BRIEFS. national

Fewer victims of natural disasters in 2008

In spite of the heavy rains in November that broke record flooding in the Bocas del Toro and Chiriquí provinces, a recent report by the country’s national civil protection system, SINAPROC, indicated that there was a significant decrease last year in the number of fatalities due to natural disasters.

SINAPROC director Luis Francisco Sucre made the announcement at a press conference yesterday, citing that 16 people were killed, 34 wounded, 2,502 injured, and another 66,651 affected summed up the total human cost of natural disasters in 2008.

Sucre was optimistic because last year’s figures registered well below its level in 2007, when 76 people died in various catastrophic events.

The agency’s records further indicated that 496 homes were destroyed and 13,363 houses damaged last year.

In 2008, SINAPROC responded to 215 emergencies and carried out 332 rescue missions.

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