Chile hit by one of the most powerful earthquake in the last century

Only 46 days after a powerful earthquake hit Haiti, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Chile. The earthquake was the fifth largest in the past 110 years. A half century ago, Chile was also hit by an even stronger earthquake with a recorded magnitude of 9.5 that killed 1,655 people in the city of Valdivia. The 1960 quake is the largest earthquake recorded in the last 200 years and has caused tsunamis that killed 61 people in Hawaii, 138 in Japan and left 32 dead or missing in the Philippines. According to U.S Geological survey, the earthquake’s epicenter was 70 miles northeast of Concepcion at a depth of 22 miles. The earthquake tremors have reached as far as Argentina’s provinces of Mendoza and San Juan.  The earthquake started at 3:34 a.m. (1:34 a.m. EST) and lasted from three long minutes. Residents of Santiago, Chile were awoken from their sleeping prompting them to leave their beds and seeking shelter on the streets.  The destruction to the infrastructure was relatively low compared to the Haiti. This would be attributed to Chile’s solid building standards. The death toll has risen to 700 people from the initial count of 214 people reported on Feb 28, 2010.  Chile produces 34 percent of the world supply of copper and the leading producer in the world. Several copper mines in Chile acquired minimal damages and was operating normally within a few hours after the quake. Several buildings were damaged including three hospitals which had partially collapsed. Debris blocked streets in Central Chile as Building and bridges were severely damage by the earthquake. In Concepcion, one of Chile’s largest cities with a population of around 670, 000 people, some residents were looting Medicine, grain and wheat. 175 miles south of Concepcion lies Temuco where residents have reported that there is no water and electricity.  Due to high magnitude of the earthquake, tsunami warnings have been sent to Hawaii, Japan and Russia. Evacuation and other contingency plans have been implemented in attempt to minimize the possible damage that the Tsunami might bring. Six US Navy ships in Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor were moved to different location to prepare for the big waves which were forecasted to reach as high as 8 feet. Fortunately, the tidal waves were not as big as expected.