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.