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Mar. 1 2010 - 2:55 pm | 61 views | 0 recommendations | 0 comments

Chile prepared for earthquake, but lapsed on tsunami

By MARCELO BALLVE

An early lesson from the Chile quake: earthquake preparedness does not equal tsunami readiness. As one Chilean official put it, a “tsunami culture” and awareness of sea-borne risks is also important.

As the death toll in Chile climbs above 700 and the devastation around second-city Concepcion reveals its dimensions, questions are being asked about whether Chile’s government and society could have done more to brace for tsunamis.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet played down tsunami fears in the immediate aftermath of the quake, but unfortunately many of the dead turned out to be in coastal towns that were hit by giant post-quake waves.

The Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper in Brazil carried a BBC Americas article quoting the head of Chile’s emergency management agency, Carmen Fernandez, making this point:

“Because of our history, we have a culture of earthquakes and because of that we’re often holding simulations in various parts of the country, but after what has happened, we have to recognize that we’re lacking a tsunami culture.”

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE FULL ARTICLE:

http://trueslant.com/marceloballve/2010/03/01/chile-prepared-for-earthquake-but-lapsed-on-tsunami/

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