Devastation in Chile!

On February 27, 2010 a massive earth quake struck Chile with a magnitude of 8.8. This is one of the biggest earthquakes in the last century and over 780 people have lost their lives. One of the hardest-hit areas was the town of Constitucion. The town was just 70 miles from the epicenter and hit first by the earthquake which lead to a tsunami 3o minutes later.

Firefighters and other rescue squads have been working very hard to find people buried in the rubble while also arresting looters. There are serious aftershocks that continue to undermine the help in Chile but the government has not requested a ‘flash appeal’ yet. However President Michele Bachelet has begun accepting some offers from donors around the world.

To stop the need of looting, Bachelet has announced that the essentials in major supermarkets would be given away for free. Food and water will also be distributed by soldiers and police. All this help is needed and a horrible thing happening is the aftershocks. While trying to save hundreds of people and find others buried, aftershocks are continuing. In the first 24 hours of the quake, ninety jolts of 5+ magnitudes hit the region. One was almost as large as the quake that struck Haiti.

Chile’s defense minister said that the navy made a mistake because they did not immediately activate a tsunami warning. Since some warnings were issued in several coastal towns and saved hundreds of lives, not issuing one seems to be a huge mistake. Many lives could have been saved if a warning came out.

Many photographs have been taken of the devastation in Chile. The pictures range from rubble to looters being held at gun point. Sites have also been set up so that people can donate to Chile to help support the search and rescue, along with helping to rebuild.

Another point of interest with this devastating quake is the Earth’s rotation. A NASA scientist said on Monday, that the earthquake may have changed the entire Earth’s rotation and shortened the length of the days on our planet. The earthquake that hit is said to be the seventh strongest earthquake in recorded history. Our days should be 1.26 microseconds shorter and the Earth’s figure axis should have moved by about 3 inches.

The effects of the earthquake are large because it was located at the Earth’s mid-latitudes. The quake also slices through the Earth at a steep angle. However, the changes in the Earth’s axis are not unheard of. Several other incidences have occurred over the years including the 9.1 magnitude in 2004. This quake shortened the length of the days by 6.7 microseconds.

Through all this devastation and exploration, the media has done a lot to get the news to people around the world. Through pictures and articles posted and updated, people can have the latest information. This is very critical, especially to people millions of miles away that have family and friends in Chile. Without the media covering events like these, many people, including myself, would not know that they have happened. Also, the information about the Earth is very interesting and important. People should know, and have the right to know, what is going on out there.