Chile Earthquake

On February 27, a little over a month after an earthquake hit the small country of Haiti, another earthquake with an 8.8-magnitude hit the South American country of Chile.

The earthquake left hundreds dead and a country in ruins. Over 1.5 million people have lost their homes according to Chile’s Emergency Management Office. “It was terrible, terrible,” said Adela Galaz, a 59-year-old
cosmetologist who said glasses and paintings fell to the floor of her 22nd-floor apartment in Santiago, 200 miles from the quake’s center. “We are grateful to be alive,” Galaz told the New York Times.

All international aid groups are waiting to see if Chile needs any help. As of a few days after the earthquake, the International Federation of Red Crosses and Red Crescents said that the Chilean Red Cross did not need any help
at that point.

This earthquake was much stronger than the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti about six weeks ago. The death toll and damage rate was less devastating than that of Haiti because of Chile’s strict building codes. These
codes were put in order after past destructive earthquakes caused damage in the country. Buildings and homes in Chile are made to withstand an earthquake. Also Chile has more money than Haiti which enables them to be able to build safer buildings, according to Salon.com.