The
U.S. Embassy advises U.S. citizens in Costa Rica to exercise caution if
contemplating travel in the vicinity of the Turrialba Volcano, located
in Costa Rica’s central mountain range, 67 kilometers (approximately 41
miles) northwest of San Jose. In light of ongoing volcanic
and seismic activity, Costa Rica’s National Commission for Risk
Prevention and Disaster Response (CNE) raised the alert level for the
Turrialba volcano from Green to Yellow (second-highest on a three-level alert system).
Juan
Santamaria International Airport in San Jose (Costa Rica’s principal
airport) was closed shortly after 4:00 p.m. on March 12 due to limited
visibility (less than 500 meters). No reports are available at this time indicating when the airport will reopen. Tobias Bolanos Airport, a small airport for regional flights, located in Pavas, San Jose, also remains closed at this time.
The
eruption of the Turrialba volcano is producing significant ash fall
over areas to the west of Turrialba in the provinces of San Jose and
Heredia. Ash is expected to continue to fall in San Jose in the coming days. According
to the National Meteorological Institute of Costa Rica, the strong
winds affecting the country will continue through the weekend. Future distribution of ash would depend on the wind conditions, the activity of Turrialba, and the height of the ash columns.
We
strongly recommend that U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in Costa
Rica enroll in the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment
Program (STEP). STEP enrollment gives you the latest
security updates, and makes it easier for the nearest U.S. embassy or
consulate to contact you in an emergency. If you don’t have Internet access, enroll directly with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
U.S.
citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the U.S. Department
of State's, Bureau of Consular Affairs website, where the current
Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific
Information can be found. The U.S. Embassy also encourages U.S. citizens to review the "Traveler's
Checklist,” which includes valuable security information for those both
living and traveling abroad, and enroll with the Department of State or
the U.S. Embassy through the State Department’s Smart Traveler
Enrollment Program. Follow us on Twitter and the Bureau of Consular Affairs page on Facebook as well. In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada, or outside the United States and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
The U.S. Embassy in San Jose is located at Avenida 0, Calle 120, Rohrmoser, and is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., (telephone number: 2519-2590). If
you are a U.S. citizen in need of urgent assistance, outside of
business hours, the emergency after-hours number for the U.S. Embassy is
2519-2000.
No comments:
Post a Comment