A tropical cyclone in Panama and the unusual case of Typhoon Vamei

At the Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation (ITEC) we occasionally take our students into Bocas Town on a Friday or Saturday afternoon.  While there, every now and then a student will notice that buildings everywhere are along the water’s edge and will wonder out loud if the area might be susceptible to obliteration by a hurricane.

It’s a more interesting question than you might think.  What makes it interesting is a certain Hurricane Martha.

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