euromed

30 March 2010): Latest Government figures confirm that over 1.8 million people have been affected in the four regions most devastated by the earthquake and/or the ensuing tsunami; 65% of these people are located in the Region of Biobío. Priority needs indicated by the new Government remain temporary shelter, education and WASH. Source: MIC Daily

25 March 2010: In recent days, moderate and mild aftershocks have occurred, mainly in the Bíobío, Araucanía, Maule, O'Higgins, and Valparaiso regions. Regarding the European assistance to Chile: Italy has offered one field hospital which has been accepted by the Chilean Government. Deployment details still to be defined. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) confirmed that there is still a need for modular hospitals. Source: MIC Daily.

23 March 2010: Austrian assistance (tents) is planned to leave for Chile by aircraft on 24 March. Slovak assistance, to be sent by ship via Bremen (tents, power generators and field kitchens), is planned to leave on 23 March. Italy will send a field hospital; a team of Italian experts will meet today with Chilean authorities to identify suitable areas. Sweden provides mechanical bridges for which several sites were identified. Source: MIC Daily.

22 March 2010: The President of the Republic explained on 21 March the details of the national recovery plan to face the consequences of the Earthquake of 27 February. Team Alpha returned to Europe 18 March. Debriefing with the MIC will take place on 23 March. The Slovak assistance is planned to leave on 23 March. Source: MIC Daily.

16 March 2010): A 6.7-magnitude earthquake, the latest in a series of powerful tremors, was registered in western Chile on Tuesday. The quake, with the epicentre off-shore at the depth of 35 km, struck at 02:22 GMT some 75 km (50 miles) north of the western Chilean city of Concepcion. There were no immediate reports on casualties or damage. No tsunami alert was issued. Some 150 tremors, about 20 of them powerful, have been registered in Chile since the 8.8-magnitude earthquake occurred to the north of Concepcion. According to official reports, 497 people died as a result of that tremor. Source: MIC Daily.

15 March 2010: After three strong earthquakes that rocked the country last week, Chile also experienced a massive power blackout on Sunday night, plunging the capital Santiago and many other cities into darkness. The area affected by the power cut included also the southern regions of Maule and Bio Bio, which were hit hardest by the massive earthquake on 27 February. According to the government the blackout was not directly related to the earthquake(s), but investigation would be carried out to see whether there was an indirect cause. Power has been restored to about 80 percent of Chile this morning. Power generators offered by Austria have been delivered on site on Saturday and two EU CP team experts left Chile yesterday. An updated list/information of request for assistance with specific needs is expected to be received by the MIC today. Depending on this information the decision for a deployment of Team Bravo will be made. Source: MIC Daily.

12 March 2010: Three strong earthquakes (up to a magnitude of 7.2) rocked Chile yesterday, causing significant damage in at least one city. The epicenter was at the coast west of Rancagua. The central Chilean city of Rancagua was affected. No fatalities were immediately reported and that the biggest worry was damage to homes. A tsunami alert for the coastal area near where the earthquakes hit was issued,  and authorities ordered evacuations of some coastal areas. Some 25,000 persons are in improvised temporary shelters, mainly in schools and an additional 50,000 persons are in urgent need of shelter as they are living in makeshift camps. The MIC is preparing to deploy a second team of experts, including expertise structural engineers and is working on supporting the arrival of in-kind assistance from Participating States. Source: MIC Daily.

11 March 2010: The official death toll is 507 persons, but some other sources refer lower numbers. There are an estimated 90 shelter camps housing 19.000 people in the regions of O'Higgins, Maule and Biobio. According to official reports, some 200.000 houses have been severely damaged or completely destroyed. Access to drinking water and electricity continues to be of concern. The European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Ms. Kristalina Georgieva has been on a two day visit to Chile, during 10-11 March 2010, and met with the EUPC team on site. The MIC is preparing to deploy a second team of experts, including expertise structural engineers. Source: MIC Daily.

10 March 2010: Since the initial quake, over 150 aftershocks have been reported. Eight of these aftershocks have had a magnitude of 6.0 or greater. The official death toll is 528 persons. Maule and Bio-Bio are the most affected regions. The latest official reported figures show over 2 million people and 1.5 million houses have been affected by the quake. Access to drinking water and electricity continues to be of concern. In addition to priority areas of health, education, emergency shelter, water and sanitation, the Government has identified needs for telecommunications restoration and welcomes structural engineers to assist with assessments. The European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Ms. Kristalina Georgieva is on a two days visit to Chile. Source: MIC Daily.

09 March 2010: Since the initial quake, over 150 aftershocks have been reported. Eight of these aftershocks have had a magnitude of 6.0 or greater. The official death toll is 528 persons. Maule and Bio-Bio are the most affected regions. Other affected regions are Araucania, Santiago, Valparaíso and O'Higgins. Access to drinking water and electricity continues to be of concern. In addition to priority areas of health, education, emergency shelter, water and sanitation, the Government has identified needs for telecommunications restoration and welcomes structural engineers to assist with assessments. Source: MIC Daily.

08 March 2010: The official death toll is reported to be 528 people, up to 500 people missing. An estimated 500,000 homes have been seriously damaged or destroyed and some 1,5 million people are affected. Strong aftershocks continue, but no further damages were reported. Access to food, drinking water and electricity remain priority needs. The MIC team is located in both Santiago and Panco and started assessing the situation. The Chilean authorities have accepted the offers of in-kind assistance from some Participating States (PS). The offers include mobile power generators, tents, mechanical bridges, field kitchens, seismology equipment, water purification units and medical equipment. Source: MIC Daily.

05 March 2010: On 4 March the Government sharply corrected downward the number of deaths from 802 to 523 (apparently in Maule region, 279 missing people have been considered as death). United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel to Chile today to express his solidarity with the Government and people and to assess the humanitarian assistance effort. The Mechanism team departed to Chile after the briefing in Brussels 4 March. The MIC has been in contact with the EC Delegation, the Chilean Embassy and ONEMI, the national Emergency Office, to facilitate the acceptance of offers of in-kind assistance from some Participating States (PS). The offers include mobile power generators, tents, mechanical bridges, field kitchens, water purification units and medical equipment. On 5 March, magnitude 6.6 aftershock shook the Chilean coast. Source: MIC Daily.

04 March 2010: According to the Chilean National Emergency Office (ONEMI), the number of deaths has risen to around 800, with 19 people still missing. Two million people have been severely affected. An estimated 1.5 million houses have been damaged. Amidst reports of looting, 10,000 troops have been deployed to earthquake-hit areas, in particular to Maule and Biobío. The most affected regions are Araucania, Bio Bio, Maule, Metropolitana, O'Higgins and Valparaiso. Immediate priorities continue to be search and rescue, medical services, shelter, food and water, transport, communications and the restoration of basic services. Santiago airport still operates with restrictions to international and domestic flights. On 3 March, several strong aftershocks with magnitudes 4.8 to 5.9 were felt in Santiago and Concepcion. The Monitoring and Information Center (MIC) is deploying a coordination and assessment team composed of 6 experts today, due to arrive in Chile on 05 March. In-kind assistance from some Participating States (PS) has been offered, including tents, mechanical bridges, water purification units. MIC also plans to deploy an Advanced Medical Post with Surgery under the Preparatory Action for EU Rapid Response Capacity. Source: MIC Daily

03 March 2010: The current number of confirmed casualties is 795, the estimated figure of affected people is 2 million. The Chilean Government indentified the main needs as including field hospitals with surgery facilities, self-dialysis units, generators, and mobile bridges. Santiago airport begins to normalize progressively. Following the request for International help, received on 1 March from the Chilean Government, the European Community Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated. The MIC is planning to deploy a coordination and assessment team with arrival scheduled on 5 March. An Advanced Medical Post with Surgery and a Technical Assistance and Support (TAST) module, under the Preparatory Action for EU Rapid Response capacity will also be deployed. The acceptance of the Chilean Government for the Mechanism team and assistance is still pending. DG ECHO has adopted a 3 million euro Primary Emergency Decision and a team of five humanitarian experts have been deployed to the area. Source: MIC Daily

02 March 2010: The current number of confirmed casualties is 723, the estimated figure of affected people is 2 million. The quake's major impact has been on infrastructure. Santiago airport is still operating with restrictions. Following the request for International help, received on 1 March from the Chilean Government, the MIC is deploying a coordination and assessment team, including earthquake damage assessment specialists. The deployment is planned for 3 March and will last about two weeks. The Chilean Government indentifies main needs including field hospitals with surgery facilities, dialysis centres, generators, satellite phones, water purification system, and mobile bridges. It has stated that no further SAR teams are needed. DG ECHO has adopted a 3 million euro Primary Emergency Decision. The MIC is planning to deploy an Advanced Medical Post with Surgery under the Preparatory Action for EU Rapid Response capacity and a TAST team. Source: MIC Daily

01 March 2010: On 2010/02/27 at 06:34:17 UTC an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 and depth 35 km hit central Chile. A tsunami alert was issued immediately for the entire Pacific basin.  The towns of Concepcion and Valparaiso are reportedly the most affected area. Latest official figure indicates that 708 people have been killed. Chilean National Emergency Office (ONEMI) states that about 500.000 houses have been destroyed, and more than one million have some level of affectation. According to media, the airport in Santiago has reopened. Three bridges along the main highway have been damaged. The MIC has been in contact with the EU Delegation and several Member States (ES, FR, IT, AT) to gather information and assess the severity of the situation. A request for international assistance has been received from the Chilean authorities today.  The MIC has asked participating States to nominate experts for a coordination and assessment team, including earthquake damage assessment specialists for rapid deployment. Twelve experts have been offered so far. Source: MIC Daily