Interestingly, Chile had been on my mind in the last week as a trip to Patagonia and Easter Island has always been on my bucket list and we are just a few days away from Chile’s Independence Day.
It is unfortunate that the thoughts in the back of my mind evolved into current thoughts about Chile due to a disastrous event. My heart goes out to the people of Chile who are suffering from the 8.3 earthquake that hit off Chile’s northern coast Wednesday night. The earthquake caused buildings to sway in Santiago and brought flooding from small tsunami waves in some shore towns. Many had to be evacuated from the coastlines. The incident put my family on high alert as a Tsunami warning was given for the California coast. Living only a short distance from the beach, our ears certainly perked up to that message.
At this time the western coast of the United States is safe from any major Tsunami waves and there is no cause for evacuation, although our beaches are closed. However, it is the people of Chile who still remain on edge as the grounds still trembles from aftershocks and they are left to pick up the pieces from the damages. Many have been uprooted from their homes and have yet to return. However, Chile is not a stranger to earthquakes. The country is situated within the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. Chile has an earth tremor on the average of once every two days and a devastating earthquake every presidential term. Such geological factors are probably what over thousands of years have created the breath taking diverse landscapes of this small country. From eternal ice, shimmering blue glaciers, hot springs and snow-capped volcanoes to rainforests, the driest desert on Earth, grasslands, endless sandy beaches and mountains, there is probably no other country that combines so many climate zones like Chile.
As casualties thus far a minimal, we certainly hope that the beautiful people of this gorgeous nation fair well from this incident and are able to have a peaceful celebration for their upcoming holiday.