Honduras News Stories

June 8th, 2009

Earthquake Season?

Hurricanes have long since been associated with the Country of Honduras, but earthquakes? It appears this may be the season, as there have been over five confirmed earthquakes, ranging from 4.1 to 4.8 since the 7.3 one shook Honduras on May 28th.

Today, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck at EST/0513 GMT off La Ceiba, Honduras, and had a relatively shallow depth of 6.2 miles (10 km), the USGS said. Earthquakes that close to the surface are often more powerful than deeper tremors.

USA 2 - Honduras 1

Honduras fans arrived more than four hours before kickoff, celebrating in the parking lots and on the roads and pathways near the stadium. Blue-and-white flags hung from cars with out-of-state license plates, creating a slow procession along Lake Shore Drive. As the game began, fan allegiances tightened. It seemed 60 percent of the crowed was cheering for Honduras. All seats were occupied except for the very far back upper sections.

Just five minutes into the game, Wilson Palacios took advantage of an opening midfield, and passed to Carlos Costly, who smashed a 25-yard shot just beyond goalkeeper's reach. The Seleccion scores the first point and the crowed went wild. Honduras enjoyed the majority of the support for the 2010 World Cup qualifier last night, although the USA scored twice and was ultimately victorious.

Seleccion Welcomed

June 7th, 2009

June 1st, 2009

June is for Celebrating

Several festivals are scheduled in Honduras for the month of June. If you plan to visit Trujillo, you will be delighted to find that the Fiesta de San Juan Batista is celebrated all month long. Visiting Tela? No better time than June to see the month-long "Fiesta de San Antonio". Roatan will welcome visitors from all over on the 13th of June for the infamous "International Shrimp Fest". if you haven't already, you'd better book now!

Earlier this week, the "Feria Juniana" (in honor of Saint San Pedro) kicked off in San Pedro Sula with several people from the OAS in attendance. Each year, the Juniana Fair is held in honor of the patron saint San Pedro, with attractions such as parades, rides, and food, in addition to the great carnival, air show, and exhibitions. The mayor of San Pedro Sula, Sunseri Rodolfo Padilla, opened the fair in Central Park.

Security in Central Park was high because it was a historic opening, marked by the presence of major personalities such as the OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza, Assistant Secretary of the OAS, Albert Ramdim, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Cortes, Luis Larach and representatives of the 34 the member countries of the Organization of American States.

In the opening message, the mayor Rodolfo Padilla gave an overview of San Pedro Sula. The speech also was aimed at Sampedranos and Hondurans to come and enjoy the show. He informed people of the festival June 29th, and stated that the founding of the city was June 27th, which is when they celebrate the Patron Saint, San Pedro. "Today we inaugurate the fair in the city. I ask that Hondurans treat our visitors with kindness. That is the best souvenir for them to take back of San Pedro Sula. I say to all sampedranos that we have more than three thousand people visiting, and we must be friendly and hospitable.

The objectives proposed by the organizers of the fair, for this year are to promote trade and tourism, in addition to providing an atmosphere of joy in the city.

The event started at 5:30 p.m. with the participation of the Academy of Fine Arts and The Grand Band. During the event, the Municipality of San Pedro Sula will pay special tribute to the musical group "La Gran Banda", which has entertained Hondurans for 30 years. It was the 473rd year of the founding of San Pedro Sula and was celebrated with grand fireworks.

The president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Cortes, Luis Larach, explained that the Assembly of the OAS is an opportunity for the country because it helps to promote San Pedro in other countries. Governor of Cortes, Sandra Hernandez, also welcomed visitors and asked that they tour the city and see its riches. "In Honduras we have museums, natural wonders, the archaeological park in Copan, restaurants and entertainment centers that can be truly enjoyed by tourists. We want visitors have the best impression of our country and travel to places like the market and see the woodworking craftsmen.

The Committee for Fair Juniana ensures that this year's parade of floats and exhibits have many surprises.

Young Honduran Artist

Elnis Alfredo Ortiz Cruz has become a successful young man, despite the many challenges he faced while striving to obtain his goals. At 23, his paintings have already been sold outside of Honduras. The style and quality of his work are expected to turn him into a very successful artist, his talent is evident. He claims it is "in his blood".

He has had several exhibitions, and is preparing for the next one in Honduras at the Spanish Cultural center "el Centro Cultural Espanol" in December. His theme will be the woman, and his works will attempt to show love, suffering, violence and bravery from a woman's perspective. He desires to enlighten society with his art, and in this exhibit, he hopes to achieve a greater respect for the females of Honduras. He strives to reflect true events in society and in one such representation, he has produced a portarit of a young pregnant woman, smoking. From the expression he captures, she appears indifferent to the fact she is endangering her child.

As early as age seven, Elnis Alfredo began to make small landscapes and drawings. He practiced drawing people, among them several famous people in the country, such as the President of the Republic, Manuel Zelaya Rosales, and the Public Works Minister, among others. He states he began to concentrate on drawing people while visiting Mexico. He had been drawing something else when a friend asked him why doesn't he go to the street to paint people? He apparently had a great talent in that area, and began to create more "human" works. He considers himself an expert now in that area of painting.

Elnis Alfredo believes in Honduras is very difficult for an artist because support does not exist, and for that reason many artists have abandoned their art, or travelled to other countries for professional recognition. He assures his followers, however, that art is one of his greatest pleasures, and while he still lives, he will continue to delight people with his works.

May 30th, 2009

Earthquake Update

It is estimated Thursday's earthquake cost the country more than $37 million in damage and included damage to more than 400 homes. Many were flooded. In Puerto Cortes alone, 240 houses were damaged, of which 57 were destroyed. There are 20 displaced families staying in schools and others remain refugees with their relatives. The welfare hospitals and clinics took care of 37 injured people; two who needed operations. Honduras' disaster relief chief Marcos Burgos says 10 of 18 provinces suffered damage, and s six people were killed.

Honduras suffered severe damages to the road infrastructure and services like potable water, electrical energy and various sewage systems.

Highway system head Melvin Martinez says authorities will build a provisional bridge while workers repair the collapsed Democracy Bridge connecting the country's second largest city, San Pedro Sula, to the rest of Honduras. Martinez says the bridge will take two years to repair.

May 29th, 2009

Earthquake Recap

A magnitude-4.8 aftershock struck outside of Honduras about three hours after the initial 7.3 earthquake Thursday. Honduras has continued to feel aftershocks from yesterday's quake, some as late as 9:00 a.m. Friday. The earthquake occurred in a region where the North American and Caribbean plates come together, according to Gonzalo Cruz, head of geophysics at Honduras' National Autonomous University. There have been 185 earthquakes worldwide in the past 7 days.

Honduran President Visits Port

The president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, was relieved the damages from the quake were smaller than expected. Zelaya visited the facilities of Empresa Nacional Portuaria (ENP) in Puerto Cortes, 300 km to the north of Tegucigalpa, where the majority of foreign trade flows for Honduras as well as neighboring El Salvador and Nicaragua. He stated there was a separation of four to six inches between the wharf and mainland, and rails would need to be repaired. He was encouraged it would be repaired promptly. The Government is still making an evaluation, and confirmed that 88 houses suffered damages, but warned these are preliminary findings and they are still gathering information from all States.

Possible Fuel Rationing

The Honduran Council of the Petroleum Company (Cohpetrol) today announced that as a result of the earthquake that shook the country Thursday, the fuel supply will be affected. The damages to the road infrastructure and harbor facilities is expected to bring about delays in the supplying of fuel.

The provision of petroleum would be affected in the Caribbean and North region of the country, those most affected by the earthquake. Although the disaster was not of a great magnitude as far as buildings, the closure of the Puerto Cortes will make it difficult for them to receive their product from that area. Cohpetrol also receives shipments from San Lorenzo in the Pacific.

Factories Affected

Both Dole and Chiquita shipments to the US will be delayed. Bryan Brown, director of corporate communications for Chiquita Brands International said no company employees got injured from the quake.

"Most important, we've been in close contact with our employees in Honduras," Brown said, of the 7.1 magnitude quake. "Everyone seems to be OK, and we're thankful for that."

Bil Goldfield, communications manager at Dole, said Dole suffered no damage to growing operations and no employee injuries. The Honduran Port of Cortes, handling most of the country's fresh banana exports, closed after the earthquake May 28th, and reopened May 29, but was working very slowly and only for ships that had their own cranes.

"Some vessels may see delays due to port and infrastructure damage, such as roads and bridge issues," Goldfield said. "I have no word on when (the port) may be fully operational again, but at this point, we don't expect any issues in our supply to North America from Honduras."

Dole Fresh Fruit Co. and Chiquita account for the bulk of U.S. banana business out of Honduras. The U.S. imported 506 thousand metric tons of bananas and plantains from Honduras in 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service.

Apparel factories in San Pedro Sula were shaken, and while many factories suffered only minor damage, many workers didn't show up for work on May 28th. John Strasburger, vice president and general manager of VF Americas Sourcing, part of VF Corp., said the company owns one cutting factory and one sewing factory in San Pedro Sula, with 1,500 workers making uniforms. Strasburger said he checked with several contract factories that VF uses in Honduras to make knit tops, and they had no major damages, but scores of workers did not report for work.

David Gren, the general manager and a partner in Rio Garment, a factory in San Pedro Sula that makes fashion knit tops for Aeropostale and Abercrombie & Fitch, said there were some loose tiles in his factory, but no other damage was evident. Nevertheless, production started three hours late, and many employees didn't show up for work. The earthquake could have major consequences for apparel companies because most ship their goods from Puerto Cortes to Miami or Houston.

Gildan Activewear Inc. confirmed that the earthquake has caused negligible damage at its manufacturing facilities. Three employees sustained very minor injuries during a precautionary evacuation of Rio Nance at the time of the earthquake.

New Flights to Honduras

AeroMexico has released flight schedules for its service between New Orleans and Mexico City, which begins July 7th. Flights depart New Orleans at 6:30 a.m. every day except Saturday, and arrive in Mexico City at 9:10 a.m. Connecting flights to San Pedro Sula, Honduras arrive in the city at 11:55 a.m. Return flights depart San Pedro at 12:45 p.m. every day except Saturday, and arrive in Mexico City at 4:10 p.m. before connecting to New Orleans with an estimated landing time of 10:30 p.m.

Cayman Airways Limited (CAL) also announced the launch of a long-anticipated route to Honduras with weekly non-stop Boeing 737 jet service to La Ceiba. The once-weekly flights will operate each Saturday, starting on Saturday, June 6th, with a capacity of 122 seats per flight.

This has happened at last, after an ongoing controversy. Last December, Honorary Honduran Consul to the Cayman Islands, Miguel Brown, said that because Rollins Air had not been granted clearance to operate in Cayman, the Honduran government was refusing to allow CAL to fly to Honduras. At the time, Cayman Net News was told that the denial related to the Cayman Islands Civil Aviation Authority's refusal to grant Honduras-based Rollins Air permission to land in the Cayman Islands, due to a lack of proper documentation.

"We don't want to run Rollins Air off this route, we welcome the competition," Cayman Airways CEO Designate Olson Anderson said at the time, adding, "We know we're right and weÕre not going to bend our rules to accommodate Rollins Air."

The documentation required from Rollins Air to enter the Cayman Islands included proof of insurance, an operating permit from the Honduran Government and an Air Operating Certificate that proves the carrier has met all safety requirements for air travel. To date, Rollins Air still does not offer service to and from the Cayman Islands.

"Apparently the Honduras government refused to sign the clearance for CAL to fly into Honduras because of Rollins Air. They were claiming that if CAL didn't handle Rollins Air then Rollins Air will not handle them down there," Mr. Brown said.

The Honduran government eventually gave CAL clearance to fly into Honduras in March of this year.

Available flights to Honduras was further exacerbated last December when Atlantic Airlines cancelled scheduled flights from Cayman to La Ceiba, leaving holiday travellers stranded in both destinations. Police assistance was required on December 12th to help calm an angry crowd of nearly 100 Hondurans at the Atlantic Airlines offices. Flights resumed the next day, but Atlantic Airlines has since had its licence to fly into the Cayman Islands revoked by the Cayman Islands Civil Aviation Authority, and has not operated there since January.

Another Honduras-based airline, Islena Air, started operating twice-weekly direct flights from La Ceiba in April after receiving permission from the Cayman Islands Civil Aviation Authority to land there. The new CAL service to La Ceiba is a seasonal route and will operate between June 6th and August 29th.

CAL's Flight 824 will depart George Town, Grand Cayman each Saturday at 9:00 am, arriving in La Ceiba, Honduras, at 9:15 am. The return flight 825 will depart La Ceiba at 10:15 am each Saturday and arrive on Grand Cayman at 12:30 pm. There is a one-hour time difference between the two gateways.

May 28th, 2009

Earthquake in Honduras

A 7.3 earthquake took place at 2:24:35 Honduras time on Thursday, 80 miles north of La Ceiba. The court building in San Pedro Sula was damaged, and many fires broke out. A handful of houses collapsed in Santa Barbara and the ceiling of an old colonial church fell in. A stadium wall collapsed in Puerto Cortes and wooden homes collapsed there as well. Puerto Cortes is 120 miles (200 kilometers) north of Tegucigalpa. The Port of Cortes has been closed. The democratic bridge across the Ulua River suffered major damage in the northern town of El Progreso, and the current bridge is being checked for any structural damage. There have been four confirmed deaths, all minors who were crushed while they slept. One in the Department of Tela, one in Yoro, one in Atlantida and one in Gracias, Lempira. Roatan was closest to the epicenter. The quake was felt as far as Antigua, Guatemala.

Maritza Varela, hospital director in El Progresso stated that at least 13 people arrived this morning for treatment as a result of the earthquake in Honduras. One adult suffered injury to the hip from a falling wall, and two children, five and nine were sent to Mario Catarino Rivas hospital for inspection of cranial trauma. Authorities have reported 42 municipalities have been affected.

May 27th, 2009

OAS Arrives in Honduras

Javier Franco, liaison officer of the OAS in Honduras confirmed the arrival in San Pedro Sula of the first delegation of the OAS. This delegation will begin preparations to welcome the foreign ministers of 34 countries to Honduras. Participants are expected to arrive over the next week, in time for the June 1st meeting.

Toncontin and other airports will have 33 immigration officers in total to handle the roughly 1,500 extra passengers per day. Approximately 3,000 persons are expected.

Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo will address the General Assembly of the Organization of American States in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on June 2nd, an official spokesmen announced Wednesday.

The OAS confirmed Miguel Angel Moratinos as the ambassador of the foreign minister of Spain. Spain has been a permanent observer of the organization since 1967. The officer met with the representative of Honduras to the OAS, Jorge Miranda, in order to refine the details of the preparations for the assembly.

United States representative Hillary Clinton has been granted a private meeting with the President of Honduras during her stay to participate in the OAS.