Sunday, February 28, 2010

Day 2 Chile Quake : 2.28.10


Newer Apartment building Collapse in Concepcion , you can not tell but this was a 15 story tall building-its on it's side.Sadly Concepcion also was hit within the first hour of the quake by huge waves (Tsunami).Most of the buildings in Chile have been built with Reinforced Concrete since the 1960 9.5 Quake (which is what was not used in Haiti). There have been over 90 Aftershocks in first 36 hours. Death toll stands at 708, more than 350 in Concepcion. There will be many lessons in this quake and hopefully by examining structures in the two countries, comparisons can lead to better construction for Haiti ( and Chili as well).Lessons learned can and will lead to lives saved and better Disaster Prevention and preparation.
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Not all Coastal Highways and Bridges held up to the 8.8 Quake, and the aftershocks range from 5.1 to 6.9, so there is concern about many structures at this point. The 2nd photo is one from Concepcion, the city closest to the epicenter, it has been very hard to find many photos from Concepcion.
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Again more concern about Roads ( esp for bringing in Aid and relief). ( this photo is from Santiago).
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GOOGLE has set up a ChileEarthquake page for information and resources,really helpful. Scroll down for more links & resources, updates in the Comments section.
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The President flies over the Quake Zone, Concepcion is in ruins(on Saturday Afternoon).....the rubble is staggering...She did immediately declare her country a Catastrophe and declare an emergency. In photos you can see police and Search and Rescue Teams already at work. The roads and bridges were damaged, as well as many older buildings and Churches that had survived the 1960 9.5 quake.
The Quake effected over 1.5-2 million people leaving thousands homeless. Concepcion is a city of over 670,000 with many highrises and hotels and University Housing. As of today 708 are known dead, extent of injured and missing not known at this time.( The 1960 Quake killed approximately 2000, but also did not occur during the night, so mortality rates were lessoned).
The Quake was 21 miles below surface, the actual length of the effected quake ridge is estimated to be over 400 miles.( please see the CSMonitor article below comparing the Haiti and Chile quakes).
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Boston Globe BIG PICTURE really shows the extensive damage, and shows that even newer roads and bridges have damage.
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A man stands in the middle of what was his apartment building overwhelmed and devastated
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These two maps/graphs explain about the Tsunami Dangers and risks from the massive quake, the Chile quake was 600 times stronger than the Haiti quake and the epicenter near BioBio and Concepcion near the Shoreline experinced the worst of the quake. On CNN they keep showing the damage from Santiago which is approximately 200 miles from the epicenter, the photos from Concepcion will be much worse. Concepcion has had previous devastating quakes in this century and the last century, which hopefully has effected the strength of the structures. ( Pelluhue and Talcohuano/Port also experienced immediate Tsunami as well).
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Chile Navy admits mistake in not issuing immediate Tsunami warning related to the Quake for the Coastal Areas and for the Islands.
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This photo shows Pellehue a seaside town near within 60 miles of the Epicenter. It is clear that a Large Wave or Tsunami did effect this town with debris and flood damage seen. In the next few days the photos of Concepcion and other seaside towns will show the extent of the damage. The small towns and seaside Communities may have indeed suffered major Tsunami Damage, that will be revealed over next few days.
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During the 24 hours of the Tsunami Risk, the Twitter Community played a keyroll in keeping people informed and connected and indeed may be a tool that can save lives in such a geographical disaster. People around the world were able to warn each other and tell each other how to prepare and be safe. As someone who did Intermediary work with the Christmas Quake and Tsunami it was very inspiring recognizing that we now have a tool that allows people to informed and protected. The Tsunami may have mostly harmed Chile Seaside Communities and Islands, time will tell. The rest of the world had waves that were monitored carefully and watched by millions.
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8PM Updates from the MSM
The Guardian has full page showing the damage, including roads and structures. Over the next few days hopefully we will see if the infrastructure can care for the people.
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BBC has videos and maps, interviews and full page of news on the situation.
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8PM Updates from the MSM
The Guardian has full page showing the damage, including roads and structures. Over the next few days hopefully we will see if the infrastructure can care for the people.
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BBC has videos and maps, interviews and full page of news on the situation.
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Mashable has made a whole page that shows how you can give online to help Chile Aid and Relief Efforts.
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Christian Science Monitor explains why the Chile Quake was 900 times Stronger than the Haiti Quake.
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CNN update explores the angst of the people, many are without water or food, and after 70 aftershocks most do not want to return home. Looting has started but the people are frustated that Military would be used to protect stores when people are hungry and need water and shelter.( it reminds me of the Katrina arguments....is is really looting if people are taking food and water ?)
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Telegraph UK has more about the Quake and Tsunami and risks to Easter Island.
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Talcahuano ( Port)- a Southern Coastal City less than 50 miles from the Epicenter, that experienced the quake and the Tsunami that followed.

6 comments:

enigma4ever said...

CrisisMappers
Musician & humanitarian Peter Gabriel @itspetergabriel on empowering people via mapping sites such as @Ushahidi http://bit.ly/ddwPIo #gis

enigma4ever said...

Concern is growing for two British couple who are "missing" from a resort in Chile following Saturday's earthqu.. http://bit.ly/dCNTMk

enigma4ever said...

The government sharply raised the death toll to 711 from Saturday's 8.8 magnitude quake as harrowing scenes of destruction emerged in isolated towns swamped by the giant waves that were triggered by one of the strongest earthquakes in a century.
With many people missing and some communities in the worst-hit central region of the South American country still largely cut off by mangled roads, President Michelle Bachelet said the death toll was certain to rise.

earthquake: 40 dead and 50,000 homeless
In the town of Constitucion alone, about 350 people died, state TV quoted emergency officials as saying.
A night-time curfew went into effect in the Maule region and in Concepcion, where hundreds of looters ransacked stores for food and other goods. Looting also broke out in parts of the capital, Santiago. While there were isolated reports of some looters stealing flat-screen televisions, most were earthquake victims desperate for food and essentials.
"We don't have water or anything. No one has appeared with help and we need more police to keep order. There are many people here who are robbing," said a 78-year-old woman who identified herself as Ana in the badly hit city of Talca, 155 miles south of Santiago.
In Concepcion, angry survivors camping along roads took out their frustration on firefighters who were distributing drinking water in thermoses and tea kettles, damaging their vehicles.
The damage from the quake could cost up to $30 billion, equivalent to about 15 per cent of Chile's gross domestic product, said Eqecat, a firm that helps insurers model catastrophe risks.
Chile's biggest copper mines affected by the quake slowly resumed operations, but analysts said limited power supplies could curtail exports and push up copper prices further.
Santiago's airport started to receive international flights, which had been suspended after the quake. Officials said the runways were unscathed but the terminal building was damaged.

enigma4ever said...

oops that was from the Telegraph UK

Kittie Howard said...

The power of Nature humbles! Thank you for information that is inescapable. Fundraisers for Haiti continue...attended a buffet hosted by a donar who paid for all meals with those attending leaving donations.

enigma4ever said...

ThankU Kittie-I am updating tonight...harder to get info than Haiti..

( are you on twitter ?)

thankyou for all that U do...