PHOTOS, PAGE 1

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

The Los Angeles Times dispatched a reporter and photographer to Chile last weekend. In today’s editions (2.5.10), their reporter visited the seaside village of Dichato, Chile

“The row of eateries and bars that once lined the shore are smashed to pieces. The central plaza is a pile of debris: splintered wood beams, bent metal roofs, dented gas tanks, fences, broken trees and kitchen appliances, among other objects. Fishing boats have been tossed a mile into town and beyond.”

The tsunami waves that hit the southern coast of Chile were apparently large and relentless. There was just one wave or a series of waves over a short period of time. Indeed, some residents were fooled after the first waves rolled in and went back to their homes, only to be engulfed in more waves.

“Residents in Dichato said the waves came ashore between the headlands over several hours, engulfing houses, boats, cars and everything else in their way.

Dichato's official count -- 17 people dead, 40 to 50 missing -- seemed likely to rise in what was once a town of 5,000. The stench of decomposing bodies emanates from collapsed structures, prompting visitors to don surgical masks.

Sandra Pizarro, 41, of Santiago, whose parents' home in Dichato was long the family vacation spot, walked along the debris-strewn shore with her brother, Jose Pizarro, 43. They could hardly believe what had happened to the popular wading and sailing spot.

"This was a quiet, lovely town, a beautiful place for children," she said. "There was hardly ever a wave of more than a few inches."”

As noted here on the TerryReport repeatedly since last Saturday, the tsunami was the main event in Chile in regard to devastation, overall damage and death. Why is that so difficult for reporters and others to absorb? Because the story line we got over last weekend was “big earthquake hits Chile”. The tsunami was an after thought and by the time reporters got to the scene, the storyline just wouldn’t be changed. Even the LA Times reporter, on the scene along the coast, took note, almost apologetically. of the attention of the world being on the earthquake, not the tsunami.

In any case, the damage from the earthquake, while very extensive, can be repaired in a much shorter time than the tsunami aftermath. You can’t repair a house that is gone. It is difficult to rebuild a seaside business that has been totally wiped out. Most of the earthquake damage can be mitigated within six months or less. Along the coast, lives have changed forever and the rebuilding will take years.

The Los Angeles Times deserves credit for sending a reporter and photographer and for sticking with this story of human suffering and loss.

2.5.10 (11:48 PM, eastern)

THE LINK:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-chile-ghost-town6-2010mar06,0,2242186.story

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