Panama earthquake relief efforts

Following an earthquake on October 9, humanitarian relief efforts were launched in Panama’s central provinces and the Azuero region. The Instituto Panameño Autónomo Cooperativo (IPACOOP) began distributing bottled water, dry food, bedding, and hygiene items to residents in Herrera, Los Santos, Veraguas, and Coclé. Additionally, the cooperative COOPASEM, R. L. provided construction materials and machinery to assist in reconstructing homes in the El Cocal and Nuevo México communities.

The earthquake also caused structural damage to several IPACOOP provincial offices, leading to temporary closures for safety evaluations.

As relief operations continued, the Agricultural Marketing Institute (IMA) expanded its efforts under instructions from President José Raúl Mulino. The IMA maintained its ‘Tiendas del Pueblo’ operations and produced food bags for victims in the affected provinces. By the reporting period, approximately 43,000 food bags had been distributed to over 153,000 people, with 100 pickup trucks deployed daily to navigate debris and difficult terrain in remote areas.