Chilean Rotary member reports on earthquake

Map : citywire

At least one member of a Chilean Rotary survived the earthquake in that South American country.Esparza, an Internet-based journalist, communicated Saturday by e-mail with The City Wire that he has been unable to visit with many friends, family and members of the Internet publication for which he works.He said phone and other communication lines are down in many parts of the country.

“I'm fine with my wife and my daughter, we are in Santiago, the capital and stand in a flat, has minor damage, many things broken. It was terrible and we get scared much, but we've still trembles and now we have again light and water, here in Santiago only breakdown some churches, and hard damage to highways and other monuments,” Esparza noted in his e-mail.

He said the major earthquake was followed by numerous aftershocks, which he said were strong enough to be “terrifying.” He said the hardest hit area was in the region between Temuco and Santiago in the middle of the country. Story Source: citywire

Photos above & below: Facebook Page: Help Chile through Rotary

An initial consignment of 448 ShelterBoxes is being sent to Chile in response to the massive earthquake that hit the country.

ShelterBox is utilising all its global resources to respond as quickly as possible to this latest disaster. ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members Pat Prendergast (UK), Tom Lay (UK) and Traci Oliver (US) are currently en route to Chile’s capital Santiago. On arrival the team will join up with local Rotarians and the Red Cross to establish where the greatest need for emergency shelter is.

The team will be joined by 448 ShelterBoxes, enough aid for up to 4,480 people. The boxes are being sent from prepositioned stock in Melbourne, Australia. ShelterBox has a network of strategic locations around the globe where boxes are stored to allow a speedy response to any disaster wherever it may strike.

Head of Operations, John Leach, said: ‘The full extent of the damage in Chile is yet to be seen but there’ll undoubtedly be a need for emergency shelter.

‘Our first response team was mobilised as soon as news of the earthquake reached us. We’re now sending ShelterBoxes form Australia and once our team arrive in Santiago they’ll be working closely with Rotarians and other aid organisations to make sure the aid reaches the people who need it most.’

Urgent donations needed

With the earthquake in Chile following so soon after the earthquake Haiti, the need to support ShelterBox could not be greater.

General Manager, Lasse Petersen, said: ‘We’re responding to the massive disasters in both Haiti and Chile as well as other disasters across the world that aren’t making the headlines.

‘Whenever disasters strike they inevitably leave devastated families in their wake, families who lose everything through no fault of their own.

‘We urgently need donations to fund our disaster relief efforts, to help us respond to the current disasters and to acquire more tents and life saving supplies in readiness for future disasters.

‘I’d urge you to please donate and support our relief efforts and to help build our disaster response capacity to help those most in need.’ Story Source: ShelterBox