Chile earthquake

A massive earthquake of 8.8 magnitude struck near the coast of south-central Chile in the early hours of Saturday, 27th February, shaking buildings in the capital Santiago, 200 miles away and triggering a tsunami along the coast.

Thankfully the quake's epicentre was deep under ground, minimising its effect on land. The estimated death toll of 700 people, whilst a major tragedy, is thankfully a much lower figure than initial doom-laden predictions had suggested. Chile has a long history of earthquake-activity and is thus set up to deal with earthquake resistance, through areas such as construction regulations and emergency service-preparedness. This will have minimised the initial impact of the quake. The earthquake also struck at an opportune time, during half-term, when many families were out of the cities, enjoying holidays on the coast.

Unlike the recent example of Haiti, Chile is also reasonably well-resourced to cope with the relief and rehabilitation effort. The government is seeking specialist help rather than international aid. As a result, WJR has chosen not to co-ordinate an appeal for the Chilean earthquake. We will be monitoring the situation in the coming months and decide upon any future action based on the facts on the ground.