PHOTOS, PAGE 1

       Editor and prime reporter is Doug Terry, a veteran television and radio reporter in   Washington, DC, (details below)

 have been monitoring live television from Chile and the situation along the coast south of Santiago looks to be very serious. Many buildings and houses are in complete rubble from the tsunami wave that apparently hit there. More than 350 are reported dead in Constitucion and the images I have seen, with only a very rough assessment, indicate the death toll could be much higher there and along the coast. There could have been more people killed by the tsunami than the earthquake itself.

Video taken from a fixed wing aircraft flying over houses dozens and dozens of houses either completely or partly under water. If houses were swamped in the middle of the night or early morning hours, it would be very difficult for people to survive. Some areas where the wave hit have the look of the 2004 tsunami in Asia. In this case, however, satellite images show the land behind the coastal villages and towns rising rapidly toward the mountains, so the damage farther inland would likely be limited (I have not personally visited this area before the earthquake).

For journalistic and humanitarian interests, we need a better assessment of the situation. Some news organization in the area should charter a helicopter for the early AM period Monday to fly along the coast. Only with the ability to station the aircraft over the affected zone can a better picture emerge. Likewise, reporters should be dispatched to the area, though they might not be able to travel directly on the coast highway the entire distance to Constitucion.

My experience has taught me that in every major news story, something really important is almost always missed. This time, the attention of the world was on whether a tsunami would hit Hawaii and Japan. Forget that. It hit Chile. Lives could depend on getting a better assessment of the situation along the southern coast. The government of Chile and news organizations should be endeavoring to provide that information as soon as possible.

Doug Terry 2.28.10

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