Chile Earthquake 2010

More than two million people have been affected by the strong earthquake in Chile.

The earthquake, 8.8 magnitude rocked Chile early Saturday, while most residents were sleeping.

The devastating quake, thousands of times stronger than the one that hit Haiti, struck central Chile on February 27 2010.

The current official death toll stands at about 300 people and it is apparent that Chile is coping considerably better with the disaster than Haiti.

The Chilean president Michelle Bachelet said that t

he power of the nature has again struck their country.

The 8.8 quake - one of the biggest ever - triggered a tsunami that has been sweeping across the Pacific, although waves were not as high as predicted.

Reports say buildings shook while others collapsed as power went out in Santiago and other settlements in the area, 320km northeast of the quake's epicenter. Other parts of South America also felt the earthquake

There were also several strong aftershocks have followed the quake, including one with a 6.9.

I feel that measures such as strenthening existing infrastructure such as buildings and designing new earthquake-resistant infrastructure will help to reduce the damage caused. Other measures such as educating people on precautions to take during an earthquake such as practicing earthquake drills, would minimize the damage from earthquake

Bibliography :

Website - The Sofia Echo

http://www.sofiaecho.com/2010/02/28/865914_chile-earthquake-has-affected-more-than-two-million-people , extracted 28/02/2010