Earthquake update

Information comes in dribbles, and information policy is a puzzle, to put it friendly.

Information from R: Cúrico is now with water, still without electricity. Central Cúrico looks like a war zone, many collapsed buildings. Cúrico is in the Maule region, close to Talca (40 minutes) which was hit really badly. The villages around are most affected, and people are without water; hospitals are affected. The family went somewhere to help out with a 50-200 litre (maternal and paternal reports differed) water tank (something everyone should have handy).

The Santiago Times said the aftershocks, which continued night and day, went something as high up as 6 points. More than 200 prisoners escape a prison in nearby Chillan. Kleist's "Earthquake in Chili" anyone?

Cúrico Radio reports people selling bread for $2000 (instead of the usual $750-$1000). Nothing like an earthquake to make some extra cash it seems. Also long lines in front of gas stations. Cúrico Radioalso denied the existence of a tsunami (you know, the one which hit Juan Fernandez and Hawai).

Today there has been a fake tsunami alarm for Valparaíso.

I freaked a bit today because it was raining (well, drizzling), for about the first time in three months (which is totally normal for the region). So I'm standing there, having dared to go outside, thinking: What, rain? Here? Now? Why? What does this Mean??

I guess I wasn't alone; maybe that's why the fake tsunami alarm worked so well.

Supermarkets opened today and people were buying like crazy: back home, I would say "for the next world war," here it's probably rather "for the next military coup." the guy in front of me bought 6 bottles of regular cooking oil. But they might be right in hoarding sugar, flour and other stuff that is produced far away. Parts of the roads are damaged, and most things are transported in trucks (which also makes the truck union extremely powerful, but that's for another post).