Floods create chaos

PANAMÁ. In the early hours of Thursday morning torrential rains fell on the capital city causing landslides, floods and power cuts.

One of the most affected areas was the Arraijan-La Chorrera highway, where landslides stopped the traffic for several hours.

The landslides happened at the entrance of Vacamonte and units from the Ministry of Public Works were called in to clear the road.

The Civil Protection Service Sinaproc preliminary reports said that 55 people were affected by the bad weather and 12 houses were seriously damaged by floods, falling trees , collapsed walls and roofs torn apart by the strong winds.

The areas most affected by the floods due to sewers’ obstructions were Barrida Panama in Veracruz and Calle 15 in Pueblo Nuevo.

Vía Domingo Díaz in Tocumen, parts of San Antonio, Cerro Viento, Plaza Conquistador and Villa Lucre and Chanis were also flooded, as well as Avenida Nacional.

Trees fell on houses in Arraijan, La Chorrera, Bethania, La Loceria, Diablo and Capira.

The electricity went off for five hours in Bethania after a tree fell over the electricity poles, a similar incident in Calle P in Capira.

A house in the Sector 4, Calle Revolucion, in Veracruz lost its roof due to the strong wind.

The traffic in Transistmica Way, Tumba Muerto and Balboa Avenue came to a stand still due to the virtual lagoons that had formed in the middle of the road.

At one point the police closed Frangipani Avenue because of the flooding in Curundu, causing a massive traffic jam.

Meteorological reports from ETESA (the electricity company) said that more heavy rains are expected for the next 24 hours, accompanied by lightning in the areas of Kuna Yala, Costa Arriba and Costa Abajo Colon, the north of the Veraguas province, Azuero peninsula and Chiriqui.

The rains were provoked by low pressure converging in the tropical zone, which is very common during the wet which last until December.