[spounnypneups]

Policemen try to remove a lamppost next to a sinkhole caused by recent rains in Guatemala City May 30, 2010.



A security guard looks at a sinkhole in Guatemala City May 30, 2010.

[Dreqsqse]

Erica Whitehill looks at a large sinkhole in her backyard in Lutz, Fla., in July 2008.




A sinkhole in Seattle Washington engulfs a driveway and portions of 61st Avenue in Kenmore, Wash., near Seattle in March 2009. The ground caved in because a tunneling machine removed too much soil 150 feet beneath a home.




A sinkhole caused by recent raise in Guatemala City is seen here on May 30.

[Aleenkagirlla]

Jun 3, 2010
Agatha leaves 183 dead

GUATEMALA CITY - STORM-RATTLED Guatemalans attempted to retrieve belongings on Wednesday as officials delivered food aid after a devastating Tropical Storm Agatha left 183 people dead across the region. Scores of countries have offered aid to Guatemala, worst hit by the first eastern Pacific tropical storm of the season that left 156 people dead and another 103 people missing in the Central American country alone.

Another 17 people in Honduras and 10 in El Salvador were among those who lost their lives as Agatha slammed the region with torrential rain, unleashing mudslides and raising rivers that washed away thousands of homes. 'We're taking advantage of the rain stopping to see if we can remove all the mud that built up on the driveway of our house,' Julio Figueroa told AFP, saying walls of mud had prevented him from checking on his belongings.

President Alvaro Colom said some 685 tons of food aid had been delivered to the massive number of displaced persons, with around 79,000 people seeking shelter from the storm. Among the 18 countries that offered aid, Brazil sent 20,000 tonnes of corn and 5,000 tonnes of rice, Argentina sent 16 tonnes of rice, Cuba offered a team of medics and the United States sent six support helicopters from a base in Honduras to aid with recovery efforts.

The European Union gave US$2.4 million (S$3.4 million) in emergency assistance. The World Bank has also said it was finalising a US$85 million loan to help Guatemala cope with the aftermath of the storm and a volcanic eruption. Officials meanwhile said a sinkhole that swallowed an entire three-storey building in the capital resulted from an overwhelming amount of water in the soil caused by Agatha's rains mixing with an unusual level of porous sand, after a volcanic eruption last week blanketed the region with ash and rocks.

No casualties were reported from the sinkhole, 21m in diameter and 31m deep, because the building was not occupied at the time. A 100m evacuation zone has been put in place around the hole in the densely populated neighbourhood, with residents only allowed in to retrieve belongings until authorities can determine the ground's stability. -- AFP

[Mifsnavassy]

Jun 15, 2010

US$1b to rebuild Guatemala

GUATEMALA CITY - REBUILDING in Guatemala after a devastating tropical storm last month could cost up to US$1 billion (S$1.4 billion) and the country must prove to international donors that it is making every effort to raise revenues through taxes, President Alvaro Colom said on Monday. 'We are getting strong support from the international community but Guatemala has to demonstrate that it has a high tax level and transparency,' said Mr Colom, who is pushing for fiscal reform to help fund the national budget.

About 160 people died in Guatemala when Tropical Storm Agatha dumped days of rain on Central America in late May bursting river banks and causing mudslides. Bridges, roads and more than 100,000 homes were destroyed Coffee farms were also badly damaged, which could reduce Guatemala's crop by 3 per cent. Mr Colom, touring one of the hardest hit parts of the country in the eastern department of Izabal, said it would cost between US$650 million and US$1 billion to repair damaged infrastructure.

Guatemala has received some international aid already - Japan donated US$220,000 in equipment and building materials, the United States gave hundreds of thousands dollars in emergency relief and the European Union has pledged three million euros for the recovery effort. Mr Colom's fiscal reform proposal, which includes raising income taxes, has faced stiff criticism from Guatemala's powerful business chamber and opposition politicians.

The bill has stalled in Congress and will not be reconsidered until August. Guatemala has one of the lowest tax collection rates in Latin America. 'It's no secret that Guatemala has stayed behind in the area of fiscal reform. We have to do something to prove ourselves to the international community,' Mr Colom said. -- REUTERS