Elite VA Urban Rescue Team Deploys To Panama After Destructive Earthquake

An elite search and rescue force from Virginia has again deployed on an international emergency response mission.

Virginia Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue has deployed a 10-person team to Panama after a major earthquake there on Friday. The deployment was announced on Saturday morning, and the team said it was on the ground within 18 hours of the disaster.

Panama suffered a 7.7-magnitude earthquake Friday afternoon. On Sunday evening, Reuters reported that more than 900 homes and multiple bridges had been damaged. Twenty-seven people were injured, with no deaths reported, though authorities warned that could change as more remote areas were assessed.

Virginia Task Force 1 says it is conducting structural assessments of critical infrastructure, including hospitals, water treatment facilities, and schools, to determine which buildings are safe and where service can resume.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department has also been deployed to help with the response.

In June, the Fairfax County-based task force deployed to Venezuela to help with rescue efforts after a devastating earthquake there, and in August the team deployed again to respond to an earthquake in Colombia.

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