The President speaks

• Exception state in Maule and bio Bio Region (catastrophe state)
• 2 million of daily meals prepared for Junaeb (National office for Scholar emergencies and Scholarships)
• Army will give combat meal in difficult access areas (very nutritive)
• Professionals are working in recognition of death bodies.
• Mecano bridges are on the way to Bio Bio region, The government is working to give connectivity to the country.
• Infraestructure and buildings: two Intendencies (Bio Bio and Maule) are unusable. MOP and Ministry with two university organisms DICTUC (Universidad Catolica) and IDIEM (Universidad de Chile) are working to analyze buildings (400 professionals)
• The president is calling the School of Engineers and School of Architects to work together and to decide which public spaces can be used (schools for example)
• Army forces are working to help people (Perez Yoma and Vidal in charge)
• International help is being pondered by the government, prioritizing first.
• Caritas Chile and the Red Cross have bank accounts for donations,  the government is going to open one at BancoEstado, for international and private donations
• Emergency hospitals in the affected areas and the use of private hospitals for people who needs it
• Emergency electric generators, and water purifiers. Coordination with fireman, army and police.
• Curfew regulations in Concepcion
• 708 death, 541 Maule Region, 64 bio Bio, 103 other regions
• Government is going to work till the last minute, and give permanent information to the new government

Earthquake and replicas map. Mapa de la zona de terremoto y replicas (from USGS.GOV).

Version en Espanol abajo del texto en ingles.

We are writing this report because right now we are crossing south Chile and we have a lots of friends and family in affected places.

We are very far from disaster zones (in Coyhaique, Patagonia), but we are gathering info about the earthquake.

About the earthquake: It was very early when a heavy and noisy movement woke up the people in all central-south area of Chile, 3:34:14 AM was the exact time. The epicenter was in the ocean, in front of El Maule Region, the depth was at 35KM (+/- 7.5 KM) According to usgs.gov the magnitude of the earthquake was 8.8. Constant replicas are affecting  the zones, some of them reaching a magnitude of 7.

“This earthquake occurred at the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates.”