Panama's National Civil Protection System decided to lower the alert they had issued due to the cold front moving through the Caribbean because the intensity of the winds has decreased. (more)

You've just hit a "pay wall." Panama-Guide subscribers who have logged in to their user accounts can see the full text of this article. However non-members can only see this short introduction. If you would like to subscribe, please click this link to subscribe via PayPal.

The Minister of Education, Lucy Molinar suspended classes today, Monday, 4 March 2013, for schools located in the center of the city of Colon, a product of the cold front that is currently passing through the Caribbean, and because power has been knocked out to the area.

The Regional Director of Education in the province of Colon, Rudolfo Herrera said they are conducting assessments across the province to hear the reports of the situation.

He added so far they have not received information from the coastal areas, but they have already dispatched personnel to those areas. (Panama America)

The director of the National System of Civil Protection Arturo Alvarado said through his Twitter account they have declared a Green Alert due to the cold front that is currently passing through the Caribbean.

He also announced that six ships have been blown ashore in the province of Colon.

Three sailors have been rescued, two Panamanians and a 57 year old man from North Carolina in the United States.

He said they also rescued another five people at one in the morning along the Atlantic coast.

The rescue operation ended at 3:00 am. The ships have been blown ashore in front of the Parque de la Juventud and in the plaza of the Parque Chino in Colón. (Panama America)

Panama's National Civil Protection System issued a warning today.

The Pacific coast of Panama will experience higher than normal tids as high as 17 feet, starting at 3:33 am this morning, Sunday, 10 February 2013 and lasting until 18:58 pm on Thursday, 14 February.

The General Director of the SINAPROC Arturo Alvarado advised people to take precautions for the duration of the phenomenon of the tides, and said they have staff available to respond if necessary to areas vulnerable to flooding and flood-prone areas on the Pacific, since they coincide with high tides.

He also warned coastal populations and light vessels to take precaution against the probability of large waves. (Estrella)

Starting at 2:48 in the morning today, Friday, 11 January 2013, tides reaching as high as 17.5 feet will be recorded along the Pacific coast of Panama.

These higher than normal tides will last until 7:28 pm on Wednesday, 16 January 2013, so the director general of the National System of Civil Protection asks the public to take precautions.

They also warned coastal populations and light vessels take precaution against the probability of wave activity. (Panama America)

Editor's Comment: The SINAPROC issues one of these warnings every month, and normally someone drowns as a result of being sucked off of the beach by a riptide. This weekend if you're going to go into the Pacific ocean, it would be a good idea to take a flotation device with you, just in case. Learn how to properly respond to a riptide.

A new cold front remains positioned over Panama and it will affect the country for two days.

This was confirmed by the director general of the National System of Civil Protection Arturo Alvarado, who explained that the weather phenomenon comes from the Gulf of Mexico.

Alvarado said that although the cold front has altered the convergence zone, sporadic rains that may occur because of this phenomenon will only occur for two days on Tuesday and Wednesday in different regions of the country. (Mi Diario)

The report on the damages caused by the flooding that occurred on Sunday, 25 November 2012 could be ready within two months, where most of the people affected were in the Western sector of the province of Panama and in the province of Colon.

According to the Minister of Economy and Finance Frank De Lima the "most involved" institutions have not yet submitted their inputs, such as the Ministry of Education (Meduca), Ministry of Housing and Land Management (Miviot) and the Ministry of Health (MoH), among others, which should gather the information.

"The last time in 2010 when flooding occurred in December, it was not until March when they filed the report, and it is expected to take two months," he said on Telemetro Reports.

As soon as all of the government entities have submitted their reports, the Minister will make a presentation to the Cabinet. (Panama America)

The extreme rainfall events are characterized by a higher level of precipitation, said Billy Ubillus, the National Director of Environmental Quality Protection of the National Environmental Authority (ANAM).

Ubillus spoke about the statements that have been made about the impact of climate change on the level of rainfall, and he said what has changed is the frequency of the recurrence of extreme rainfall events, which previously occurred every 100 to 150 years.

He gave as an example what happened in the Western part of the province of Panama, where part of the floods were caused by natural landslides next to the Caimito river, which dragged the forest floor to the river. Besides trees, the current swept solid material and sediment, creating a sort of natural dam. The amount of water released when this natural dam gave way caused a sudden rise in the water level, which ultimately triggered the floods. (Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: So the rain triggered mudslides up river. The mudslides dropped dirt and trees into the river channel. This blocked the flow of water, and created a natural dam, and a lake behind it. When all of that failed and gave way, the wall of water came bursting down river, causing the flood. OK, this is the first time I've heard this explanation, and it makes sense.

Streets were flooded and the city was practically paralyzed, due to the large traffic congestion is what is being reported on the social networks following the rains this afternoon, Wednesday, 5 December.

The tweeters question the lack of traffic units in different streets, and accidents that have occurred in areas such as Via Brazil near PriceSmart, as well as at the bridge of the Americas.

Points such as Avenida Perú, Vía España, Avenida Balboa ,Calle 50, Bella Vista, Calidonia, Vía Transístmica and Avenida Justo Arosemena are paralyzed, according to reports from drivers.

There has also been reports of floods in Frangipani, the Children's Hospital and Via Veneto.

"Half of Panama is flooded and it only rained 20 minutes. God Forbid it should rain the whole day," said one via Twitter.

Recent heavy rains caused flooding in Colon and La Chorrera, leaving more than 1,500 homes affected.

The rains have worsened the traffic situation in Panama, which has been affected by the holiday season, and the road realignment work being done by the current government, which has tested the patience to the drivers, as this is the price progress. There are no reports from the National System of Civil Protection on anyone who might have been affected by flooding. (Estrella)

Editor's Comment: The very end of the rainy season is "funny" like that. One day it will rain like hell and dump a zillion gallons of water and flood everything. The very next day it's like someone threw a grand master switch in the sky - Click! - and it's dry season. Any day now...

Bad weather, coupled with the rising rivers, caused anxiety among the residents of several neighborhoods of La Chorrera, in the Western part of the province of Panama, and the province of Colon.

As the families in La Chorrera are still struggling to overcome the losses suffered in the floods of 25 November 2012, the Caimito overflowed its banks again during the early morning hours on Saturday, flooding several homes.

However, this time there was a chance to save the food, clothing and mattresses that had been received as donations days ago, thanks to a warning given by the locals.

According to the mayor of La Chorrera, Themistocles Herrera, at around 10:00 pm on Saturday he received information from the sector of Los Mortales, where the river level was rising rapidly.

This allowed them to alert the families residing in the neighborhoods of Revolución Final, Trapichito and Mastranto Final, so they could respond to any eventuality.

At about 3:00 am, the river began to flood houses in Revolución Final and El Campesino, plus six houses in the villate of Santa Rita.

The floods of last weekend left 1,800 people homeless, according to figures from the mayor, and five houses destroyed.

Support - In the sector of Revolución Final, Alcides Rodríguez collaborated on a board to build three houses in an area that 20 years ago was demarcated as a street.

Rodriguez said he collected signatures from neighbors to ask the Ministry of Housing and Land for compensation.

He said five other families will be relocated to municipal land in the area of ​​Potrero Grande.

Meanwhile in Mastranto Final, families who spent the night outside of their their homes insisted that they are willing to be relocated, rather than returning to their old homes and face the risk of repeating the experience of losing all of their belongings.

Capira - Although the district of Capira the material losses have not yet been quantified, it was learned that only the reconstruction of the destroyed suspension bridge in the community of Lajalisa has a cost of $80,000.

For its part, the Ministry of Agriculture reported they will apply lime to the remains of 37 cattle killed in a landslide in Lajalisa, to minimize environmental damage.

In a statement, the ministry said there are still communities like Jordanal and Arenillas, which have not been reached, and whose losses are still unknown.

They also reported losses of poultry, pigs, fruits and vegetables in the communities of Los Chorros, Claras Abajo, Cirí de Los Sotos and Santa Rosa.

Colon - Also, since yesterday morning an intense downpour struck the province of Colon, again flooding the zones of Villa del Caribe, El Nazareno and Sagrada Resurrección, while the authorities continue to deliver support to the victims.