Earthquake

20 de Marzo, 2010
Dear Family and Friends
On Saturday morning, February 27, 2010 at 03.34, I woke from a deep sleep feeling my room move and shake. I have felt many earth tremors over the years here in Chile and at first thought that this was just another earth tremor which would soon pass. But the whole house continued to move and I decided that I better get out of bed quick. The lights were out. So I moved in the dark and stood in the door frame like we have been instructed to do. I did not pray, I just wanted the damn thing to end! I had never felt an earth tremor which lasted so long. I could hear things falling off the bookshelves in my room. I heard a bottle of good wine hitting the ground. When the earthquake finally stopped, I tried to find my flashlight. It had fallen on the ground. I remembered where I had left some matches and lighted one of them. I found my flashlight and searched my room for my small radio. The radio was still playing music but then the announcer interrupted and said that off the coast of Chile an earthquake had occurred. I got dressed and went up to the second storey of the house where two Koreans were sleeping. Amazingly, one of them was still sleeping, the other was awake and staring at me wide eyed. I told him that there had been an earthquake and tried to calm him. I went back downstairs and spent the next three hours glued to the radio which little by little began to give details of the earthquake. I would spend Saturday and Sunday trying to contact and the pastors of the southern Zone of the Archdiocese. None was hurt or injured. Our Columban superior, Fr. Derry Healey, contacted me and told me that all Columban priests, seminarians and lay missionaries were safe.

The earthquake measured 8.8 at the epicenter on the Richter Scale making it one of the most powerful in recorded history. Experts say that it was the fifth most powerful earthquake ever recorded in history and had lasted almost 3 minutes. Even though the city of Santiago is several hundred kilometers from the epicenter, we still felt the shake. The level of intensity for us here in Santiago was 8.5 on the Richter scale.
The majority of Chile’s population lives in the central part of the country, from the city of La Serena in the north to the city of Temuco in the south. This territory covers seven different regions of the country. Santiago is located in the metropolitan region. Although Santiago was hit hard by the earthquake, for the most part the city resisted well the shake. In the last few decades, several thousand department building have been built. Since the last major earthquake on March 3rd 1985, strict anti-seismic building regulations are in place in Chile and this prevented a worst disaster. In Santiago only 24 of these new buildings were badly damaged. Most damage in Santiago is in the older colonial part of the city. In Villa Olimpica, a housing complex of apartment buildings built in the sixties where I first worked in Chile, dozens of buildings were damaged and the families had to evacuate them until the damage was assessed. Hundreds of families are sleeping outdoors in Santiago because their homes have either been destroyed or seriously damaged and are. There are families sleeping in all the parks, plazas and outside their damaged apartment buildings. Some of the roads around Santiago were affected when several overpasses collapsed. Thousands of people in Santiago were without electricity or water for several days. The Terminal at the International Airport in Santiago was also damaged and flight operations had to be suspended. The runways did not suffer any damage. Within a few days, huge tents were erected and the airport began to function again. My brother James, my nephew Patrick and his friend Nolan experienced the rigors of entering and leaving the country through these temporary facilities. The metro did not function for twenty four hours. Some people panicked rushing to the supermarkets or the gas stations. However within a couple of days calm returned and the city was functioning almost normally.
The Southern Zone of the Archdiocese has nearly 100 chapels. Most suffered only minor damages: broken windows, fallen plaster and broken statues. However, nine churches suffered what experts qualify as “grave” (serious) damage, but all can be repaired. Churches in other parts of the city did not fare as well. At least six churches must be completed demolished. The estimated cost of repairing or rebuilding church property in the Archdiocese is estimated at thirty-eight million dollars.

The worst damage occurred south of Santiago. The scenes of the damage are heartbreaking. The VI, VII and VIII regions were the regions most affected by the earthquake. Bridges fell and the pavement of the main highway south (Route 5) cracked in many places producing different levels in the road. February is a holiday month in Chile and thousands were stranded in the south. The roads were not safe and the bus were not traveling. In many places along the coast the real damage was done by the following tsunamis. The earthquake which occurred at 03.34 am Saturday morning, was followed 20 minutes later by a Tsunami along the Chilean coast up as north as Valparaiso, which is on the coast near Santiago. Giant Tsunami waves crashed down on the coastal cities of Talcahuano, Constitucion and many coastal resort towns such as Ilorca, Duao. On the island of Juan Fernandez, the sea washed out home, cars and people. Chileans are used to earthquakes and Tsunamis, so many people from the coast managed to escape fleeing to higher ground before the arrival of the Tsunami. At this stage, it is not known how many people were drowned by the Tsunami, but it is estimated that at least 150 people were drowned in the city of Constitution alone. In one coastal town, a Ferris Wheel was dragged upright a distance of 250 meters by a Tsunami wave. Over 2,000,000 people have had their homes destroyed or damaged. Typically, homes in the countryside and cities outside of Santiago were built with walls made of adobe (mud and straw).
The epicenter of the earthquake was located only 90 kilometers from the city of Concepción. This city is located on the coast some 500 kilometers south of Santiago. There has been massive damage to Concepcion, its twin city Talcahuano as well as all cities between Santiago and Concepcion such as Chillan, Talca, Linares and Rancagua. In Concepcion, a 14 story apartment block fell over backwards and snapping into various parts. At first, the national death toll was estimated at 700 and there were fears that the toll would rise. However, official figures have fixed the deaths at 430 with 97 people still disappeared. Rescue teams worked to rescue any survivors. Continuous after shocks slowed down the rescue work. They managed to save nine lives. Catastrophes bring out the best and the worst in people. In Concepción there was wholesale looting as ordinary people put aside their moral values and robbed supermarkets, businesses and homes. The military had to be called out. The police began tracking down the looters and many people came to their senses and returned what they had robbed.

An hour south of Santiago, the city of Rancagua is located. It is the city which depends heavily on agriculture and the copper of mine of El Teniente. The churches of the diocese of Rancagua have been devasted. Of the sixty-three parish centers, only 10 escaped with minor damages. Eight churches collapsed and eighteen face the possibility of being demolished. The rest suffered serious damage. Country parishes usually have many small chapels in the countryside. Most of these chapels were made of adobe. 80% of these chapels have been damaged. The situation is the same for the other dioceses of the south: Talca, Linares, Chillan and Concepción.
There have been over 90 aftershocks which will continue for months ahead. Many of the after shocks were in themselves small earthquake at 6.5 on the Richter Scale. At first In the city of Chillan, south of Santiago, a wall in the local jail collapsed and over 200 prisoners escaped. Most of them have since been recaptured or given themselves up. In summary, the damage to property was enormous but the most important gift of life was preserved! The aftershocks continue. Some of them measure more than 6.5 on the Richter scale. Last Sunday, 90% of the country was without light. Many people are experiencing the psychological after effects of the earthquake. Some cannot sleep; others don’t want to be in enclosed spaces; the demand for sleeping pills and other anxiety calming medicines has increased dramatically. But, most people are grateful to be alive and safe. There is a sense that worst is over.

The earthquake suffered here was much stronger than Haiti but the damage was much less. Thousands died in Haiti and only 430 in Chile! In the face of natural disasters, Chile is one of the better organized countries in South America. History has taught Chileans that they must be prepared for earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. All schools have earthquake practice and for those near the coast, tsunami practice. Chilean rescue teams played an important role recently in Haiti. It was only this organization which prevented a disaster of epic proportions. Now, the reconstruction begins. A week after the earthquake, a twenty four national television campaign was organized and sixty million dollars was collected. The Catholic Church responded massively. All our parishes collected food, water and clothing. So far 439 tons of food have been shipped south by Caritás Chile (Catholic Relief). The Jesuit run charities, Hogar de Cristo and Un Techo para Chile (a roof for Chile) organized a truck convoy with aid for the people in the south. 20.000 temporary wooden prefab houses will be built by Un Techo para Chiles within the next few months. The new government has estimated the overall cost of reconstructing the hardest hit areas is anywhere between fifteen and thirty billion dollars.
How do I feel after all of this? At first, I was too busy to be worried about how I felt. But I have come to recognize that I feel a mixture sorrow and pride for this my second home where I have lived for more than thirty years. 2010 is the year of the Chilean Bicentenary. In 1810, Chile declared the country independent of Spain. I remember how proud I felt when the United States celebrated its 200th anniversary as an independent and democratic nation. Chileans have struggled to build their nation and to recover their democracy and can feel justly proud of what they have achieved in the last twenty years. The Bicentenary celebrations will be very different. Cardinal Errazuriz has invited the nation to build again on the Rock that is Christ. He called Chileans to strengthen the Christian values which are part of the history and the heritage of Chile. Despite all the hardship, Chile will rebuild and with the help of the Lord will be a more just and fraternal nation.
Thanks for your e-mails and letters expressing concern for me, the Columbans and the people of Chile. Please keep the Chilean people and the Columbans serving here in your prayers.
Michael

P.S. The bottle of wine didn’t break! I drank it a few days ago to make sure that it won’t happen again.

Blessings for the New Year 2010

Every year brings new opportunities to learn something new. I am starting this blog with the hope that it will allow me to share more of what I am involved in here in Chile. I hope that as I go along, I will learn more about writing a blog and that way I can keep people at home more informed.

Life on the missions is not all work.TGIF is a favorite slogan of mine during the year. It means Thank God it's February. February in the vacation month in Chile. Last summer, (February 2009) I travelled to the Laguna San Rafael in the south of Chile with another Columban priest and veteran missionary in Chile, Fr. John McLaughlin. The Laguna San Rafael is a huge glaciar which is located in southern Chile. The easiest way to get there is by boat. We set off from the city of Puerto Montt in a cargo ship which ferries cargo and trucks to the cities of Puerto Aysen and Coyhaique. It is also equipped to carry about 120 passengers in frugal comfort. There were other passengers but of the four-legged variety:cattle and sheep. The ship was MV Los Puerto Eden. John and I shared a cabin with a French couple. Each cabin had two bunk beds. I went on the top closer to the window. My French is a bit rusty but we managed to communicate and got a long quite well. Each cabin has access to a bathroom which is located down the corridor. There is also a dining room and a community room. There are no waiters on board. The food is served cafeteria style. Each passenger carries his/her tray and is served by the cooks. The food was plentiful and good. Because the dining room is not that big, the passengers are assigned a time to come to eat their meals.

On the first leg of the trip, the boat sailed through the waters that separate the island of Chiloe from the continent. We could see the smoke coming out of the Volcano Chaiten which had erupted for the first time and had destroyed the town of Chaiten in 2008. As the boat moved south, the scenery is magnificent: forests, rivers, volcanos and the Andes mountains always in the background. The only time when we were in open seas was during the night when we passed through the Gulf of Corcovado. If there were any rough seas, we slept through it. On Sunday morning, John and I celebrated Mass and we were surprised by the good turn out. We should have taken up a collection!

Around two o'clock in the afternoon, the ship arrived to Puerto Aysen. A bus took us on a trip to the town of Puerto Aysen and then on to a waterfall. This part of Chile is best accessed by boat. The other alternatives are taking a ferry to the island of Chiloe and then another ferry to what was once the town of Chaiten. The final alternative is to travel by land from Argentina. Much of this territory was not settled until the beginning of the twentieth century when the Chilean government offered land to the "colonos" colonists. The colonists cut wood and raised cattle. For most of the 20th Century life was very primitive here. The Church was established here by Italian missionaries, Servite priests,brothers and sisters. We spent the afternoon sightseeing and got back to the ship in time for supper. The trucks were gone and the ship would now only carry tourists. While we were enjoying supper, the ship set sail again. That night there was a party on board. A karoake machine played songs in Spanish, French and English. Various people got up to sing and later on there was a dance. I headed to bed when the dancing started. I did not want to embarrass myself.

Fr. John McLaughlin and myself

When I awoke the next morning, I realized that the ship had stopped moving. I dressed quickly and went outside. I could see in the distance, the glaciar San Rafael. Words from the book of Daniel came to my lips spontaneously: "Ice and snow, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever." It was wonderful sight and I spent about twenty minutes just looking at this marvel of nature. Our guides told us that it is only half the size it was in 1920. Chile is a country with many glaciars and global warming is taking its toll on them.

After breakfast, we were put on our life vests and stepped into rubber rafts to get a closer glimpse of the glaciar. The day was cold but the water was calm and there was no wind. Still we were told not to stand up in the boat. The rafts would get as close as possible but we still had to be careful as huge slabs of ice break off from the glaciar and come crashing down into the sea. We were able to witness that happening several times. Our driver brought us as close as safety allowed. Of course, the cameras came out and photos were taken galore. Eventually, the driver of the boat pulled up to a drifing block of ice and proceeded to take a chunk on board. Eventually, we made our way back to the ship, where we all served a drink of whiskey with cubes of ice taken from the floating block of ice.

Before noon, the ship started on its way back to Puerto Aysen. We arrived about seven in the evening in time for supper. After supper there was another party. This time, it was different. All the passengers were divided into alliances which had to compete for prizes. The younger passengers had made costumes and worked out skits. Fr. John and I were in the same alliance and our job was to cheer on the others. We were relieved to be given that task and did plenty of shouting. The atmosphere was very friendly and everyone enjoyed themselves. As the party was going on, the ship was being loaded again with cargo, mostly cattle being shipped to Puerto Montt. The loading had not stopped when we went to bed. Our roommates, the French couple, always went to bed early. The wife would give the husband who slept on the top bunk a shove whenever he started snoring. One night she wanted to do the same to Fr. John. "Mais non, madame", I told her. Priests are not used to getting a shove when we snore!

In the morning, we set off from Puerto Aysen and headed north back to Puerto Montt. The crew on board were always very friendly and passengers were allowed to go into the pilot room any time that they wanted. They were always willing to answer questions. The captain had promised that we would see dolphins and whales on the way back to Puerto Montt. We saw plenty of dolphins but for most of the day there were no whales in sight. Some of the passengers began to complain in a friendly way to the captain about the failure of the whales to show up. He told them that he had called ahead to the woman who took care of the whales and told her to send them our way. But in the late afternoon, the whales appeared to everyone's delight. I spent most of the day on the deck reading and taking in the scenery. Several people came up to me and talked about their lives. Most memorable was a man who shared his grief at having lost his eldest son. He and his wife had made every effort to save his life even taking him to a hospital in Houston. Fortunately, they have four more children. Everyone went to bed early that night because the next morning we would arrive in Puerto Montt and leave the ship early.

The south of Chile is a wonderful place to visit and I never tire of discovering new places there. Remember that you are always welcome to visit. May the Lord bless you. Love always,

Michael