The bill for Panama’s October 9 earthquake is landing on households first. Sinaproc, the national civil protection system, says 1,952 homes were totally damaged, and the figure comes from only part of the assessment so far. Its preliminary report #15, current to Saturday, October 17, counts 7,933 homes evaluated under the Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis, known as DANA.
The quake struck at 12:56 pm on Friday, October 9. Its epicenter was 39 kilometers northwest of Tonosí, in Los Santos province.
The housing toll
Sinaproc says the damage directly affected 26,018 people, among them 13,105 men, 12,913 women, 85 pregnant women and 1,026 people with disabilities. Seventy-four percent of the homes evaluated are in Los Santos and Herrera.
The report sorts the damage into three tiers:
1,952 homes with total damage, affecting 6,322 people. 2,952 homes with moderate or partial damage, affecting 16,071 people. 1,124 homes with minor or slight damage, affecting 3,625 people.
Schools and injuries
The report also records 576 educational centers affected. Most are in Veraguas, with 178, and Chiriquí, with 139. It lists 27 injured: 17 in Coclé, six in Los Santos, two in Panama Oeste, one in Herrera and one in Veraguas.
At the Cecilio A. Castillero hospital in Chitré, members of the neonatology department were photographed attending to newborns at a mobile barbershop. The United States has since sent tent-type hospitals for specialized neonatal care.
Relief effort and money
The logistics numbers show the scale of the effort. Authorities have moved more than 171,190 pounds of cargo by air and 365 tons by land. As of October 16 they were serving 57 communities in 19 districts across five provinces and the Ngäbe Buglé region.
Sinaproc credited foreign help. Beyond the tent hospitals, the US sent structural engineers, search and rescue specialists, and logistics and operations staff. Costa Rica deployed 39 experts in infrastructure and geology, and Venezuela shipped 48 tons of humanitarian aid.
On October 10, the Cabinet Council declared a national state of emergency. Under it, up to $100 million will be allocated to help those affected.
Sources
- More than 7,900 Homes Assessed and 1,952 with Total Damage Caused by the Earthquake in Panama. – Newsroom Panama
- List of earthquakes in 2023
- More than 7,900 Homes Assessed and 1,952 with Total Damage Caused by the Earthquake in Panama. – Newsroom Panama
Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Andrea Jenkins (Public domain)
