Hello all,
WOW!! I am just now getting access to a computer. I have travelled to Chile before and knew it was earthquake territory but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be here when a big one hit. I currently live in Toronto but I am originally from Los Angeles, California and have experienced many earthquakes including the Northridge earthquake about 15 years ago. That was scary but this 8.8 earthquake here in Chile was absolutely frieghtening!!
I rented an apartment in El Golf neighborhood which is a very nice part of Santiago. We are on the second floor of a 15 floor building. I am down here alone with my daughter as she is receiving special physio-therapy from a wonderful therapist here who created Medek therapy.
My daughter and I were sleeping in the same bed that night. I woke up at around 3:30am to a rumbling feeling and sound. I immediately thought....´oh my god we are having an earthquake, we´ll be ok´ but it only took mere seconds for me to realize this was not a little earthquake and that I needed to take cover. My heart was pounding so fast and I grabbed my daughter (who was asleep the whole time) and crouched under a door way. Even on the second floor the building was moving in all directions and the sound was unbearable!! I could hear the building bending and cracking with a deep harsh sound and I could hear things breaking in the house. I could hear the earth rumbling! Honestly, it was unbelievable. I´m not sure if what I did was the right thing as the last time I had a class to prepare for an earthquake I was 16. I think I should have ran out of the house immediately but I was in total shock. So we rode it out and then I heard my neighbors rustling outside my front door and I grabbed a blanket, Havana´s Ativan (incase she had a seizure from waking her) and ran out as fast as I could. I didn´t even have time to put on shoes or get a flashlight, etc. There were quite a few of us that gathered in an open square next to the building. We stayed there for at least two hours talking to eachother. There we were, people from all over the world....Texas, New Jersey, Brasil, Toronto, Sweden. It is so interesting how disasters like this can bring people together. I learned that I am living next door to a Brazilian Reiki master with her husband, a little three year old and two beautiful teenage daughters. I have only been in Santiago for a few weeks and hadn´t met them yet but in that night we all bonded. I was going to get groceries on Saturday because I didn´t have much food left but because of the earthquake, everything was closed. This family invited us over for the whole day and fed my daughter and I. We shared our experiences together in English, Spanish and Portuguese. They gave me food for breakfast and then took me to the supermarket on Sunday. I am so greatful to this family. They opened their home and heart to me and my daughter in a time of need. I have spoken to them everyday since then and we are becoming friends.
The damage that most people are seeing on the news is primarily from the poorer parts of Chile and Santiago. My heart was aching as I saw people begging for help, water and food. Chile however is a very modern country, more than most people think. The architecture here is top notch and has been built to withstand an earthquake of this magnitude. The news does not show the city of Santiago but if they did you would see a beautiful city completely in tact and would blow your mind to think an 8.8 earthquake had just hit. There is a building right next to ours that is at least 30 floors and ALL glass and not one pane of glass is cracked or broken. It´s so impressive! For the magnitude of this earthquake, one would have expected more casualties. This is a testament to how modern this country is. But still, even one casualty is too many.
My heart goes out to those who lost their lives and to their families. Keep them in your thoughts.
xoxo