Rains in Panama: Floods and Rescues

At least six people were rescued by SINAPROC, after intense rains were recorded nationwide.  In the last 24 hours, after intense rains, the National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC) responded to several emergency reports in different parts of the country.  During the night of Friday, June 14, SINAPROC personnel carried out rescues for two men aged 44 and 45 who were on an islet due to the flooding of the Rio Grande in the El Guabal sector, Penonomé, in the province of Cocle. 

In that same province, in the district of Natá, the grounds of the El Caño Archaeological Museum were also flooded, which had to close its doors to the public.  Manuel Gómez, deputy regional director of SINAPROC in Coclé, explained that the rescued people were not affected.  In addition, he said that the El Caño Museum is one of the areas identified as vulnerable or prone to suffering from this type of situation, however, at the moment there are no reports of damage to the structures or pieces within the facilities. 

In El Copé, La Pintada district, a landslide was recorded very close to the residence of a family, which will be relocated to relatives’ homes until the dangerous conditions decrease.  On the other hand, in the province of Veraguas, some partial damage was reported due to the introduction of water in at least eight homes, located in the district of Quebro, where the rains have not stopped in the last 15 days, leaving two communities isolated.  After the damage, SINAPROC personnel continue monitoring the vulnerable areas of the Mariato district, to avoid further incidents with the residents of the flooded areas. 

Meanwhile, in the province of Bocas del Toro, in the early hours of this Saturday, June 15, agents rescued three men who were trapped on an islet due to the flooding of the Cricamola River in the Kankitú-Ñokribo area of ​​the region.  In the Ngäbe Buglé region, adults and children have already died due to river flooding.  The Panama Institute of Hydrology Meteorology has reported that rainy conditions will persist for at least the next 72 hours, after the passage of tropical waves #5 and #6. 

For now, SINAPROC maintains the yellow alert in almost all of the country’s provinces, and recommends people avoid situations that could endanger their lives.  The rains that are generated at the national level are related to the climatic instability caused by the passage of tropical wave #5 of this rainy season.