Article By Dora Leticia / Photos by Luis Hidalgo, Mauricio Vergara Seguel and Heia Kato

A special thanks to the Chilean photographers whose efforts to document this catastrophe and struggle help communicate what is going on in Chile, before and after the quake.

View more works from these photographers by clicking on their names here:

• Luis Hidalgo
• Heia Kato
• Mauricio Vergara

Earthquake in Chile: Chilean Photographers Communicate Through Their Work by Dora Leticia

On February 27, 2010, at 3:34 am local time, a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 struck Chile.  In the wake of this devastating destruction many struggled to reach their loved ones.

It is still difficult to get through to cell phones and land based lines and after the initial reaction of the international community, media coverage (TV) has been scarce in comparison to recent natural disasters.

Photo by Luis Hidalgo ©

Photo by Luis Hidalgo ©

Chilean authorities have confirmed over 700 people dead and countless more missing.  This number is expected to climb, but, with the news that comes out, mostly over the internet, the picture painted is much grimmer than has been reported on major TV networks.

For many, the internet and social networks continues to be the only line of communication and websites like www.ustream.tv/channel/tv-de-chile make it easier to stay informed with the current situation in Chile because of it’s detailed and expansive local Chilean news coverage. 

Photos by Luis Hidalgo ©

In the day that followed the catastrophic quake, international media TV coverage dwindled and was reduced to a scrolling bar under regularly scheduled programs with sporadic updates here and there, leaving many frustrated.

How can this be when other recent natural disasters consumed local and international TV networks for weeks?

It makes one wonder – What are they waiting for?! Perhaps everyone is on hold until Chilean authorities publicly accept international help?  How long is a catastrophic event newsworthy?

Society teaches us that even if someone does not ask for help, but, could obviously use it, we don’t just stand idly by.  So, why doesn’t this apply here?

Photos by Luis Hidalgo ©

In the face of such a catastrophe, we must not forget that human beings are one race, and how we help each other as human beings, despite our place in this world, makes all the difference.

There are thousands of Chileans living outside of Chile, and as many scramble to learn about their loved ones, the details of International Aid and why Chile has taken so long to respond to the offers made from abroad leave many confused and bewildered.

Chile is a wonderful self-sustaining country and from what I personally know of Chileans, they do not want to be considered a Third World unprepared country.  Chileans are wonderful, proud and strong people.

However, considering the large task at hand and the immediate need for food, water and shelter…something seems amiss.  What is really going on?

Photos by Mauricio Vergara Seguel ©

In the end, people just want to know about their loved ones, they want to be able to care for themselves. Money is not the issue here.

As observed on UStream Live Video coverage, one Chilean woman screamed, “We have money! We want to buy food, water…”,  however, with fears that grocery stores can collapse causing further deaths, something as simple as shopping for food becomes the situation that is starting to unfold in front of us and leads to looting and other desperate acts.

In the future, social media networks and websites with live video streams may replace all major news channels as the first thing we look to when looking for current and up to date news.

Twitter and Facebook have proven to be not only social networks, but, vital communication tools.

As a matter of fact, the first news that my own family was doing okay came from a Facebook instant message that popped up on my screen as I scrambled to hear news, from anywhere, anyone.

Signs of life came through Facebook!

The epicenter of Saturday’s earthquake was just a few miles north of the largest earthquake ever recorded in the world.  This earthquake occurred on May 22, 1960, it was a magnitude 9.5 and killed 1,655 people.

Wherever you happen to be the next time an earthquake hits, be sure to take your smart phone with you – a WiFi internet signal may be your only life line.

Note: If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to submit them to info@lensethics.com.

If anyone would like to submit photographs for consideration, please email them to doraleticia@lensethics.com.

ABOUT THE EARTHQUAKE (From the U.S. Geological Survey)

Magnitude: 8.8
Date-Time: Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 03:34:14 AM (at epicenter); Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones (Click Here)
Location: 35.846°S, 72.719°W
Depth: 35 km (21.7 miles) set by location program
Region: OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
Distances: 100 km (60 miles) NNW of Chillan, Chile / 105 km (65 miles) WSW of Talca, Chile / 115 km (70 miles) NNE of Concepcion, Chile / 325 km (200 miles) SW of SANTIAGO, Chile
Location Uncertainty: horizontal +/- 7.2 km (4.5 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters: NST=255, Nph=255, Dmin=988 km, Rmss=1.12 sec, Gp= 36°, M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=7
Source: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID: us2010tfan

The following series of photographs are by Heia Kato ©,  a freelance photographer located in Chile.

EARTHQUAKE SUMMARY

Tectonic Summary

“This earthquake occurred at the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates. The two plates are converging at a rate of 80 mm per year. The earthquake occurred as thrust-faulting on the interface between the two plates, with the Nazca plate moving down and landward below the South American plate.

Coastal Chile has a history of very large earthquakes. Since 1973, there have been 13 events of magnitude 7.0 or greater. The February 27 shock originated about 230 km north of the source region of the magnitude 9.5 earthquake of May, 1960 – the largest earthquake worldwide in the last 200 years or more. This giant earthquake spawned a tsunami that engulfed the Pacific Ocean. An estimated 1600 lives were lost to the 1960 earthquake and tsunami in Chile, and the 1960 tsunami took another 200 lives among Japan, Hawaii, and the Philippines. Approximately 870 km to the north of the February 27 earthquake is the source region of the magnitude 8.5 earthquake of November, 1922. This great quake significantly impacted central Chile, killing several hundred people and causing severe property damage. The 1922 quake generated a 9-meter local tsunami that inundated the Chile coast near the town of Coquimbo; the tsunami also crossed the Pacific, washing away boats in Hilo harbor, Hawaii. The magnitude 8.8 earthquake of February 27, 2010 ruptured the portion of the South American subduction zone separating these two massive historical earthquakes. A large vigorous aftershock sequence can be expected from this earthquake.”

HISTORIC EARTHQUAKES IN CHILE

• 1730 07 08 – Valparasio, Chile – M 8.7
• 1835 02 20 – Concepcion, Chile – M 8.2 Fatalities 500
• 1868 08 13 – Arica, Peru (now Chile) – M 9.0 Fatalities 25,000
• 1877 05 10 – Offshore Tarapaca, Chile – M 8.3 Fatalities 34
• 1906 08 17 – Valparaiso, Chile – M 8.2 Fatalities 3,882
• 1922 11 11 – Chile-Argentina Border – M 8.5
• 1928 12 01 – Talca, Chile – M 7.6 Fatalities 225
• 1939 01 25 – Chillan, Chile – M 7.8 Fatalities 28,000
• 1943 04 06 – Illapel – Salamanca, Chile – M 8.2 Fatalities 25
• 1960 05 21 – Arauco Peninsula, Chile – M 7.9
• 1960 05 22 – Chile – M 9.5 Fatalities 1,655
• 1965 02 23 – Taltal, Chile – M 7.0 Fatalities 1
• 1965 03 28 – La Ligua, Chile – M 7.4 Fatalities 400
• 1971 07 09 – Valparaiso region, Chile – M 7.5 Fatalities 90
• 1985 03 03 – offshore Valparaiso, Chile – M 7.8 Fatalities 177
• 1998 01 30 – Near Coast of Northern Chile – M 7.1
• 2002 06 18 – Chile-Argentina Border Region – M 6.6
• 2003 06 20 – Near the Coast of Central Chile – M 6.8
• 2004 05 03 – Bio-Bio, Chile – M 6.6
• 2005 06 13 – Tarapaca, Chile – M 7.8 Fatalities 11
• 2007 11 14 – Antofagasta, Chile – M 7.7 Fatalities 2
• 2007 12 16 – Antofagasta, Chile – M 6.7
• 2008 02 04 – Tarapaca, Chile – M 6.3
• 2009 11 13 – Offshore Tarapaca, Chile – M 6.5

Email: mauriciovergara@vtr.net

Mauricio is a Chilean Freelance Photographer who documents life in Chile.  These photographs were taken in Santiago, Chile and Southern Chile before the earthquake.

Send Mauricio your comments using the comment box at the bottom of the page.

Email: haciaelinfinito@gmail.com

These photographs were taken in Santiago, Chile after the quake.

Send Heia Kato your comments using the comment box at the bottom of the page.

Email: luishidalgo91@gmail.com

Luis is a Chilean Freelance Photographer.  These images were taken in Santiago, Chile after the quake.

I last spoke to Luis before he headed out to Concepcion, Chile, where he plans to photograph the events unfolding in that region.

Send Luis your comments using the comment box at the bottom of the page.