Less than two months after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the world was shook up again by another deadly earthquake on Saturday morning, as Mother Nature took her path again into the path of destruction. Struck this time was the South American country of Chile, one of the wealthiest countries in the region. One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded has left the country in shock and ruins, but fortunately, not quite in the mess and trauma that happened to the people of Haiti.
Measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale, the death toll by last night had reached at least 700 people and is likely to rise in the next few days. The outgoing President Bachelet, who has ten days left in office, has put the country in a state of national mourning and a state of emergency. Tsunami warnings went sent across the Pacific after the quake, reaching as far as Japan and Australia. Fortunately, these were stood down yesterday morning and people returned to their homes, especially in Japan, who had a powerful earthquake, themselves on Friday, which recorded 7.3 on the Richter scale, but didn’t cause much damage. So, why has the earthquake in Chile been less damaging that the Haiti quake yet was more powerful?
The answer is simple; Chile is a dangerous earthquake zone, as it is on the border of Argentina and the Pacific. The city of Valdivia was struck in 1960 by the most powerful earthquake ever, recording 9.5 on the Richter scale and claimed 600,000 lives. Since then, the majority of the buildings in Chile have been made earthquake resistant, meaning though the damage is still horrific, it doesn’t look as bad as it did in Haiti. The main reason for that is Chile’s resources are far greater than Haiti, which has always struggled on a global basis. Nevertheless, up to 17 aftershocks have been recorded in the worst-hit areas, recording the highest of 6.6 on the scale and there is the fear that more buildings will collapse because of this.
Many survivors have lost their possessions and been starved of food for two whole days. Looting has taken place already and the Chilean Army has been brought in to try and keep things under control. The worst hit area in the country was the seaside resort of Concepcion, where the trouble has taken place. The capital Santiago, also took a hit, with at least 40 people dead, buildings collapsed and the international Airport shutdown. Only the Asian Tsunami on Boxing Day 2004 was more powerful on the Richter scale than this quake in the last thirty years.
Bachelet has called the disaster as a “catastrophe of such unthinkable magnitude that it will require a giant effort for Chile to recover.” Prime Minister Gordon Brown has vowed to send out aid to the battered country, should it be requested. Throughout the country, power supplies have been heavily disrupted, with damage from this latest disaster already estimated into the excess of £20billion. More than half a million homes have been destroyed and 2million people displaced. Rescue efforts have begun in a desperate attempt for the death toll not to rise.
Once again, my thoughts go out to the people of Chile, as no-one deserves this deadly disaster to strike them and I hope the public are just as generous as we were with Haiti to help rebuild people’s shattered lives in the country. What I’m concerned about is the spate of recent earthquakes that have struck the world. It is estimated by geologists that the Nazca Plate is moving eastward beneath the South American Plate (where Chile is situated) at approximately 8.9cm a year. Does this mean that we will be hearing more tragic tales of this kind of horrific damage in the next few years; I hope I’m wrong but my fears are it is likely to be the case. What can anyone do, when nature decides to cause such destruction…?
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