A Deadly Quake Rocks Chile

Image courtesy of the Huffington Post.

Just a month ago a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated the island of Haiti killing up to 230,000 people. Now another deadly earthquake with 1000 times the force wrecked havoc, this time in Chile.

The early assessments of damage are less frightening than those experienced in Haiti (which has routinely been the poorest country in Latin America). Unfortunatley, the death toll has been steadily rising, reaching over 700.

While most of Chile’s new infrastructure was built to withstand earthquakes (or terremotos, as they’re known in the Spanish language), many old buildings were destroyed and the country’s main highway was severed.

The hit was in the city of Concepción. This city is seismically active and was destroyed by another earthquake in the late 1930s.

Damage is estimated to have reached $30 billion, or 30% of Chile’s GDP. Public Works Minister Sergio Batar believes it will take months to heal the damage the country faces. President Michelle Bachelet declared a “state of catastrophe.”

The earthquake has affected over 2 million people in Chile, a country that now faces a broken water supply and the issue of looting.

The force of the quake set off tsunami-like waves that threatened many countries over the expanse of the Pacific.

No doubt with the two disaster in such close proximity, there will be the natural temptation to compare the two events and contrast the rebuilding efforts.

Prior to its earthqauake, Haiti had a poor national infrastructure and non functioning government. These burdens will clearly make recovery efforts more challenging.

We at USDemocrazy will be keeping an eye on these disasters and keeping you informed about developments.

And letting you know how you can help.

Your thoughts and observations are welcome.