The speed with which the Panamanian government, under the leadership of President José Raúl Mulino, assessed the structural damage caused by the October 9 earthquake has saved lives. This was acknowledged by structural engineer Hideki “Kit” Miyamoto, leader of the team of experts sent by the U.S. Embassy to evaluate and inspect the infrastructure in the four most affected provinces and assist in the recovery of the communities.
Miyamoto is the founder and CEO of Miyamoto International, a global organization dedicated to structural engineering and disaster risk reduction, whose experts have already begun touring the central provinces to assess damaged structures that have been identified as priorities by the Government of Panama.
Meeting with the Executive and coordination of actions
This Tuesday, Miyamoto met with President Mulino, a meeting in which data on the affected areas were shared and action plans were coordinated towards the reconstruction of houses, schools, churches and public buildings in Veraguas, Herrera, Coclé and Los Santos.
The expert arrived accompanied by the U.S. Ambassador to Panama, Kevin Marino Cabrera, and the Miyamoto International team . The president brought to the meeting the ministers designated to lead the disaster response: Juan Carlos Orillac (Presidency) and José Ramón Icaza (Canal Affairs and Secretary of Presidential Goals); as well as the Foreign Minister, Javier Martínez-Acha, and the Vice Foreign Minister, Carlos Hoyos.
Assessment of international response time
Miyamoto, a renowned international expert, highlights that the Panamanian government’s response to the earthquake exceeded international standards. The specialist pointed out that the government’s damage assessment was carried out earlier than in many countries that have faced similar situations, and definitely ahead of the international standard. The reason is that during the first ten days, virtually all the infrastructure and houses in the affected area were evaluated, a process that in other places usually begins two weeks later. This has proven extremely useful for mapping risk zones.
He also emphasized that the prompt response saved lives, as the damage and risk assessment in the initial days allowed the population to understand what had happened to their homes and businesses and to react appropriately.
President Mulino, for his part, expressed his gratitude for the assistance provided by the U.S. Embassy and Miyamoto International. He stated that Panamanians, with the support of allied nations, are fully focused on rebuilding every house, school, church, hospital, road, and historical building affected. The United States has allocated $6 million in humanitarian aid for the communities impacted by the earthquake and its aftershocks, of which $1 million is earmarked for the operational work of the team of specialists.
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