A terrifyingly large magnitude 8.8 earthquake has shaken Chile. The epicenter appears to have been between Concepcion and Santiago. Buildings, bridges and roads have been destroyed. The live stream above comes courtesy of Television Nacional de Chile.
Both this earthquake and that of Haiti seem to have struck at particular times of promise for their respective countries. In the case of Chile, I am reminded of an interview I recently read with the president-elect of Chile, Sebastian Pinera. In the interview with Andres Oppenheimer he says:
"the big goal we have set for ourselves is that within eight years, by 2018, Chile becomes perhaps the first country in Latin America that with great pride, but also with humbleness, will be able to say, `We have defeated underdevelopment. We have defeated poverty.' Chile today has a per capita income of about $14,400 [a year], and we hope to reach to $24,000 by 2018..."
These priorities will no doubt now have to be reappraised. However, Chile is most certainly not Haiti. The response from the Bachelet government and chilenos thus far appears to have been proactive. Time will tell if this earthquake dramatically changes the national psyche.
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