10/10/2026
Yesterday, October 9, Panama experienced an earthquake that left many of us feeling anxious, frightened, and uncertain. For a country where people are not accustomed to experiencing an earthquake of this magnitude, it was an unsettling reminder of how quickly life can change.
As news and images circulated around the world, many people were surprised by the scale of the earthquake and the fact that, despite the powerful shaking, buildings remained standing. While several communities suffered damage, and some structures were severely affected, the initial reports of no fatalities have brought enormous relief and gratitude.
🇵🇦 Building Resilience: Panama’s Seismic Safety Standards
As we have watched the news unfold, one important subject deserves attention: the role of engineering, building regulations, and decades of work to make our structures safer.
Panama is not generally associated with the same frequency of destructive earthquakes experienced in some neighboring countries. However, our region is seismically active, and yesterday’s earthquake was a powerful reminder that preparedness matters even in places where events of this magnitude are uncommon.
In 1976, the Sociedad Panameña de Ingenieros y Arquitectos (SPIA) sponsored the country’s first seismic code, marking an important step toward establishing technical guidelines for earthquake-resistant construction.
Over the following decades, these standards evolved. Today, the Junta Técnica de Ingeniería y Arquitectura (JTIA) plays a central role in adopting and updating the Reglamento para el Diseño Estructural de la República de Panamá, known as the REP. The REP-2021, which entered into force in 2023, establishes technical requirements for structural design, including the consideration of seismic forces.
These regulations are not simply technical documents. They represent the work of engineers, architects, researchers, universities, and public institutions seeking to understand the risks our buildings may face and how to design structures that can better withstand them.
The fact that many structures remained standing despite the intense shaking is encouraging. It highlights why sound engineering, appropriate construction practices, and updated structural regulations are so important.
❤️ A personal thank-you from our team
We also want to take a moment to thank all our clients who reached out to us by email, WhatsApp, and phone simply to check that we were safe.
Your messages, calls, and thoughtful gestures truly mean so much to us.
We are happy to share that our entire team is safe, and everyone in our office is doing well. The clients who have been in touch with us, or whom we have been able to contact, have also reported that they are safe!
At Lamboglia Law Office, we are grateful for the professionals who dedicate their knowledge and work to making Panama safer. We are also thankful for the emergency responders, authorities, and citizens who have stepped forward during this difficult moment 🙏
