Last Saturday Chile was hit by an earthquake that was stronger than the earthquake in Haiti. However, despite the strength of the earthquake Chile has been less affected than Haiti and are well on the way to recovery.
The Earthquake that hit central Chile on the 27th February 2010, has devastated the lives of hundreds of people. The quake caused widespread damage, and destroyed homes, buildings and roads.
Despite this the people of Chile are well placed to rebuild their economy. Chile is regarded by many to have the best run economy in Latin America. The quake did effect many of the cities in Chile, but perhaps far less than it could have. This was because the foundations of the cities are built well; ensuring damage and disaster was minimal.
Not all of the buildings were strong enough to withstand the quake. Despite the distuction Chile is the 46th richest country in the world, and is well set to start “mending bridges” despite the expected £10billion – £20 billion it is expected to cost. The Chilean economy is still expected to rise by 5% regardless of the natural disaster.
The Chilean president stated last week that the reconstruction work will present the people with a major challenge, but due to the country’s solid fiscal position, there should be little constraint on the public funding.
However as with most natural disasters, there are problems. In the larger cities there are many people who have been left homeless by the destruction. The government and the armed forces are doing all that the can in an effort to maintain order in the streets.
The city of Conception is reportedly suffering the worst. With most roads and transportation links to the city damaged, getting aid to the city is tricky.
The neighbouring country of Argentina is lending a helping hand flying air rations to the city. Chile appears to be handling the situation well. They have police officers and army officials standing guard to make sure that no one suffers more than they already have, and keeping peace in the cities.
About Tessa Biddulph
Other articles by Tessa Biddulph
Tessa Biddulph works in the marketing department and is new to Bales Worldwide. She is spending a year at Bales Worldwide before heading back to university to complete a PR degree. Tessa’s favourite destination she has travelled to is Sydney, Australia, but since working at Bales she has already drawn up a long list of places she’d like to visit (number 1 being Machu Picchu, in Peru). 