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The Earth Moved and Time Stood Still
Move Forward
This is a famous quotation of many of the victims of the 2010 Chile Earthquake. This disaster occurred on 27 February 2010, 3:34 local time Saturday. The quake was measured on the open ended Richter scale at magnitude 8.8. The tremors lasted for a long one hundred eighty seconds, many thinking time had stood still.
This quake was acknowledged as the sixth strongest earthquake that has been measured using a seismograph. Six Chilean regions felt its aftershocks, with the cities of Arauco and Mercali succumbing to the most damage on the Mercalli Intensity Scale measured in at intensity VIII. The capital city of Santiago measured MM VII that shook many buildings and caused damage. Aftershocks were felt in other countries such as Argentina and Peru.
The epicenter of the quake was found three kilometers off the coast of Pellehue commune in the Maule Region. It was found off the provincial capitals of Talca to the north east, Linares to the east, Chillan to the south east and Concepcion to the south.
The cost of the Chilean quake was estimated to be between US$4 and 7 billion in property damage while the overall damage to the Chilean economy was estimated to be between US$15 to 30 billion.
On January 2, 2011, at 17:20:18 local time, the country again was gripped in panic after a 7.1 magnitude aftershock was felt throughout the country. The epicenter was found to be seventy kilometers northwest of Temuco, Chile. Other aftershocks were felt on June 1, 2011 8:55 local time whose epicenter was found just off the shore of the Arauco Province. Another aftershock was felt a few minutes later measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale and 6.4 respectively on the Richter scale.
The 2010 earthquake turned many buildings into rubble and many dead or dying pinned under debris. Most of the injured and dead were in the cities of Santiago and Maule. Power outages became rampant and fires in many residential and commercial areas severely strained the country's disaster management system. The Santiago International Airport was closed down because of extensive damage until such time that the Chilean Air Force was able to restore and re-establish operations in the major transport hub. As for social services, three hospitals had collapsed in Santiago and nearly a dozen other hospitals sustained major damage that hampered its operations during this time of disaster.
A tsunami alert was raised and a wave measuring 1.29 meters was reported to have hit Valparaiso and surrounding coastal areas. Other areas sustaining damage include Vina del Mar, Greater Valparaiso and many other smaller beach areas in the Maule area such as Curanipe and Talca.
Bobby Castro is the online editor at Gringos, where he has published a number of articles about life in South America and many other topics.
Article submitted Friday, February 10, 2012 & read 1 times.
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