Signal Panama Declares National State of Emergency Due to El Niño

Summary

The government of Panama declared a national state of emergency in response to the effects of the El Nino phenomenon. Forecasts from Panama's Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology indicate El Nino will intensify further, and this outlook underpins the declaration. The government said the measure is meant to implement preventive mitigation and immediate response actions that strengthen institutions' operational capacity to provide timely assistance when incidents occur. Cabinet Council Resolution No 102-26 states that these measures are necessary to address the effects this climatic event could cause. Official figures record at least 15643 people affected by floods since January 2026, with more than 70 percent concentrated in the provinces of Bocas del Toro and Colon and the remainder in the Ngabe Bugle and Naso Tjer Di regions.