In his usual weekly press conference, the president indicated that the decision will be adopted in an Extraordinary Cabinet meeting convened this afternoon with the participation of experts who will offer details of the damages, in particular the directors of the National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc), Omar Smith; and of the Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Panama, Luz Graciela de Calzadilla.

“From Tuesday until now the situation has worsened and everything seems to indicate that it is not going well. Today I am going to ask for the declaration of a national emergency because based on the reports I have received from ministers in the area of ​​infrastructure, the damage is great,” said the president.

What is required is immediate action to begin to resolve the damage to roads, bridges and any subsidence that may exist so that the Inter-American Highway is not affected, which the day before “suffered a hard blow,” he stressed.

Mulino assured that the national emergency will be managed with prudence and transparency so that the population knows what works or contracts will be done urgently.

He also asked the public to comply with the care measures already indicated by authorities, such as firefighters or Sinaproc, to safeguard their lives.

Among the effects, the impact on roads and infrastructure stands out, with losses in the order of 100 million dollars, according to the Ministry of Public Works.

Mulino also specified that the Cabinet will be divided by geographic areas so that the different ministers can physically accompany the efforts being made in different territories to repair the damage.

Personally, he said, after three failed attempts due to bad weather, he hopes to travel tomorrow to the western province of Chiriquí, one of the regions hardest hit by the downpours associated with the passage of Hurricane Rafael and the formation of other tropical depressions in the Caribbean.

The head of state began his appearance by thanking all the institutions and people who, through the office of the First Lady, have made contributions of solidarity in the form of supplies needed by the thousands of affected families, humanitarian aid that has already arrived and is continuing to be distributed in the most affected areas.

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