When I moved to Santiago, Chile nearly 2 years ago, I knew that at some point I would experience a massive earthquake. This weekend, that experience transpired, and I am happy to report that we escaped unscathed, and did not even sustain any property damage. Undoubtedly, we have been quite fortunate, as the people in other parts of Santiago have been harder hit, and the people in the South of Chile have been devastated. However, if there is anything I have learned from this experience, witnessing first hand a major natural disaster in a foreign country, it is that the English-language media is not only comprised of wild-eyed hysterics, but they are abjectly irresponsible in the manner of their reporting to the point of crossing numerous ethical boundaries in their attempt to create sensational headlines and sell their news. Contrary to the headlines of widespread looting and panic, a drive around many parts of Santiago would reveal the diametric opposite. Traffic is flowing as normal, though slightly-longer-than-average lines at the gas stations might make one wonder if there is a long holiday weekend coming up. A few signs are crooked, or even downed, and a few buildings have glass panes that have been broken out. Other parts of Santiago have sustained more damage, to be sure, but there have been no gangs of marauders darting from house to house or business to business taking everything in sight. On the contrary, the subway in Santiago is already back online, and in this city of nearly 6 million, only 300,000 are still without electricity (though I happen to be among them). The human tragedy in Concepcion, Talca, Constitution, and other cities in the South of Chile is unquestionable. Yet, what has happened here is nothing in comparison with the chaos and panic witnessed recently in Haiti, and the quake here was much stronger. Chile should be commended for its remarkable preparedness in both the quality of the construction of its buildings, in addition to the preparedness of its medical and law enforcement personnel, which have prevented any semblance of anarchy from emerging onto the scene. Most grocery stores in the eastern part of Santiago are now re-opened, and I am typing from a stable WiFi connection in the restaurant of a hotel here, with the hopes that my power will be restored in the next few hours. We in Santiago are the lucky ones, and my prayers go out to the people in the South as they begin rebuilding their lives. One thing I can state confidently about the Chilean people, after my interactions with them over the last 2 years is that they will rebuild stronger than ever, recover faster than virtually any other group of people from a similar type of disaster, and they will be even better prepared for the next disaster than they were for this one. Such resilience is a rare find, but it is found in abundance is this sturdy Republic at the end of the world.
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