Official
Severe weather
Chile
On 9 October 2026, the National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response (SENAPRED, per its acronym in Spanish) reported that the frontal system affecting Chile between the Coquimbo and Los Lagos regions had left 118 people affected, 147 sheltered, and 50 isolated, with 75 houses sustaining major damage and 2,285 sustaining minor damage. On the afternoon of 8 October, heavy rainfall triggered a debris flow in the San Carlos de Apoquindo sector of Las Condes, Metropolitan Region, overwhelming a ravine and sending water and mud through streets, sweeping away vehicles. Six people were injured and transported to health facilities, approximately 1,000 people were preventively evacuated, and 70 were rescued from vehicles, houses, and other buildings. Seven patients were evacuated from the Universidad Católica hospital. No deaths or missing persons were reported. SENAPRED maintained a Red Alert for ten mountain and foothill communes of the Metropolitan Region, while authorities declared Las Condes a Zone of Catastrophe. Additionally, approximately 600 households were evacuated in Talagante, with affected residents directed to two shelters. The reports are available from: G5 Noticias and Radio Universidad de Chile.
Earthquake
Panama
On 9 October 2026, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck central-southern Panama, with its epicenter near Pitaloza Arriba, Los Santos province, at a depth of approximately 10 km, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The Institute of Geosciences of the University of Panama reported several aftershocks, including one of magnitude 6.0 in the Tonosí area. The earthquake was felt throughout the country, prompting preventive evacuations of buildings in Panama City, including the Santo Tomás hospital. The National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC, per its acronym in Spanish), in coordination with the Institute of Geosciences, initiated damage assessments and monitoring in vulnerable areas, particularly in the central provinces of Herrera, Veraguas, and Los Santos. Preliminary reports indicated damage to roofs and walls of some buildings, as well as falling objects inside homes and businesses. At the time of reporting, authorities had not issued an official assessment of casualties, structural damage, or disruptions to essential services. Five minutes after the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami threat message for the Pacific coasts of Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico, with projected waves of up to three meters along parts of the Panamanian coast. The reports are available from: USGS and Delfino.