(prensa.com) Civil defense officials said that heavy rains in Veraguas has caused 64 families to flee their homes and ruined more than 100 hectares of rice crops.
Officials with civil defense agency Sinaproc said that the area of Mariato was particularly affected, as the rains caused the Pavo and Quebro rivers to flood.
Several smaller communities have been cut off because of the flooding. Sinaproc officials have started to take food to these communities in small boats.
Luis Alfonso Aguirre, director of Sinaproc in Veraguas, said that intense rains have persisted, and the agency is now evacuating families. Officials have been unable to reach the communities of Higueronoso 1 and 2, Playita, Cacao, Cascajilloso, Varadero, Flores and Arenas.
Heavy rains have caused numerous problems across the country.
In Tonosí, in the province of Los Santos, hundreds of homes were reported damaged by flooding. Sinaproc officials estimate some 1,500 people have been impacted by the flooding.
An alert was issued for the province of Bocas del Toro, and flooding was also reported in Chiriquí.