or another natural disaster, please tune in to Radio Dos (99.5) or Radio Columbia (98.7) or go to our webpage for more information.  

ACS In the Field: Let us speak to your student groups

Consular Officers at the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica look forward to opportunities to speak to U.S. citizen students who are studying in Costa Rica.  Presenters provide tips to help students avoid becoming victims of crime, outline potential dangers, and provide information on services provided by the U.S. Embassy to U.S. citizens.  If you are expecting a group of students and you would like them to receive a security briefing, please email ACSSanJose@state.gov.  

Supporting Costa Rican Police

As only one example of U.S. programming to support Costa Rican law enforcement, the U.S. donated 19 canines and four vehicles to the Costa Rican Penitentiary Police as part of our bilateral assistance program.  The four vehicles, Toyota Hiluxes, are equipped to transport the dogs.  The donation, valued at over $200,000, will help ensure a more humane and safe environment with Costa Rica’s prison system.

Riptide Warning

Sadly, several U.S. citizen families have returned from their vacation to Costa Rica without a loved family member who was lost in a drowning.  This year, more than a dozen U.S. citizens have died as a result of drowning.  Several of the victims were young, in good health, and strong swimmers.  Riptides are often to blame, pulling otherwise good swimmers away from shore and under the water.  Please be mindful of riptides and warn your guests of the dangers of the ocean. 


.



.

1 comment:

  1. It is safe to go in Costa Rica this spring?
    I heard that ISIS threatened places where tourists can go in vacation so I don't know what to say.
    We are a team of students at the University of Virginia, you can see us here.
    http://www.alternative-energies.net/students-at-the-university-of-virginia-studied-about-renewable-energy-in-spain/ and we are used to travel all over the world.
    This spring we want to try Costa Rica and I want to be sure that is perfectly safe.

    ReplyDelete

Please do NOT leave a anonymous post if you desire a response and do not leave bogus/unrelated to Costa Rica spam responses (whereby creating REALLY BAD karma for yourself and those you love!!!)