The 8.8-magnitude earthquake that ravaged central Chile early Saturday left 2 million displaced, killed at least 795 people and caused tsunami waves that may have dragged hundreds more out to sea.
But while coastal towns bore the brunt of the one of the strongest quakes ever recorded, areas farther from the epicenter didn’t feel a thing, according to junior engineering major David Gleason, who is the only university student studying abroad in a university program at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile in Santiago.
“I was backpacking in southern Patagonia, in Torres del Paine National Park, when the quake struck,” Gleason wrote in an e-mail yesterday. “I didn’t hear about the quake until nearly a full day later.”
Parts of Santiago escaped relatively unscathed — Gleason said his host family didn’t even realize the scope of the damage until the next morning when they turned on the news.
Gleason returned to Santiago Monday to find a city already coming back to life, even as evidence of the destruction loomed.
“The city is crowded and bustling, though not as crowded as normal. Here and there I see buildings that were severely damaged. … Many buildings are closed to the public and caution tape is everywhere, and my host mother’s office building collapsed entirely,” he wrote.
Gleason wrote some of Santiago is still without power, gas or water, but that everything is returning slowly to normal.
“Just walking the more newly constructed parts of the city, you would think it was not so bad,” he wrote.
Gleason had been in contact with the Chilean chapter of Habitat for Humanity as well as another organization called Un Techo para Chile — “A Roof for Chile” — before the quake struck, but said he is even more eager to volunteer now.
“I hope to work with one of these groups as soon as possible, since the quake has only made their work more necessary,” he said.
Gleason stressed the importance of donating money to help the relief efforts, as international aid and rescue workers began arriving in the country for search and rescue efforts yesterday. The Washington Post reported yesterday that widespread looting in Santiago is jeopardizing relief efforts.
“Sending money is very very necessary too,” he wrote. “[U.S.] dollars go a long way.”
Those who are interested in supporting Chile relief efforts can text codes to donate $10 to the nonprofit of their choosing, including “4CHILE” to 50555 for Convoy of Hope, “CHILE” to 50555 for Friends of the World Program and “CHILE” to 25383 for Habitat for Humanity.
aisaacs at umdbk dot com
