After an 8.8-magnitude-earthquake struck Chile on February 27, Catholic Relief Services responded by contributing more than $1.25 million to support Caritas Chile’s emergency relief efforts.

Through a network of 250 parishes and nearly 1,500 churches, Caritas Chile was able to distribute critical food and equipment to the earthquake’s victims. Aid packages included food, clothing, tarps for shelter and hygiene kits.

In addition to helping repair damaged infrastructure and building transitional shelters, CRS is committed to helping Chile prepare for future natural disasters. CRS hopes to build community centers with emergency response supplies to help Chileans better respond to future emergencies.

Regional technical advisor for emergencies, Holly Inurreta, is helping with the response to the 8.8 earthquake that rattled Chile on February 27. The following is part of her first-hand account of the response in Chile.

In 1985, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck Chile and CRS assisted in that response, 25 years later, I’m seeing firsthand the impact that our work can have over time. Then, much like today, the coast of Chile suffered severe damage. Homes were leveled and people were left sleeping in makeshift camps. With the monetary support of CRS, Caritas Talca designed a model wooden home to respond to the need for shelter. A quarter century later people continue to live in these modest homes, and some have added extra rooms to expand their living space.

It’s summer here, but it was very chilly this morning. In the winter temperatures get below freezing and the rain starts in May. Most of the fallen structures are adobe and when it rains this is going to turn into slushy mud and make things worse. We went to a camp today that was basically a covered basketball court where everyone was staying. One image stuck with me, it was of an elderly woman sitting on a mattress outside flipping through a magazine. That woman and all those people staying in the camp are going to be extremely vulnerable when the temperatures begin to drop. The most important thing we can do in Chile right now is to get people into shelter that is prepared for winter. In a way it is similar to the situation in Haiti, where you are literally racing against time to get people into shelter before the rain starts.
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Regional Technical Advisor for Emergencies, Holly Inurreta, is helping with the response to the 8.8 earthquake that rattled Chile on February 27th. The temblor killed an estimated 700 and displaced around 2 million. Holly is traveling with CRS South America zonal representative, Brian Goonan, visiting different Caritas Chile members, and gives us a first hand account of the response in Chile.

We were in a meeting with the archbishop of Concepción when the aftershocks hit. One reached a magnitude of 7.2, the strongest one to date. It felt like I was sitting in a swimming pool, my chair was rocking as if on water. I looked up at the wall and saw a picture of the Virgin Mary. I wondered if the quake would cause it to move or fall, but the building we were in was solid, the epicenter was much farther north, and we were completely safe.

The caretaker of the house we stayed in was at the supermarket in Talca when the earthquake struck. The store had just reopened and her cart was filled with food, when the aisle began to shake. Everyone ran out. Soon afterward, the store allowed 20 people back in to check out, and then the second aftershock hit. The store closed its doors for the day. She was left without any groceries and had to leave empty-handed.

People were calm after the aftershocks in Concepción. The main damage in the area was caused by the tsunami tides that flooded the city and not the earthquake itself. So when a tsunami alert was announced yesterday you could see the panic return. In recent days people had developed a daily rhythm and had begun the process of settling back into their communities. Church volunteers were bringing in boxes of relief supplies and people were trying to get back in their homes. As a precaution the community was evacuated because of the strength of the aftershock but fortunately there was no tsunami, although some areas of Chile did suffer damage.
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A woman looks out over rubble in a street in Talcahuano hit by an earthquake and then later by three tsunami waves. Photo by Holly Inurreta/CRS

Regional technical advisor for emergencies, Holly Inurreta, is helping with the response to the 8.8 earthquake that shook Chile on February 27. The temblor killed an estimated 700 people and displace about 2 million. Holly is traveling with CRS South America zonal representative, Brian Goonan and Caritas Concepción representative, Jaime Torres Jofre, and gives us a first hand account of what she saw as she traveled to the earthquake’s epicenter in Concepción.

What under pre-earthquake conditions would have been a five-hour trip from Santiago to Concepción took us seven. We traveled over stretches of highway that were in good condition, pockmarked by downed bridges and cracked asphalt in several places.
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