Panama speeds up quake relief
The government declared a national emergency and is distributing food by land and air in the central and southern provinces.
Humanitarian aid in Panama is moving by land and air after last Friday's magnitude 7.7 earthquake. Revista E&N reported that road repairs are allowing food and water to reach the hardest-hit areas.
Broken roads now let food through
President José Raúl Mulino visited an Instituto de Mercadeo Agropecuario (IMA) facility in Herrera. Thousands of food bags are being assembled to distribute in that province and in Los Santos and Coclé. Drinking water is also being replenished, according to Revista E&N.
The bags combine rice, beans and other basic products, and are meant to be delivered house to house.
«The 27 damaged churches are a reminder that reconstruction will take time»
Mulino asked that distribution be carried out in an orderly way and that no one take advantage of it to play politics with people's need. The most affected areas are in the center and south of the country, and the president has been touring them since Friday itself.
Large-scale distribution is by land, and it restarted once the roads were no longer broken.
One of the repaired highways leads to Tonosí, the coastal town closest to the epicenter, about 180 kilometers from the capital. Helicopters from the Servicio Nacional Aeronaval (Senan) brought water and dry food to families waiting on a field with tents.
1,400 structures damaged and national emergency
Inspections continue and the number of affected structures now exceeds 1,400 nationwide. The official report details 840 residences and apartment buildings, 419 schools, more than 60 government buildings, 24 health centers, 12 hotels and 27 churches.
Authorities have not yet quantified material losses. They have already declared a state of national emergency to channel up to 100 million dollars and address the situation.
The figure has been growing as inspections advance. The IMA, Senan and the Ministry of Public Security are taking part in the response.
26 tons by air and classes suspended
The Ministry of Public Security reported that between Saturday and Sunday about 26 tons of aid were distributed by air to the hardest-hit areas. The cargo includes bottled water, food and basic necessities.
The latest official report registers around thirty minor injuries. There are no deaths or missing people. Mulino called it a miracle: "We will solve the material things, but the important thing is that there are no victims and that is a miracle."
Mulino also announced that classes are suspended this Monday nationwide and that activity will fully resume on Tuesday.
The 27 damaged churches are a reminder that reconstruction will take time. Pray for Panama, follow information in verified media and ask at your local church how to join a collection. "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2, ESV)
