Hurricane Melissa is now Earth’s Strongest Storm of 2025: Rescue Operations and Shelters Continue Amid Heavy Rains in Tonosí, Chiriquí, and Veraguas
Sinaproc personnel, along with the National Aeronaval Service (Senan), the Panamanian Red Cross, and the Fire Department, continue to conduct monitoring and voluntary evacuations in various communities.
Panama City, Panama: Rains continue to affect various regions of the country, where security forces and emergency teams remain deployed to assist families affected by floods, rising rivers, and landslides. In the district of Tonosí, province of Los Santos, the Fire Department headquarters was set up as a command and logistics post for the National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc) to coordinate humanitarian aid to affected families. Staff from the agency reported that the National Council for Sustainable Development (Conades) , the Ministry of Social Development (Mides) , and the National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities (Senadis) will be responsible for conducting the census to determine the exact number of people affected by the flooding of the Tonosí River.
Some homes suffered flooding, and others were partially submerged. The possibility of opening the Tonosí Agricultural and Professional Technical Institute as a temporary shelter for families who need to be evacuated is also being evaluated. However, the measure will be confirmed once the census is completed and the extent of the damage is determined. Despite intermittent rains, preventive monitoring continues in the area, with support from the Fire Department and other security forces. In the province of Chiriquí , the Emergency Operations Center (COE) was activated as a precautionary measure in response to the yellow alert in effect in the districts of Tierras Altas, Renacimiento, and Barú , where fallen trees, overflowing streams , and damage to drainage systems have been reported, according to Sinaproc.
The Ministry of Education confirmed the suspension of classes in at least 10 schools as a preventive measure. In addition, flooding was reported in two homes in the Volcán area, landslides in Tizingal and on the road to Río Sereno, while in Puerto Armuelles the water treatment plant was temporarily shut down due to the rising waters of the San Bartolo River. Meanwhile, in the district of Mariato, Veraguas province, flooding left several families trapped , prompting rescue teams to deploy boats for their evacuation. One of the rescue operations took place in the community of Cocuyo, where a family was rescued after being isolated by a rising river.
Sinaproc personnel, together with the National Aeronaval Service (Senan), the Panamanian Red Cross and the Fire Department, continue to carry out monitoring and voluntary evacuations in communities such as Higueronoso, Cocuyo and Arenas. Authorities reiterated their call to the public to remain alert to weather warnings and avoid crossing rivers or streams during the rainy season, while continuing response and prevention measures to address possible further impacts.
