Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday the United States is mobilizing resources and personnel to help Panama after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the country's south-central region at 12:56 p.m. local time on Oct. 9. Washington is acting at Panama's request.
"The United States stands with the people of Panama," Rubio wrote on X. The State Department spelled out the chain of command: "At the request of the Panamanian government, the State Department is rapidly mobilizing resources and personnel to assist." It didn't say how many U.S. personnel would go, what they would do or when they would arrive.
The Quake and Its Aftershocks
The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 7.7, with an epicentre 12 kilometres west-south-west of Pitaloza Arriba and a depth of about 12.6 kilometres. The University of Panama's Institute of Geosciences initially put it at 7.2, then revised its figure to 7.5. Strong aftershocks followed: magnitude 6.6 at 3:25 p.m. and magnitude 6.0 at 11:14 p.m. local time Friday. By shortly after 6 p.m., Panama's institute had counted 107 aftershocks.
The USGS loss model, known as PAGER, issued a red alert for economic losses and estimated them at 3% to 30% of Panama's gross domestic product. That's a computer estimate, not a tally of damage. The report noted that past events at this level had required a national or international response.
Damage on the Ground
Panama's Health Ministry, Minsa, reported 17 affected health facilities: six hospitals, eight health centres and three primary-care centres. It reported no deaths and no one seriously hurt. Inspectors found structural damage on the fifth floor of the trauma area at Hospital Santo Tomás in Panama City. Authorities fully evacuated the Oriente Chiricano hospital in San Félix, Chiriquí province.
Education Minister Ventura Vega said 188 schools nationwide were affected and classes would remain suspended until further notice. He planned to visit Coclé, Herrera and Veraguas on Saturday to assess whether pupils could return Monday, Oct. 12. In Penonomé, the capital of Coclé province, part of a church tower fell, and a hotel was badly damaged.
Government Response
President José Raúl Mulino, a conservative lawyer in office since July 2024, visited Penonomé and urged people to stay calm. He promised more water, food and diapers for affected areas starting Saturday, Oct. 10, and said the National Police were leading coordination and security on the ground. He also thanked several Latin American presidents who phoned Friday to offer help.
Panama's civil protection agency, Sinaproc, told residents to ignore rumours and avoid visibly damaged buildings as aftershocks continued.
Financing and Markets
Money moved quickly. CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, donated US$250,000 for humanitarian needs and offered a natural-disaster credit line of up to US$50 million, to be channelled in coordination with Panama's Economy Ministry. "Today we stand with the people of Panama, who have been affected by the earthquake," said CAF executive president Sergio Díaz-Granados. Panama uses the U.S. dollar, so the sums needed no conversion.
Economy Minister Felipe Chapman's ministry contacted the Inter-American Development Bank, CAF, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and also reached out to the Central American Bank for Economic Integration. Chapman gave no amounts or terms.
Commerce kept moving. Tocumen airport reopened Friday afternoon, and Copa Airlines resumed flights. Copa said passengers booked for Oct. 9 or 10 can rebook free for travel through Oct. 31, while warning of possible delays and schedule changes. The Panama Canal Authority said operations continued normally Friday. It later reported minor damage to four office buildings on the Pacific side, with no effect on ship transits.
The State Department hotline runs 24 hours a day at +1-202-501-4444 from abroad and +1-888-407-4747 from the United States and Canada. The U.S. Embassy in Panama City said it was checking on the welfare of visitors and staff, and urged U.S. citizens to enroll in the State Department's free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.
Panama hasn't published a final count of injured people or damaged homes, and officials haven't put a price on the damage. No deaths had been reported by Friday evening. That could change as teams reach rural areas. Whether schools reopen Monday also remains unclear.
Why This Matters:
The sequence matters: a sovereign government asked, and Washington responded. That's how disaster aid works best, with the affected state setting needs and priorities rather than outside powers deciding them. The money story matters too. A PAGER estimate of losses between 3% and 30% of GDP is a wide range, showing how much depends on the real damage count that Panama hasn't yet published. Financing from CAF, and possible lines from the IDB, World Bank and IMF, would add to public obligations, so the terms Chapman hasn't disclosed will matter. Meanwhile, uninterrupted canal transits and the airport's quick reopening point to resilient infrastructure, a reassurance for businesses that depend on Panama's role in global trade.