Chile Quake Aftermath: Day 5

There would be enough food and fuel for everyone, if they wait long enough: President Bachelet

Death Toll from the quake and tsunami is slowly inching up above 800, but the number of missing is grossly underestimated.

“There is enough food and therefore we must remain calm. There is also enough fuel, there is no risk of shortages … Be confident … Chile is going to stand on its feet again,” the outgoing president Bachelet blurted out on the nationally TV and radio.

Ms. Bachelet, described as  center-left, has again pleaded with Chileans  not only to stop looting, but cease hoarding supplies, too.

She doesn’t accept that her government’s response to one of the world’s largest earthquake was even more pathetic than the dysfunctional “government” of Haiti to their earthquake disaster in January.

Ms Bachelet has urged Chilean’s to help with relief efforts, like every good citizen should. But even Gen Pinochet knew an army cannot march on an empty stomach.

Enter the EXTREME Right

If her government was really center-left, may good have mercy on Chileans because the ultra conservative president-elect, billionaire businessman Sebastian Pinera, can only be described as EXTREME right. To people like him, people are mere numbers on a balance sheet and the bottom line must always be black. Chile may be reentering the “dark ages” again.

More Aftershocks

Concepcion, Chile’s second largest and the closest major city to the epicenter of the M8.8 megaquake that struck on Saturday, was shaken by a swarm of strong aftershocks which  sent the locals scurrying to higher grounds fearing a new wave of tsunamis.

The capital Santiago was also shaken by at least two strong aftershocks on Wednesday.

Earthquake location map (10-degree Map Centered at 35°S,70°W) shows the approximate location of the M8.8 megaquake and 195 aftershock, many larger than M5.0 as 01:00UTC (GMT) on March 4, 2010.  Source: USGS/EHP.

Dead and Missing

The number of dead was reported as 813 by late Wednesday, but there are probably as many as 1,000 people still unaccounted for especially in the coastal villages that were completely obliterated by the three large tsunami waves (which the government had said won’t happen).

As many as 500 people are unaccounted for in Constitucion, one of several fishing  villages which were almost entirely wiped out.

Curfew

Concepcion is currently under an 18-hour curfew enforced by as many as 17,000 troops (3,000 more than the number reported by the media) as well as the local police force. But with so many buildings destroyed or damaged, and residents  refusing to enter their homes in case of a collapse, this curfew must be a very strange one.

Basic Necessities at  Extortionate Prices

A few shops have opened in Concepcion, but foodstuffs are sold at extortionate price, inflated by 300 percent.

Related Links:

• Chilean Quake Shortened the Earth Days?
• Chile Earthquake: Disaster to Tragedy
• Chile Earthquake: Topographic Map
• Chile quake Update 3 (March 2)
• Chile Earthquake Update 2 (Mar 1)

• Santiago, Chile: Satellite Images
• Chile Earthquake and Tsunami Update 1 (28 Feb)
• Destructive Tsunami Generated by Chile Quake
• Chile 8.8 Megaquake Strikes Offshore Maule
• Earth undergoing significant geophysical disturbances

• Recent Earthquakes ≥ 6.0 Mw
• Powerful Quake Strikes Chile [November 13, 2009]
• The Largest Earthquake

Chile Earthquake Update 2 (Mar 1)

“No Danger of a Tsunami,” Chileans Were Told!

Death toll from Chile megaquake and tsunami surges over 720

“It’s an enormous catastrophe … there’s a growing number of missing people,” Chilean President Bachelet said, as her government dispatched 10,000 troops to enforce curfews in the worst hit areas, especially Chile’s second largest city Concepcion, and prevent alleged outbreaks of looting.

The surviving victims are desperate for food and water, making the government’s “iron-fist” response highly questionable.

The massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck about 115km north-northeast of Concepcion on Saturday, has left many people homeless, and many more have stayed outdoors in tents or makeshift shelters fearing the deadly aftershocks that are powerful earthquakes to be reckoned with.

The megaquake has destroyed or damaged probably as many as half a million homes, wrecked bridges, highways and other infrastructure. There’s  widespread power cuts throughout most of the country.

Criminal Negligence by the Chilean Authorities

Once again fatal errors made by an incompetent military proved fatal for many ordinary Chileans. Many lives could have been saved if the he government experts had sought independent advice concerning the certainty of a tsunami.

It has now been revealed the Chilean government declared immediately after the megaquake struck offshore Maule, “there would be no danger of a tsunami.”  Their fatal error, which they now blame on “incorrect data” supplied by their “Navy experts” probably doubled the death toll as it now stands.

It’s difficult to believe that the average earthquake “expert” would consider an 8.8Mw earthquake striking offshore, especially in an area with previous records of deadly quakes and fatal tsunamis as “no danger.”

Surely, even a university freshman with some understanding of geophysics, earthquakes and tsunamis, and knowledge of earthquake history in the area, facing a magnitude 8.8 quake, could have put two and two together,  at least erring on the side of caution.

The authorities in Japan, a country almost halfway across the world from Chile, took the precautionary measure of evacuating more than a million of their citizens from coastal areas to protect them against potential tsunamis caused by the Dichato quake.

How could the Chilean authorities make such an incomprehensible mistake with such catastrophic consequences?

Aftershocks Update

10-degree Map Centered at 35°S,70°W

Latest EQ Location map. Source: USGS/EHP. Enhanced by FEWW

Since FEWW Chilean Disasters Update # 1 posted yesterday, at least 40 additional aftershock have struck central Chile, with two events measuring M6.0 or greater. The aftershocks should continue to occur for sometime.

Image of the Day

Cars and Dogs seeking safety on higher grounds in case “Navy experts” had made a mistake about the tsunami. [Original caption: Debris is washed up by waves generated by a major earthquake near the epicenter in Dichato February 28, 2010. Credit: REUTERS/Jose Luis Saavedra. Image may be subject to copyright.]

FEWW Estimate of the Quake Damage

Based on the preliminary information available, Fire-Earth Moderators estimate the cost of damage from Saturday’s megaquake at about US$10 billion.

The Moderators believe the Chileans should consider the earthquake and subsequent tsunami disasters as an opportunity and re-build their communities as eco-centered, low-carbon, intelligent communities.

Any more mistakes made by the authorities in the way they handle the quake and tsunami aftermaths could prove even more catastrophic in the near future.

Related Links:

• Chile Earthquake and Tsunami Update 1 (28 Feb)

• Destructive Tsunami Generated by Chile Quake
• Chile 8.8 Megaquake Strikes Offshore Maule
• Earth undergoing significant geophysical disturbances
• Recent Earthquakes ≥ 6.0 Mw
• Powerful Quake Strikes Chile [November 13, 2009]
• The Largest Earthquake

Related Images:

• Reuters photo gallery