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| Over five days of heavy rains have caused thousands of dollars in losses at the time are difficult to quantify.1464014 |
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Flor Bocharel
Majagual chiriqui
nacionales@prensa.com
(prensa.com)Over five days of heavy rains keep members of the farming communities Corotú, Majagual, Bacchus, Chiriqui Viejo, The Quilt, Corotú and other districts and Alanje Baru, Chiriqui Province, in distress.
The torrent of the mighty Rio Chiriqui Viejo grew threatening, but yesterday morning the water overflowed from the old irrigation channels serving the banana and inundated the homes of people who live there, most of whom are poor.
A total of 638 people were evacuated by the overflowing of rivers in Colorado and Chiriqui Viejo district and Alanje Baru, while on the impact of Hurricane “Thomas”, two people were killed by the rains, confirmed Arturo Alvarado, director general the National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc). It was also reported that more than 200 homes were affected. It is estimated that those affected can exceed a thousand people.
Ibar Arracera Antonio Ayala, 61, died was buried by an avalanche in the community of Baytún, Renaissance district, he drove a bulldozer, while in the river drowned Gariche Víctor Valdés Guevara, who was preparing to fish. Alvarado said that they are victims of hurricane “Thomas” events that occurred on 4 November. While the flood victims is another product of bad weather in the surrounding area, the official said.
Andrea Rojas de Santamaria, a resident of Majagual Baru district, said that for more than a week without sleep, because the Colorado River and Chiriqui Viejo, surrounding community, were at their peak.
Alvarado said that due to bad weather was enabled Emergency Operations Center in the community of La Esperanza, Baru district, since there were evacuating people with special divers, boats and six-wheeled trucks in places where small cars can not reach .
Meanwhile, Aixa Santamaría, governor of the province of Chiriqui, said shelters have been set up in primary school in La Esperanza and that of Divala, there has been diapers, drinking water, they are providing food, milk and are no doctors to determine the conditions of people.
For its part, the mayor of Baru, Franklin Valdes, said the most affected communities are Bacchus, La Esperanza, Chiriqui Viejo, Civil Corotú, bedspread, Majagual Almond Aqueduct, Los Olivos. The road to Puerto Armuelles is obstructed by the overflow channel and just go off-road vehicles, passersby do transfer in the area on foot and by tractor.
Porfirio Chavarria, banana producer Majagual area, said he missed the entire banana crop because everything is flooded and not know how to recover the money invested.
Dinorah Taylor, producer of the area, said there are a thousand hectares of banana plantations that were affected by the rains, the banana will have to wait until fall to start the water to grow the product.
On the other hand, in the province of Darien and the regions the rainfall for several days have caused the overflowing of the Savannah River, which exceeded the bridge structures and has not allowed the movement of the population, reported Orestes Escudero, Deputy Regional Director the Sinaproc. The rains also caused agricultural losses Biroquerá communities, El Coco, Sambu, Puerto Indio, Lucas, Happy Valley and Llano Bonito.
While in Bocas del Toro, a three year old boy has been missing in the Charco la Pava community, in the village of Valle Risco, in the district of Changuinola, said Gladys Concepcion, regional director of Sinaproc. (With information on Isabel Castro and Pedro Rodriguez).