Letter from a friend of mine in Concepcion, Chile.
To all my friends in the US
Thanks everybody for asking, my whole family is OK. We are living at my parents along with my girlfriend and her sister that have their house inhabitable. We just got electricity back, and hoping we get water soon, looking forward to a shower. The earthquke was incredibly strong and long..5 min., I USED to live on the 14th floor of a building we designed, I was sure it would collapse, no structural design could support this, I prayed and held on, but fortuntely it did and I'm here, I'm living a 2nd chance. It's so sad other buildings did not make it and people lost their lives, as well as the people tha lost their lives in the following tsunami.
After the quake came the worst though, the looting and robbing started, the current government did nothing to stop it, not approving that the military could take charge of the situation, this useless president did not want to end her term with the military in charge. In the end she was forced to send the troops and thankfully order is slowly being restablished. But unfortuntely the 48hr delay left my city with most of it's grocery stores, commerce, and houses that people had left; looted, destroyed and some burned to the ground. It was imposible to sleep, people had to take up arms,sticks, whatever they could get their hands on to defend their families and homes. Shots were fired a block from my house in order to repell looters, and we are located in the nice suburbs. I will never forget the scene where me, my brother and my dad are in his bedroom checking the two firearms we have and thinking what to do in order to defend our home, while shots were fired outside and on the radio total chaos was being reported all over town. Imagine what it must have been like where the poor people live, neighborhoods totally left helpless because the police did not have the manpower to protect. Our maid, that lives near the port, lost her home, and was staying at a friends, but was forced to leave everything beihind because of the violence that reigned day and night. It took her along with her son 5hrs to get to our house (trip that usually takes 45 min.in a bus) and are now staying with us. Cannot describe how this lady cryied(.........aftershock again!!!) when she got to us, and the look of dispair she had in her face......this is totally surreal.
Adding to this, because of the chaos help could not be distributed, because the trucks were robbed, even some fire stations where looted. Indecision and putting political reasons over rationality left my city in ruins, poor people are left in dismay and helplessnes. Bad prevailed over the good. The mayor of one of the main bourroughs of the city called the only radio station working (not a goverment broadcast...non existant) crying and pleading Miss Bachelet for help while he was fleeing his cityhall that was being ramsacked. The government was absolutly non existant, the only people organizing the disaster was the firedepartmet and Radio Bio Bio (a private radio that was the only form of communication until today..5 days after the quake).
Adding to the destruction of an earthquake and tsunami we have to deal with the horrors left by a government that forgot my city and the good people that lived in it.
If people ask please tell them the real story of Concepcion, and not what this goverment we'll try telling.
Your friend,
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Posted by Stephen Glicken
stephen@greenowl.com
