rachelmanija (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rachelmanija) wrote2010-02-27 10:49 am
rachelmanija) wrote2010-02-27 10:49 am
Chile Earthquake
Preliminarily, Chile seems to have done an excellent job of earthquake proofing and preparation, considering the force of the earthquake. An 8.8 is potentially apocalyptic.
The New York Times has some interesting comments from Chileans, along with drivel from the conspiracy theorists and total jerks who always crawl out of the woodwork when someone else's country takes a hit. Plow through everything if you dare.
From Pablo:
Thanks to everyone for their kind wishes. Fortunately, most of our country is prepared for these big earthquakes, its the old constructions that fall, then again, the ones that haven't collapsed in previous tremors. So, if you've been to Chile, you know we don't have much colonial architecture left, it's all gone. The good thing is, not many people suffer anymore with these events, and we've learned to build soundly and responsibly. Also, we have a big one every 10 or 15 years, and the last one in central Chile was in 1985, so this one was long due. So don't think about any causes other than the already quite studied, and old, friendly Pacific Plate trying to get under Nazca Plate thing... IMHO, all else is rubbish. And let's keep our focus and generosity on Haiti.
From Gonzalo Lira:
As a Chilean, I thank everyone's kind words and sentiments.
I should point out a couple of things: Number one, people in Chile are used to earthquakes—most adults remember the quakes of 1985, which measured 7.4 and 7.7, and older people remember the 1960 earthquake, which was the worst earthquake in the XX century, making today's quake pale in comparison. So people are exceedingly well-prepared to deal with the emergencies that inevitably arise. Children are taught from kindergarten what to do when—not it, when—an earthquake comes.
Second, construction codes are exceedingly strict, precisely because of past experience. This wasn't the case of Haiti, where shody buildings crushed—and killed—thousands. In Chile, even public housing is made earthquake-proof.
Third, in a country as prepared and experienced as Chile is in earthquakes, foreigners coming to help only get in the way of people who know what they're doing.
As a personal report, when the earthquake hit, the electricity went out—as per protocol, as electrical short-circuits start fires. So in Chile, when a tremor hits 6.0 on the Richter, the lights automatically go out.
The lights went back on in Santiago around 6am (the earthquake hit at 3:34am). The cell network never went down, but inevitably, it was flooded. Right now, cell calls are sporadic, because everyone is calling everyone else.
The main Santiago airport has been closed—apparently, they want to make sure that the runways are all level, and have not shifted because of the quake, which often happens (obviously).
The emergency management team is in place and doing their job. No one is panicking.
So all those kind sentiments are greatly appreciated. But DO NOT COME TO CHILE—you'll only get in the way.
The New York Times has some interesting comments from Chileans, along with drivel from the conspiracy theorists and total jerks who always crawl out of the woodwork when someone else's country takes a hit. Plow through everything if you dare.
From Pablo:
Thanks to everyone for their kind wishes. Fortunately, most of our country is prepared for these big earthquakes, its the old constructions that fall, then again, the ones that haven't collapsed in previous tremors. So, if you've been to Chile, you know we don't have much colonial architecture left, it's all gone. The good thing is, not many people suffer anymore with these events, and we've learned to build soundly and responsibly. Also, we have a big one every 10 or 15 years, and the last one in central Chile was in 1985, so this one was long due. So don't think about any causes other than the already quite studied, and old, friendly Pacific Plate trying to get under Nazca Plate thing... IMHO, all else is rubbish. And let's keep our focus and generosity on Haiti.
From Gonzalo Lira:
As a Chilean, I thank everyone's kind words and sentiments.
I should point out a couple of things: Number one, people in Chile are used to earthquakes—most adults remember the quakes of 1985, which measured 7.4 and 7.7, and older people remember the 1960 earthquake, which was the worst earthquake in the XX century, making today's quake pale in comparison. So people are exceedingly well-prepared to deal with the emergencies that inevitably arise. Children are taught from kindergarten what to do when—not it, when—an earthquake comes.
Second, construction codes are exceedingly strict, precisely because of past experience. This wasn't the case of Haiti, where shody buildings crushed—and killed—thousands. In Chile, even public housing is made earthquake-proof.
Third, in a country as prepared and experienced as Chile is in earthquakes, foreigners coming to help only get in the way of people who know what they're doing.
As a personal report, when the earthquake hit, the electricity went out—as per protocol, as electrical short-circuits start fires. So in Chile, when a tremor hits 6.0 on the Richter, the lights automatically go out.
The lights went back on in Santiago around 6am (the earthquake hit at 3:34am). The cell network never went down, but inevitably, it was flooded. Right now, cell calls are sporadic, because everyone is calling everyone else.
The main Santiago airport has been closed—apparently, they want to make sure that the runways are all level, and have not shifted because of the quake, which often happens (obviously).
The emergency management team is in place and doing their job. No one is panicking.
So all those kind sentiments are greatly appreciated. But DO NOT COME TO CHILE—you'll only get in the way.