- Chile Earthquake Death Toll 122 - state.gov
Chile 8.8 Earthquake 2010
An 8.8 magnitude earthquake has hit Chile Feb. 27., at 3:34 local time, killing nearly 122 people by 12:00 EST. The earthquake shook the capital of Santiago, for, according to New York Times, 90 seconds. The U.S. Geological Survey said that the earthquake struck 200 miles from the southwest of Santiago and was 70 miles from Concepcion, Chile's second largest city.
As a result, Tsunamis in Chile are being called '"inevitable."
The ambassador of Chile said that the death toll will likely rise.
Bridges, hospitals and other buildings have been destroyed.
Tsunami Warning for Hawaii
The Pacific basin is under tsunami warnings—including Hawaii at around 4:20 p.m. local time and Southern California.
Jessica Sigala of the US Geological Survey said, "Hawaiians can expect to see the waves from this tsunami around 11:20 a.m. local time (about 4:20 p.m. ET). "So we have to wait and see how big the waves will be."
Alarms in Hawaii sounded at 6:00 a.m. to warn people on the coast to evacuate. Numerous aftershocks -- including one of magnitude 6.9 -- were felt within hours of the initial quake, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
According to CNN, waves have been reported in the pacific, with one reaching 7.7 feet in the central Chile town Talcahuano, a coastal town.
Other Countries Under Tsunami Warning
CNN is reporting that Asian, Australian and New Zealand coasts will also be affected. CNN reporters have stated that Oregon may be affected as well. The Department of Homeland Security official said that FEMA was watching the situation closely. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also issued warnings for Peru and—while less urgent—for Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Antarctica.
Chile Preparation for Earthquake
According to CNN, "Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said she expected the death toll in her country to rise. We are taking all the necessary measures at this time," she said.
The Associated Press, as quoted by New York Times, said that President Bachelet stated the Robinson Crusoe Islands, 410 miles off the Chilean coast, were affected.
Haiti Earthquake
CNN has stated that this earthquake is nearly 500 times worse than the earthquake that struck Port-Au-Price in Haiti. However, Chile is better prepared for these sorts of disasters.
According to the ambassador of Chile, Jose Goñi, the country is well prepared for earthquake disaster as the country is prone to earthquakes. CNN says that Chile is a "developed democracy" that can handle the earthquake, unlike Haiti. He said, "we have a scheme to handles disasters efficiently."
According to the New York Times, Coastal Chile has had many deadly earthquakes, some 13 quakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher since 1973.
This earthquake follows Haiti's 7.0 shake that killed nearly 200,000 people.
"Even though this is an 8.8, many more people are affected in Haiti," a CNN news anchor Chad Myers said. "There aren't 3 million living in stone houses."
Social Networking
Twitter is showing thousands of Tweets regarding Chile. You can follow the Hawaii Red Cross chapter on Twitter as well at @HawaiiRedCross
Death Toll Updates
12:00 (EST): 122
2:32 (EST): 147
7:00 (EST) 214
1:00 (EST) Feb. 28 — 392, according to the Los Angeles Times
Lisa Marie Basile - L. Basile is a professional writer and the author of three books. She is a Masters of Writing candidate and the editor of Patasola ...
