Earthquake in Chile: The aftermath

Radio interview

Vivianne — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:44:03 +0000

Interesting article

Vivianne — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:22:25 +0000

Check this blog: Extremely interesting article about the chilean earthquake from Governance expert, Daniel Kaufmann (Brookings)
And the Spanish version

http://thekaufmannpost.net/desastres-naturales-y-deberes-nacionales-el-terremoto-de-chile-en-una-perspectiva-internacional/

Solidarity in movement

Vivianne — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:55:59 +0000

Chile is a very intense country, for the good things and for the bad things, at least to me. It is the stunning nature, the political history, the lack of equity, the earthquakes. It is a country with a constant pathos hard to escape.

The last earthquake is still in everyone’s mind. More than 205 aftershocks stronger than 4.9 degrees on the Richter scale, plus the prediction of a future aftershock of Richter 7 by the earthquake guru, Serigio Barrientos, Director from de Seismological Institute, are a painful reminder that this is not over. At least eight more weeks to go.

Earthquakes are part of Chilean history, culture and part of the very private biographies. Everyone remembers well the more recent historic earthquakes, almost like my generation remembers where they were and how they learned about the Kennedy Assassination, or how younger people will remember the USA 9/11 (Chile had a prior 9/11, in 1973, when General Augusto Pinochet took power).

Chile has rebuilt many times. In 1939 and again in 1960 when it suffered the strongest earthquake in recorded history and today, with half a million homes destroyed or uninhabitable and 45% of businesses with some significant damage, this country is ready to start again.

“Don Francisco” (Mario Kreutzberger), the biggest Chilean TV personality and also the King of Latino TV in the USA with his Sábados Gigantes program, is launching a telethon tonight with all the Latino American superstars, many of them stranded in Chile since the earthquake while participating in the Festival de Viña del Mar, one of the most prestigious music events of the Spanish-speaking world.

The heavy traffic in Santiago, a city surrounded by mountains and covered with smog, is almost back to normal. The streets are humming with activity and giant posters from at least a dozen institutions, companies and organizations calling for solidarity and help with slogans like “Sólo un Chile” (only one Chile), or “Chile en el Corazón” (Chile in our hearts).

This country, a model to Latino America with tremendous economic growth and 20 years exercising democracy after a traumatic history of military rule, also has intense political debate only few days before the presidential transition from center left Michelle Bachellet to Sebastián Piñera leading a right coalition. He is the third richest man in Chile. Issues go from deploying military in the streets to blame about the tsunami alert systems and communications.

There are still small southern towns without water or power, but mostly, things are starting to move and even the Air Force is distributing help, shown in photos that perhaps one day will change the historic perception about the role of military in this country.

Intensity feels good today, when everyone is helping and trying their best with passion. Looting virtually ended and distribution of water, milk and flour started in the most affected areas. In Chile, distribution is the key during earthquakes and even during normal times.

If you want to help the victims, Google has a very easy way to do it.

http://www.google.com/intl/es/relief/chileearthquake/

Connect in Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/terremotochile

One Earthquake for two Chiles

Vivianne — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:53:11 +0000

Today, more than ever, I can see the disconnect between capital and province, rich and poor, the one with a voice and the many silent Chileans.

This one earthquake will be more than a natural disaster and hopefully will open the eyes of one Chile to the other.

It is easy to forget the tragedy of the earthquake and tsunami that affected mostly the poor when you live in the suburbs of Santiago, a sophisticated city, with spectacular architecture, tall glass buildings, intense green everywhere, soft mountains to the north and the Andes present at all times.

With the earthquake, the city only lost power, some areas lost water, the luxury shopping malls are closed, even some Starbucks are closed, ATMs are finally dispensing some money, with limits, but there are very few deaths in Santiago. Mostly structural damage to some new construction and of course, the collective hysteria and fear, people blaming this earthquake to God, global warming and the announced end of the world.

The biggest destruction and losses are in the coastal towns of the south, today a ghost landscape with orphans and widows, abandoned homeless survivors who just today started receiving water and basic foods. The biographies and circumstances of the dead arrive on rapid changing images trough the very advanced media, CNN style, with dramatic music intervals. Watching TV feels like obscene voyeurism.

A 28 -year-old marine biologist working in the Juan Fernandez Island died on the tsunami, two of four children of a known lawyer, camping in Matanza, were carried away by water because he could not hold four on his arms. Anonymous people, old and young, so many affected in so many areas. It is a lost world on the coastal towns of the South, traditional vacation places with old adobe houses, it is a lost world for urban Concepción, Chillán and Talca.

Echoes from the past are starting to divide. The right is focusing on the need of more military in the streets to control looting in supermarkets, the lumpen vandalism and criminality in eight days, when Sebastian Piñera will start his presidential period, he will probably expand the state of exception to more regions of the country, a political decision that allows the executive to intervene directly to maintain the order with military.

Others think that the exaggerated reporting of looting is politically motivated. In any event, seeing military in the streets of Concepcion and in the Region of Bio Bio fully dressed and equipped with battle gear brings back memories from the past dictatorship.

The aftershocks are strong and frequent and now for example, I am writing on the ninth floor from an office building re-opened in the morning that was just shaking a few minutes ago again (almost 200 aftershocks, just learned it was 5.8 strength) and was closed for two days to assess structural damage.

Today, more than ever, I can see the disconnect between capital and province, rich and poor, the one with a voice and the many silent Chileans.

This one earthquake will be more than a natural disaster and hopefully will open the eyes of one Chile to the other.

Chilean TV stream life

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tv-de-chile

ADN Radio, 24 hours of news
http://adnradio.cl/player/player.html

Google Chile Earthquake person finder
http://chilepersonfinder.appspot.com/?lang=es

The calls for help and reconstruction dominate the streets, media and daily life here. Just found an easy way to donate if you live outside Chile.

http://www.google.com/intl/es/relief/chileearthquake/

Vivianne — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:37:51 +0000

A trip to Chile to visit family turned into a nightmare when the earthquake hit. Family is fine, struggling without power, but managing. Read first hand accounts here from Chile this week.

A man sits and observes the wreckage cuased by a tsunami and a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Penca, Chile on March 1, 2010. Photo: VARISTO SA/AFP/Getty Images