Early on the morning of February 27, Chile was rocked by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake - the seventh largest on record. The earthquake and the subsequent tsunami severely damaged over 500,000 homes, killed nearly 500 people and displaced thousands. Buildings collapsed and the tsunami ravaged much of the coastal Maule Region.

Since the initial earthquake, over 200 aftershocks greater than 5.0 have been recorded, including 6.9, 6.7 and 6.0 earthquakes on March 11. There have been no immediate reports of casualties from these quakes.

While Chile is a developed nation with past experience dealing with massive earthquakes, Chileans still need our help. Cell phone donations raised $21 million within 48 hours of the Haiti earthquake on January 12, but similar text-message fundraising efforts have raised only $100,000 for Chile relief.

Media Sources: CNN, Wall Street Journal, China.org.cn, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor


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