On the morning of Saturday February 27th, Chile was hit with an 8.8 earthquake, with the epicenter close to the city on Concepción, which is southwest of the capital city of Santiago. The death toll has been rising steadily and currently 708 and expected to keep rising as more rubble is cleared. There have been over 60 aftershocks, the strongest so far at 6.9. Officially over 2 million people have been displaced. Communication in and out of the country has been spotty with many still waiting to hear about the status of their loved ones.

Comparisons between the quake in Chile and the quake in Haiti are unfair. Chile does indeed have a better infrastructure and more stable government. Chile has more money compared to Haiti. However it is important to note that the gap between rich and poor in Chile is huge. Alot of this can be linked to structural readjustment polices put into place in Chile after the CIA sponsored coup in 1973.

Watching the news coverage of the quake has been a combination of heartbreaking and enraging. Collapsed buildings, families sleeping in the streets, and people seeking food and water. Food and water. I am repeating those things because I am witnessing the irresponsibility of many major news sources. Univision, The New York Times, and The Christian Science Monitor have all chosen to refer to people taking food and water from supermarkets as looters. I watched with tears in my eyes as Chilean Carabineros, police, unleashed water canons and tear gas on men and women outside a Lider supermarket. A man cried saying he was just trying to get food for his children and the reporter from TVN (Chile) asked him, “that’s how you justify your theft?”.

This is personal to me. Both of my children are half Chilean. Ever since I woke up to the news of the quake I have been trying to communicate with the families of both my daughters. Thankfully the family of my younger child has all been accounted for. I have not yet heard about my older daughter’s familia. Most live further south than where the earthquake happened, so I assume they are ok, but there are some who live closer to the epicenter. I lived in Chile and know many people there. I am sending all the love, prayers and strength I have to Chile and will be posting more information.

Edited to add : Terremoto Chile blog has been posting information including how to find loved ones.