GNR could've been talking about Panama when they wrote November Rain. November is by far Panamas rainiest month, and this November has been no different. Substantial flooding has occurred in the western half of the country, and has left several volunteers stranded in their sites. Other volunteers in the provinces of Chiriqui, Bocas del Toro, and the Comara Ngobe-Bugle have been assisting the Panamian government with relief efforts. Fortunately, all volunteers in the area are reported to be safe, and are in the process of heading to their consolidation points for an official head count. I'm sure that if you read some of the blogs that I have linked to on the right side of the screen, you'll find that they have some interesting stories to tell over the next few weeks.
At this point, you may be wondering how my site fared. Since, I'm posting here, I am obviously safe and sound. My site received much of the same rain that fell in the western part of the country, and we had 8 straight days of rain (3 of those days were heavy rain,) probably 9 days since its still raining today. However, because my community is nestled within the foothills of central Cocle (where many of the larger rivers begin,) the watersheds of all the surrounding streams and rivers are relatively small. As a result, my community doesn't need to worry about major flooding. The rivers and streams may rise 2-4 feet and prevent the usual crossings by foot or chiva, but the floodwaters quickly recede within an hour or two when the rain stops.
To those volunteers in the western half of the country, good luck and please pass along your stories. I know many of you will have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day.
