This morning at around 7:45 a.m., noticeable shaking could also be felt in Costa del Este. It was caused by a strong earthquake with its epicenter in Colombia, which was felt in various parts of Panama as well.
At the time, my wife and I were in the swimming pool on the rooftop of our high-rise building. Suddenly she said, “It’s shaking, it’s shaking.” At first, I had not noticed anything myself. Only after getting out of the pool did I realize that the building had actually been moving.
We then took the stairs back to our apartment. Since the shaking had stopped, I first took a shower. A little later, however, we looked out of the window and saw a different picture: groups of people had gathered outside several of the surrounding high-rise buildings. Apparently, many residents had left their buildings.
At that point, I began to feel a little uneasy. So I got dressed and we also went downstairs using the stairwell. There we learned that the cause had been a strong earthquake in Colombia.
We are now back in our apartment and everything is quiet.
Earthquakes are probably not among the first things people think about when considering a move to Panama. Those coming from Germany usually have very little personal experience with situations like this.
Nevertheless, even in Costa del Este you have to expect that an earthquake somewhere in the region may occasionally be felt, particularly in a high-rise building. This does not mean that people here live with a constant serious risk. But when the floor or the building suddenly starts moving, you quickly realize that earthquakes are among the natural events that can also be experienced in Panama.