Mas de Chile

I've had more news from Roberto which contrasts with the apocalyptic scenario emerging from regions further south - a reminder of how huge Chile is and how its long thin configuration means that it crosses dramatically different geographical zones. Roberto's son Gonzalo managed to get out of Talca (which is pretty close to the epicentre) by getting a taxi to take him the 100km to Curico. He then had no problems getting transport towards Santiago, either with vehicles or the state of the roads, although it took longer than usual (5 hours for 400km).

In Talca as elsewhere there are stark contrasts in the damage done to buildings: some are intact while others nearby are flattened. On the roads, the widely publicised account of how the damaged bridges are restricting the rescue efforts has to be set against the fact that all the bigger bridges are 'double' bridges: that is to say, completes separate bridges for northbound and southbound traffic. So in many cases, it's possible for both traffic streams to share one bridge - slower, but not impossible.

Back in Valparaiso, Roberto says that the only delay getting back into the university buildings was due to the need to have surveyors check for structural damage. After that, they could return to their offices: books had fallen to the floor and computers had shifted around but there was no real damage. Fewer than 1% of his colleagues on the staff have had their homes damaged and none reported physical injuries. The university has sent a truckload of healthcare and construction professionals to the south, with a load of clothing and food, to help with the rescue of earthquake victims. In the Valparaiso region all the electricity and water systems have been restored, but in Talca and Concepcion, unsurprisingly, they are still disconnected.

The contrasts between Roberto's messages and those that emerged from Haiti ought to focus our minds on why Haitians suffered - and are still suffering - so appallingly. It would seem that the US's continuing "investment" in Haiti over the years had nothing to do with ensuring the well being of its population and everything to do with ruthless exploitation. Chile has had its share of US interference in the past, but has been able to maintain enough autonomy to ensure that it can survive and deal with this sort of catastrophe.