On Saturday February 27 at 3:34 a.m., one of the largest recorded earthquakes in modern history struck central Chile, at 8.8 on the Richter scale. The area hit hardest runs from Valparaíso in the north to Concepción in the south, continuing inland to the capital of Santiago.
It’s estimated that half a million houses were destroyed in the quake, and 500 people were killed in the destruction and the resulting tsunami that hit the city of Curanipe, located five miles from the epicenter.
It was the second massive earthquake in the western hemisphere in less than six weeks, coming on the heels of Haiti’s 7.0 quake on January 12.
As was the case immediately following the news of that disaster, many people around the world were moved to do something, anything, to help.
And yet, since Chile is a wealthier country, with infrastructure and building codes equivalent to those in the United States, methods of assistance are radically different, according to people on the ground in the country.
Here are three ways you can help the Chilean people on their road to recovery:
1. Travel to Chile
According to Liz Caskey, an American who’s lived in Chile since 2001 and runs a tourism company in Santiago, the capital city had largely returned to normal within a week after the quake, along with many of the other affected regions.
She believes that when the US State Department issued a travel advisory two days after the quake warning Americans not to travel to Chile, it was a huge mistake. “They stuck all of Chile in the disaster boat, and this is completely false,” says Caskey. “It was like another country warning its citizens not to travel to New York or Dallas when Katrina hit New Orleans.”
[Note: The State Department has since revised the advisory, limiting its warning to the region around Concepcion.]
In any case, Caskey is adamant that travel to the country is key. “If you have a trip scheduled here, or know people who do, please encourage friends, family, and colleagues to still come,” she says. “We had clients on wine tours the week after the quake heading to Patagonia with zero problems or alterations.”
If you’d like to combine a trip to Chile with learning — or brushing up on — Spanish, Escuela Fronteras, a language-immersion program in Santiago, combines classwork with field trips and culture and can also help students who are interested in volunteering during their stay. The school is run by Stephen Mack, an American who moved to Santiago in 2007.
According to Henry Purcell, owner of Ski Portillo, the oldest ski resort in South America, and Tierra Atacama, a hotel in northern Chile, while his properties were unaffected by the earthquake, he has teamed up with other tourism organizations to promote the fact that traveling to Chile and spending tourism dollars is one of the best ways to help the country. “We are very fortunate to have escaped without any injuries or damages, but we grieve for the people of Concepcion, and I encourage anyone who wants to help to send their humanitarian support,” he says.
2. Buy Chilean
According to Mack, an easy way to help Chile can be accomplished with a quick trip to the supermarket or wine store. “Fresh Chilean produce such as avocados, grapes, peaches, and plums are in stock in American markets right now,” adding that wine aficionados now have a great excuse to try Chilean wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Carmenere if they’ve never had it before.
Caskey, who has also worked as a chef and caterer, suggests organizing a “Support Chile” dinner party or wine tasting. Try preparing classic Chilean dishes like Cazuela, a savory chicken stew, ceviche or Ensalada Chilena, a Chilean tomato salad. You can also put out a bucket to collect donations from your friends and decide which of the charities listed below to donate to.
3. Donate Money
If you’d like to send financial aid to the hardest-hit regions, Purcell recommends donating to Habitat for Humanity or the Red Cross. Just be sure to specify that you’d like your donation to go towards Chilean assistance. You can also donate money to one of the country’s leading charities:
- Un Techo Para Chile: A Roof for Chile is similar to Habitat for Humanity, and will help those who lost their homes to rebuild anew.
- Hogar de Cristo: Home of Christ was founded by a priest who recently was named as a saint. The organization focuses on the less fortunate, and will be helping victims of the earthquake. Hogar de Cristo also accepts and distributes clothing, toys and food.
- World Vision: A Christian humanitarian organization that’s been serving in the trenches of Chile for over three decades ?and has more than 100 staff members located throughout the country. “Post-quake, the group set up child-friendly? spaces in the harder-hit regions, which are safe areas where kids can come and regain a sense of? normalcy and participate in structured activities like painting, drawing, and singing.? You can also sponsor a child in Chile, providing monthly support to a? vulnerable child and his/her community in a long-term development area.”
- Text $10 to Habitat for Humanity or World Vision by sending an SMS with the text “CHILE” to either #20222 or #25383.
- If you’d still like to volunteer in Chile, keep in mind that opportunities are more limited than in Haiti, with part of the reason being that Chileans prefer to take care of things themselves. With that said, the need for volunteers are as specific as the Chilean government’s request of the United Nations the day after the earthquake for generators, water purification systems, and satellite telephones. Volunteer Latin America has a comprehensive list of organizations seeking volunteers, however, most of the positions request Spanish-speaking medical personnel, engineers, and disaster relief experts.
“The Chilean people amaze me with their generosity, resilience, and attitude in response to this disaster,” says Caskey. “They want to prosper, work hard, and put back the pieces together. If there’s one thing we have learned in life, with the right attitude, we as human beings are capable of confronting any situation and doing anything we put our mind to. As they say here, Chile se la puede. Chile can do it. We are doing it. And Chile will step forward.”
Photo by mscuai via Flickr, photo by Liz Caskey Culinary & Wine Experiences, photo by Ensayodanielaparra via Wikimedia Commons.