American Red Cross Responds to Earthquake in Chile

BUFFALO, March 1, 2010 - On February 27, 2010 at about 3:35 a.m. local time, an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 occurred in the moderately populated region of Bio-Bio in central Chile. The earthquake struck 56 miles northeast of the city of Concepción. Many aftershocks have occurred, including a significant 6.3 magnitude in Argentina. The earthquake generated tsunami alerts in Chile and most Pacific coast countries and island states. However, by late on February 27, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center stood down its tsunami warning, after no major tsunami activity occurred in potential coastal areas.

The American Red Cross is responding to the strong 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile, making $50,000 available for relief operations in Chile.

The Red Cross regional disaster management center in Panama is in contact with Red Cross staff and volunteers on the ground to monitor the situation and further assess needs. Regional Red Cross disaster experts from Latin America are also en route to Chile to support the response.

"Our hearts go out to the people of Chile as they struggle to deal with the immediate aftermath of this earthquake," says Nancy Blaschak, Executive Director of the American Red Cross, Greater Buffalo Chapter. "To date, there has been no formal request for international assistance but we stand ready to respond and support relief efforts in any way possible should such a request be made."

Chilean Red Cross disaster teams have been activated and are working in close coordination with the Chilean government and their National Emergency Office. The Chilean Red Cross is a member of the Chilean government's emergency response group, which is leading the emergency operations and has a great deal of experience and systems in place to manage response to major disasters.

At the same time, the American Red Cross is continuing to support the relief operations in Haiti, where 1.3 million people have been helped since the January 12th earthquake in that country.

"As the largest humanitarian network in the world, the Red Cross has both the experience and the capacity to respond to multiple disasters at the same time," says David Meltzer, Senior Vice President of International Services at the American Red Cross. "Today, we are supporting the Chilean Red Cross in their response to the earthquake while relief operations continue in Haiti."
Disasters frequently separate loved ones, and there are ways that people can help reconnect with their families and friends.

For inquiries about relatives living and who have citizenship in Chile, we urge you to contact them by telephone, monitor their social networking profiles or contact other family members who live nearby. Telephone, Internet and other communication lines are often disrupted in times of disaster. People trying to locate U.S. citizens living or traveling in Chile should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747 or 202-647-5225.