One of the first things I remember about my trip to Chile is arriving in the capital, Santiago. As I trundled down the streets looking for my hostel, peeping through the tall grey buildings was the most amazing view of the snow capped Andean peaks. It’s difficult to imagine the chaos that spread through these same streets on that Saturday morning after the massive earthquake shook the city and the country to its core.
Two years ago I went to Chile on holiday and was immediately taken with the friendly locals and stunning scenery as I ventured away from the capital. The coastline was especially beautiful, attracting tourists from around the world. This was one of the worst hit areas by the recent earthquake and resulting tsunami. Two years ago the resorts lining the coast were packed with holiday makers and travellers making the most of the beaches, the same beaches where people were staying the weekend the earthquake struck. The scene now however, is very different from that which I remember. Emergency workers have shifted their attention to these areas fearing that many people were swept away to sea by the three huge waves following the earthquake.
With a magnitude of 8.8, the earthquake is reported to have claimed upwards of 800 lives and made over 2 million people homeless.
Oxfam relief workers arrived in Santiago three days after the earthquake hit Chile, with a stock of basic emergency supplies to be taken to the worst hit areas. They were already working with local partners who had immediately started providing basic assistance to people in need. In assessing the full extent of the damage Oxfam is particularly concerned with the impact to water and sanitation facilities and people’s access to them.
With the support of relief agencies, what remains now is a massive clean up operation as Chileans try to re-build their homes and lives. I wonder if I will soon be able to go to Chile again and walk through the streets of Conception, as if the disaster had never happened.
