Chile shaken up, but will find her feet soon.

Chile, the ribbon shaped coastal nation, is on the radar.  Sitting atop a volatile fault line, she was violently shaken, a 8.8 magnitude earthquake that is recorded to be the worst to hit the nation.  Analysts point out that it was 500 times stronger than the earthquake that hit Haiti last month.  The worst case scenario is pretty much the same. An earthquake rumbles angrily without warning, buildings crumble, telecommunications no longer communicate, hundreds are trapped under debris, people die by three and four figures, devastating tsunamis hit the shores, early warning systems help people to escape the fury of the ocean waves etc.  But what surprises many is that despite such a destructive earthquake, Chile has found its feet soon enough.  While more than 200,000 Haitians lost their lives, the official death toll in Chile comes up to hundreds. The telecommunication lines that were severed are partially functioning in a few hours.

Not that Haiti has been relegated to history in the wake of the new earthquake, but a study of both countries and their approaches to disasters reveal that Chile was better prepared than Haiti.  Her government had already streamlined regulations to construct the new buildings with rigorous anti earthquake codes, reinforced with materials and architectural designs so that the buildings bent and swayed during the tremors.  First hand journalistic accounts from Haiti reveal the appalling building standards of Haitians.  Perhaps they do have pressing demands that allow corruption run deep into the system.  Building rules were non-existent or given scant respect.  When the island nation was mapped by Google before the earthquake it presented a gorgeous hideaway island.  The post earthquake  maps, had pictures of a nations decimated as if by a single stroke.  While estimates put Haiti's resurrection to happen in another decade or so, Chile will emerge stronger and faster, with an attitude more positive.  While UNO has asked for aid to help the people of Chile, it would not allow any other nation to set up shop in its soil.

While our solidarity should be extended to both the nations, the lessons learnt must inspire all nations, specially developing and earthquake prone nations to adopt technologies and regulations that can save people instead of being sandwiched by their own dream houses. Our prayers and good wishes to all Chileans.  My heart goes out to my Colombian friend Fr German Bustamente, who spent many years in Chile as a priest before we became friends.  Chile, you are in our hearts and minds.