Attachments
Glide Number: FL-2022-000365-PAN
Description of the Event
What happened, where and when?
On 4 November the National Civil Protection System declared a Green Alert in 9 provinces (Chiriquí, Veraguas, Los Santos, Herrera, Coclé, Panamá Oeste, Panamá and Darién) due to a low-pressure system and the intertropical convergence zone, located to the north of the country, which could generate landslides and the overflowing of rivers and streams. On 9 November, the Yellow Alert was raised in six provinces (Chiriquí, Darien, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama and Veraguas). Heavy rains in the provinces of Herrera, Veraguas and Los Santos caused the main rivers in these provinces to overflow. On 11 November, the National Civil Protection System downgraded the Yellow Alert for the provinces of Chiriqui, Darien and Panama, but maintained the Yellow Alert in the provinces of Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos, as these were the most affected. On 13 November, the Yellow Alert was lifted in the provinces of Herrera, Los Santos and Veraguas and a Green Alert was issued over the entire national territory with the exception of Bocas del Toro and the Guna Yala region.
Scope and Scale
SINAPROC (National System for Civil Protection) focused mainly on delivering humanitarian aid and has stopped the damage assessments and needs analyses (DANAs). As of 14 November, in a coordination meeting with different actors, SINAPROC reported a total of 776 families (3,875 people) affected in the provinces of Los Santos, Herrera and Veraguas. As the water levels dropped, damage assessments were carried out also in Soná, San Francisco, Furniales, Cocuyo and Higueronoso.
The selected communities are part of the most remote ones that were left uncommunicated and where other government support did not reach the people affected, as they prioritized families in Los Santos province.
Additionally, SINAPROC distributed a one-time aid as soon as they completed their evaluations, therefore, the Red Cross Society of Panama has been complementing these actions. According to a report shared internally with the RCSP by SINAPROC in late November, the number of affected families in the province of Los Santos alone reached 750. At the time of writing this operational update, no further official information has been shared.