USSOUTHCOM to aid 5,000 Panamanians affected by drought

DORAL, FL U.S. Southern Command dispatched a 10-person emergency relief team today from its New Horizons-Panama base camp in Rambala, Panama to assist 5,000 Panamanian citizens affected by a six-month drought at Colon Island, located in the province of Bocas del Toro. The team, consisting of desalination equipment operators and support personnel, will deliver a reverse-osmosis water purification unit capable of purifying 600 gallons of salt water per hour. The purification unit will pump purified water into a 200,000-gallon cistern to meet the emergency needs of the island's population.