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LOCAL Tuesday 23 May 2023
Health Department issues warning for high temperatures

ORANJESTAD – During the past few days, very this affects the control center that regulates the
high temperatures, extreme heat and strong body temperature in our brain.
sunlight was noted. For the following days, Aru-
ba will continue experiencing this, which can Symptoms of a heatstroke are:
be dangerous for our health. While it is not pos- High body temperature in a short time;
sible to combat this natural phenomenon, we Dry and red face and neck;
can take action to protect ourselves and others No longer sweating;
and prevent unwanted consequences present- Accelerated heartbeat;
ed by the extensive heat. Headache;
Confused state of mind and can faint;
According to the Health Department of Aruba, Can begin vomiting or having diarrhea.
DVG, we are experiencing a heat wave which
is having an effect on people and animals. On What to do in case of a heatstroke
people it has an effect particularly on those Find medical assistant right away by calling 911;
suffering for chronic illness like diabetes, high Keep the person calm and in a shaded and
blood pressure or asthma, but also those work- colored clothing preferably made from linen cool area;
ing outside in work that is physically demanding. or cotton, and avoid hot beverages and drinks Loosen the clothes on their body;
Other groups at risk are elderly people, babies, containing caffeine or sugar during the hottest Cool the body with a wet towel or cloth using
small children, overweight and obese people. hours, which are between 11am to 2pm. cold or tap water;
The heat can cause dehydration, heat stroke, Place an icepack under the arms, on the neck,
high blood pressure, headache, tiredness, diz- Children, people with illness and the elderly are back, on the stomach and/or between the
ziness, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps and the most vulnerable to this heat. It is very impor- legs;
even a heart attack when a person remains in tant to check on them regularly and help them If the person is conscious, let them drink luke-
high temperatures for a long time. keep their bodies fresh in order to keep their warm water.
temperature down, and hydrate them with
The Department of Public Health advices for enough liquids to prevent a possible heatstroke, Please remember to protect yourself from the
the following days to drink plenty of water, at which is a very delicate condition where the sun and the heat by staying out of the sun in the
least two liters per day; use sun protection SPF body stops sweating. The body temperature hottest hours of 11am-2pm, drink plenty of liq-
30 or higher; wear sunglasses, cap or hat, light- continues raising above 40 degrees Celsius and uids and wear sun-protecting clothing and SPF!

Alto Vista chapel and its link to Aruba’s origins

Noord area, so the town of Noord meters from the chapel there is a
began to grow into a community water tank which the locals call
till getting its own Church. However Tanki Cacique. In the past this tank
religious festivals continued to be was closed. But mostly water was
celebrated at this sacred native brought out from the Poz di Noord,
place, with the custom of arriving a well dug in the sand.
in procession to Alto Vista.
The chapel can be viewed from
Two-hundred years after the beau- basically any point in the north
tiful time of Alto Vista, people can side, even from Paradera and
no longer see much of the town of Sero Plat. All the historical remains
Alto Vista from 1750. With a lot of around the chapel provide us with
work they found the old founda- an idea on how the old people of
tions of the Church of the Queen Alto Vista used to live. Don’t miss
of the Holiest Rosary to build a the opportunity to visit a place of
According to Etnia Nativa, in the tinued to guide the parishioners in new chapel on the same place. historical significance with a win-
18th century most of the inhabit- their prayers. The entire surrounding area was dow to Aruba’s past.
ants of Aruba were indigenous who empty and desolated, making it
lived on the north coast, one of the According to the book, The His- hard to imagine that Alto Vista
largest communities lived in Alto tory of Alto Vista by R.H. Nooyen, was a town at all. A hundred years
Vista. it is not known when Domingo An- later, people can see the remains
tonio Silvester came to Aruba from of around twenty houses, some
As they were very religious, they Venezuela. The elders believe An- made of stone and others of clay.
had a chief with the name of An- tonio was a Spaniard. In 1780, fa- Nowadays, only around six of these
tonio Silvester who guided them ther Joseph Antonio de la Vegal houses remain.
in the Christian life and it was he called Bernardino Silvester, one of
who decided to build a stone cha- Antonio’s sons with his wife Anna South of the chapel in the yard
pel with a roof of corn rods, which Cathalina Tromp, “neighbors and two graves can be observed,
would serve as a place of prayer. naturals of the island Aruba” and there was the cemetery which fa-
In 1750 it was blessed by Father thus they became natives. ther Pablo de Algemesi blessed.
Algamesi who came from Coro- It is not certain, but it is believed
Venezuela and appointed Domin- At the end of the eighteen century that the two graves belong to An-
go Antonio Silvester as the island’s many inhabitants the island died tonio Silvester and Miguel Alvares,
first prosecutor in the name of the as a result of the black fever epi- according to Nooyen. About 50
Spanish crown and Rome. In 1752 demic and since people believed meters near the chapel there are
the prosecution passed into the that the Alto Vista area was the still the markings of an old house,
hands of Antonio Silvester’s son- most infected, they began to build where Antonio and Bernardino Sil-
in-law, Miguel Álvarez, who con- their homes further south within the vester would have lived. About 200