Chile earthquake: a GlobalPost roundup
The 8.8.-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile Saturday devastated large parts of the country and left hundreds dead. Here’s a roundup of the latest news from GlobalPost correspondents in Chile and around the world.
INSIDE CHILE
Coastal town Dichato deals with double whammy: Residents worry about how to move on in a town that was once a favorite spot for sunbathing and water sports.
Worse than the quake: social unrest: Locals in Concepcion hunker down with guns and hand-held radios, while mobs run free and the military tries to gain traction.
Getting used to chaos in Chile’s seismic center: One of the most seismically active countries in the world, Chile has been through this before. Still people here agree that for all their past experience, no one can really be prepared for a disaster of this scope. On a personal level, the monster quake came as slap in the face.
GlobalPost’s Chile correspondent Pascale Bonnefoy has been covering the earthquake since its first tremor. Her groundtruth reporting has been featured on OnPoint radio show, CBS and PBS Newshour:
 |
| Slideshow: Day three of the Chile Quake |
Looting and hoarding on Chile’s streets: Ten percent of the Santiago is still without electricity, some areas lack water, telecommunication services are poor and many continue to sleep on the streets. In Concepcion, thousands of desperate residents have been massively looting supermarkets, shops and pharmacies. Soldiers are on the streets to keep order.
Uncertainty reigns in southern Chile: The known damage, like the death toll, continues to be much worse than initial reports.
Fear and shaking in Santiago: “There are a lot of people: people who’ve been struck by walls, who’ve had walls fall on top of them. Or hit by rocks, trees," said one Santiago resident.
First-person account: GlobalPost’s Chile correspondent Pascale Bonnefoy writes of leaning helplessly against her bedroom doorframe, listening to objects crash around her. She described her ordeal to Bob Schieffer on the CBS program "Face the Nation."
The view from Valdivia: Assessing the damage in the city that nearly 50 years ago was the site of the most powerful earthquake in history.
Slideshow: scenes of destruction from around Chile.
OPINION
Quakes and disasters — How to help: The deputy director of operations for Doctors Without Borders answers questions about how relief agencies respond to emergencies and long-term problems.
Repairing Chile is a matter for the state: It has been comforting to see the government take charge in the earthquake’s aftermath, but there is still room for improvement.
Everyday earthquake anxiety: A firsthand account of what it’s like to live in a place that any minute could be torn apart.
TSUNAMI THREAT
Pacific nations wait, and exhale: Amid the threat of devastation, here’s what happened halfway around the world from the Chile quake.
Pacific braces for tsunami: Governments worldwide scrambled to prepare for a looming threat.
AROUND THE WORLD
Argentina: Quake tremors but no injuries.
Brazil: Sao Paulo shakes, calls Fire Department, then goes back to sleep.
Costa Rica: Hard waves but no tsunami.
Philippines: Government warns on tsunami threat.
Taiwan: The tsunami that wasn’t left some in Taiwan disappointed.