generalspeaking

Chilean Disaster

The government of Chile has undergone a change of mind. It now - attempting to assess the extent of the damage done to its infrastructure, peoples' lives, the search for those still alive under the rubble of an environment which suffered a devastating earthquake - realizes it has urgent need of international assistance. Chile has now appealed to the United Nations for humanitarian relief. Those countries of the world which were quick to offer their experienced assistance will now be called upon to deliver that help.

About 2-million Chileans have been directly, deleteriously affected by the temblor that struck along its coast; the worst disaster to be visited upon the country in half a century. Main highways have caved, bridges and overpasses crumpled. The official count claims that 1.5-million houses and buildings have been destroyed or badly damaged. Those that were initially damaged, will have been beset by further stresses as a result of the hundreds of after-shocks that continue to traumatize the country.

The good-news-bad-news story is no panacea for the estimated 700 that have thus far lost their lives; more to come as rescue efforts continue. The good news being that the extent of the lives lost and the physical damage to infrastructure were relatively contained in comparison to the quake that struck and utterly devastated Haiti. Chile's temblor was wider, longer, its effects spread out in far less-populated areas, in a country with enforced earthquake-prone building codes.

And as one of the wealthiest countries in Latin America it has the wherewithal to help rebuild itself with a good measure of determination and efficacy; a solemn task awaiting the attention of a new president and parliamentary cabinet. The country's earthquake drills, emergency procedures, strict building-code regulations and past experience with earthquakes has equipped it well to deal with the catastrophe.

The death toll, unfortunately, would have been less had the country's military taken the required precaution to inform coastal residents that a tsunami was headed their way following the 8.8-magnitude quake. Fishing villages were swamped and people swept out of their homes to their drowning deaths as giant waves engulfed seaside towns and villages, washing away their homes and livelihoods.

There was no warning as people were swept out to sea. "There was a mistake", said the country's defence minister; the navy "made a mistake" by not having issued a tsunami alert. Rescuers are working feverishly with heat detectors to hunt for people whose voices are becoming weaker, trapped in collapsed buildings. The army was called in to help quell looting. And looting has been a huge problem, with people complaining help was too slow in coming.

"We need food for the population. We are without supplies, and if we don't resolve that we are going to have serious security problems during the night," according to Mayor Jacqueline van Rysselberghe, worried about the potential for "social tension".

Labels: Environment, Nature, Troublespots

posted by Pieface @ Monday, March 01, 2010