After arriving in Santiago on Friday, February 26th at 9:30am, we decided to spend the day touring the Finance district. When the evening came, we set out to dine at a local Irish pub where we met two ex-pats who suggested a bar to go to for the night. A few of us decided to take this recommendation. Considering the two hour time difference, we were out later than expected. Close to 3:30am, the seventh largest earthquake to date struck. For those of us at the bar, we saw bottles and glasses come crashing to the floor all around us. We could see a mixture of terror and confusion on people’s faces. For those of us at the hotel, we were awoken by pieces of the ceiling falling to the floor after which we immediately evacuated.

That morning, we all truly realized the gravity of the situation. When walking and driving around Santiago, we saw great damage to both roads and historical buildings. Downed bridges, cracked sidewalks, and rubble from other concrete structures were a frequent site. The city was virtually shut down the day of the earthquake and appeared to be a ghost town. Grocery stores and eateries were closed. Phone line and internet communication was sparse. A curfew was imposed, making the night eerily dark and quiet. Aside from these indicators of the devastating earthquake, repeated aftershocks reaching 6.0 on the Richter scale were constant reminders of the damage that was done.   Additionally, the airport had completely shut down.   With no security infrastructure and damaged terminals, no flights took off for 72 hours.  When we showed up to check on our luggage and flight situation mid-week, the scene was reminiscent of an airport in a country at war, with makeshift ticket counters and tents for waiting areas.  The damage in Santiago, however, was mild in comparison to that incurred in Conception. Santiago’s unfortunate history of earthquakes prepared this city to handle such occurrences.

Days after the devastating earthquake we saw hope for a fast recovery.  In Santiago, 400km away from the epicenter at Concepcion, we saw things rapidly improving over the course of the week. Every day, more businesses opened and returned to normal operating hours. Even with the earthquake a few days prior, we still had the opportunity to visit Codelco, Chile’s largest copper producer. Their business appeared to be running as usual along with the rest of Santiago’s key industry firms. Infrastructure damage was quickly repaired, as construction workers were ever present, fixing bridges, roads, and power lines. By the time we departed the following Saturday, there were a few terminals open and more organization within this chaotic situation, a vast improvement from what we witnessed days earlier. Santiago’s resilience, along with the excellent care of the Austral Group, allowed for those of us fortunate enough to arrive in Chile to move forward with Global Immersion activities and experience this beautiful country.

Throughout the week, we saw repeated examples of the Chilean community coming together to support the victims.  Food drives, grassroots fundraising, and numerous volunteers inspired hope that Chile was on its way towards recovery.    Although we were 400km from the epicenter, it is clear that the entire nation of Chile was affected by this tragedy.  It will most certainly take time, but the country has dealt with natural disasters before and is well on its way to rebuilding a stronger nation.

–The Santiago 9