Santiago Recap

Facade pieces still hanging six days later from a big department store on our street.

The damage in Santiago reminds us that earthquakes are fickle, with the damage depending largely on the quality of construction, the geology below a structure, and the angle at which the waves arrive. Several overpasses in Santiago collapsed, while others that appear identical, remain standing and in use. A major new tunnel less than 2 miles from us collapsed and two new apartment buildings near us were structurally damaged and will have to be torn down. People in Chile generally buy their apartments, so the loss will be felt by individual families, rather than big corporations. Many people near the epicenter are now homeless with a rough road ahead of them. We hope the recovery goes well. Our girls are helping a school effort to collect blankets and towels to send to the south and Sterling's workshop is packing up soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and shampoo care packages.

School has been cancelled for the week and will restart in Santiago on March 8th. Santiago will be well into recovery by next week, but Concepción and much of the south will take years to recover. After seeing the devastation here, it makes a winter storm in Binghamton seem quite manageable. In spite of the earthquake we plan to remain in Chile until next August enjoying this beautiful country with its friendly people and appealing culture.