Tragic Residue: Chile Hit by Quake

Chile became another face of tragedy in the world after Haiti. Bridges collapsed, communication links broken, and the very infrastructure was shaken in an instant stroke of ill-fortune. It was totally devastating! Nonetheless, the normal life of a prospering nation was thrown into utter chaos.
 
The magnitude of earthquake, struck about 200 miles south-west of Santiago, was the highest in records - 8.8 in ritcher scale. The city of Concepcion and other affected areas were termed the home of catastrophe. In the quake debris, one finds the ominous picture of the ruin and helplessness. Tens of thousands became homeless overnight; many were shocked, knocked out of breath but managed to survive under the shadow of the fear of death. They had just seen the worst but who could predict that it would not happen again? The panic was created and it burdened them unendurably.

One man witnessed a child, badly bruised, half-buried under the debris, and left with a faint impulse, had been released; and another saw the miserable face of a woman, who was trapped under a few blocks of rabble, but she furiously grappled with her destiny and was later rescued by some aid-workers. And there were many such bone-chilling stories of miraculous escapes that seemed like walking out of the jaws of death. The human casualty and the scene of suffering were the ones that couldn't be forgotten in years to come.

Some say that the enormity of damages could have been unthinkable if the buildings were not constructed in accordance with the type of structural designs, they had mastered and employed. The engineering skill and architecture style used in building houses helped cushion the severity of calamity. In fact, this unique style saved many lives and contained the spread of destruction. Though the death toll rose to over 400, it is much lower compared to Haiti's 200,000 dead, where buildings were poorly planned.

My heart and soul go with the people of Chile who have kept their spirit of hope undiminished in days of deep distress. May God bless you!