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An 8.8 strength earthquake struck early Saturday morning off the coast of Concepcion, Chile’s second largest city. Hundreds of people were killed and 1.5 million homes were destroyed or damaged.
“AmeriCares is sending a rapid response team to help provide disaster relief in Chile,” says Christoph Gorder, Vice President of Emergency Response. “Medicines, medical supplies and other humanitarian aid are being readied for immediate shipment.” Help AmeriCares Save Lives in Chile »
Chile’s President Michelle Bachelethas declared a state of emergency. Search and rescue are underway to locate Chilean earthquake survivors.
Electricity and basic services are damaged, regional hospitals had suffered damage and some were evacuated. A major bridge connecting north-south of Chile reportedly damaged and inoperable now.
To help speed aid to survivors, AmeriCares is also working with our active partners in the region—Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Colombia—to coordinate our response.
Since 1989, AmeriCares has delivered over $16 million in medical and humanitarian donations to Chile. For over 25 years, AmeriCares has responded with emergency relief and lifesaving aid to catastrophic disasters around the world that have affected millions of families: from Hurricane Katrina in the U.S., the Tsunami in Southeast Asia, to deadly cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe, to the January earthquake in Haiti – and now to the earthquake in Chile.