A Massive 8.8 Earthquake Hits Chile, Tsunami Warning for Hawaii

I was awaken this morning with the news from CNN that Chile had experienced what is seen as one of the worst earthquakes in recorded history. The quake's epicenter is some 200 miles southwest of the capital city of Santiago, where it is reported expectedly that services such as electricity and telephone have been lost. Buildings have fallen, some were engulfed in fire, and damages were reported in some local hospitals. Some people in Argentina's Buenos Aires even felt the shock and had to be evacuated.

According to reports, over 78 people have been confirmed dead and the toll is expected to rise given the magnitude and the devastation the quake has brought about. The country president Michelle Bachelet reportedly stated that they are 'taking all necessary measures at this time" to minimize the death toll, although she expects it will be higher than the number thus reported. Because the quake hit at 3:34 am, when most inhabitants were sleeping, it is a possibility that the number of deaths and damages will be extensive.

Due to the location of the quake being close to the pacific, it has triggered tsunami warnings for areas of the basin such as Hawaii, Russia and Japan. Californians are also to be on alert, as we are by the coast as well. Please anyone who has family or friends in Hawaii or other coastal regions of the pacific, contact them and let them be on alert in case they should have to evacuate. We don't want to see a situation like the Asian Tsunami or a similar case as Hurricane Katrina, or the Haitian quake of which clean up is still under way.

As expected, there will be series of aftershocks, and according to the U.S Geological Survey, some as high as 6.9 had already been felt. That is even higher than magnitude of the Northridge quake of the early 1990's!

It turns out this is not the biggest quake in this region. There was a 9.5 quake in 1960 that killed over 1600 people and caused tsunami in the region around it. I hope it doesn't happen again, but we have to heed warnings and evacuate if need be.

Source: www.cnn.com