Israeli Woman at Center of Panama Earthquake: 'The Ground Shook at a Level You Don't See in Movies'

An earthquake measuring 7.6 struck Friday along the southern coast of Panama, and Norit Goren Elephant, an Israeli living in the area, describes communication networks that collapsed, houses that fell, blocked roads and an entire area without electricity and clean water.

The powerful quake was accompanied by an aftershock of magnitude 5.82. Norit Goren Elephant, who has been living in Panama for six years with her husband and daughters, said that the quake came a few minutes before 1 p.m., and 'for 13 hours straight there were tremors every few minutes.' According to her, family members were fortunately outside the house, which was destroyed.

She said that all communication networks went down and only those who have satellite internet can communicate somewhat. About the coastal town of Playa Nueva, where many Israeli families live, she said: 'Everything collapsed completely, some of those families lost everything.' She also said that bridges fell and a large part of the roads are blocked.

The U.S. tsunami warning system issued a warning that affected among others Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Chile and El Salvador. Following the warning, many families went up to the mountains, and there the Israeli community, with the rabbi of Chabad, organized an improvised Shabbat dinner and Kiddush for the entire Jewish community. According to her estimate, there were more than 200 people there.

According to Goren Elephant, there is no electricity in the entire area, and the family's well, at a depth of 42 meters, brings up mainly basalt. The family sleeps in converted buses and hosted additional families, and currently five families are staying at the farm. Panama's international airport was temporarily closed, and the United States is transferring aid and personnel to the country.