Four days after the impact of the second biggest earthquake in our recent story, we’re finally recovering power and communications at home.

A lot of people has been asking how’s everything here, and the situation is basically this: our major cities, Santiago,Valparaíso, Viña del Mar and Concepción were affected, but the worst situation by far is in the last one, ’cause it’s a very big city too close to the eartquake’s “ground zero”. Some roads destroyed, loss of energy and water in some points and some buildings collapsed in the other cities, but Concepción has a very desperate situation of isolation, lack of services and incommunication. Hopefully, the situation will be returning to normal status, but it will be very slow. Nevertheless, the worst damage was in a series of cost towns and villages that were literrally wiped out by a series of tsunamis. Iloca, Constitución, Pelluhue, Pichilemu, Curanipe,Talcahuano and lots of other coast towns almost disappeared, and the same happened in the town on Robinson Crusoe’s Island, deep into the ocean.

Also, many people has been asking, how and where to send help. I know lots of international organizations are coordinating efforts to the areas that needed them more, so I’ll start posting the Red Cross web link that’s collecting help, and I’ll try to update this post with more alternatives to help in further updates:

1. Red Cross International Response Fund — the American Red Cross International Response Fund helps victims of crises such as the Chile and Haiti earthquakes. If you wish to designate your funds to a specific crisis, you’ll need to mail in your donation.

2. Americares — funds go exclusively to the Chilean earthquake (and tsunami relief, should further tragedies occur)

3. Google Crisis Response, with channels benefiting UNICEF and DirectRelief International
– use your Google Checkout account to donate instantly to these charities

4. World Vision Disaster Response Fund - your money goes towards relief efforts for global disasters worldwide (not Chile specifically)

My sincere thanks to lots and lots of people that wrote asking for me and my family. We were lucky enough to have only very minor material damage to report, we are all healthy and fine, affected only by the big scare. So thanks to all, specially to good friends like Chris Ryall, Joe Hill, Blair Butler, Israel Skelton, Bill Schaeffer and many more. Thanks also for spreading the voice, calling attention to help people that really need it in this country. Hopefully we will gather our will and forces very soon, and will rise from the ruins stronger and wiser than before.

Best,

G-

Pelluhue:

Talcahuano:

Curanipe: