Everyone’s favorite photo: Emol.com has the story behind the above AP photo, which has become emblematic of both the devastation and the hope found in the wake of Saturday’s monster earthquake. The man in the picture, Bruno Sandoval, is an artist living in the coastal town of Pelluhue. He was out of town the moment the earthquake hit, and returned to find the place completely wiped out by a tsunami.
Sandoval lost all his clothes and personal belongings, as well as a Suzuki truck that was swept away by the waves that washed over Pelluhue. Searching the rubble for some trace of his belongings, he found this flag, and lifted it up.
The death toll: Official government statistics now put the death toll at 763. The majority of the deaths took place in the south-central part of the country, where the epicenter was located. Only 38 people died in the capital, Santiago, located some 200 miles north of the epicenter. The official count of the missing stands at 19.
The controversy: The Chilean military (specifically, the Navy) has admitted it made “a mistake” by not immediately alerting the coastal areas to the possibility of a tsunami. The military says the mistake was minor because other emergency response systems kicked it and told people to move to high ground in time, but had it immediately passed on the multiple warnings it received from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association scientists, people would have had an addition 10-15 minutes to get to safety.
The looting: Total chaos is reigning in parts of the country hardest-hit by the earthquake. Everything from grocery stores, to pharmacies, to ATMs have been completely emptied in Concepción. Terrified residents are forming little vigilante squads to guard their homes. One mayor went on the radio and basically panicked in public:
This is chaos. The criminals have taken control of the city. Send reinforcements, we need security. Water and food can wait. We’re no longer afraid of the aftershocks, we’re afraid of the criminals… please, mano dura, if you have to kill, then kill.
The government has deployed 6,500 elite troops to the hardest-hit areas, meaning that perhaps the worst is over as far as public safety is concerned. In the video below, from a couple days ago, government security personnel allow people to carry off food and other essentials, though the looting of electronics can also be seen.
The plan: President-elect Piñera says he’s working on a recovery plan called “Levantemos Chile” (“Rise up Chile”). Some early estimates say the damage from the earthquake is going to cost as much as US$30 billion to repair, though Piñera says that “as we deepen our investigation and continue analyzing the situation, we’re finding damage that’s much greater than the initial estimates.” Piñera takes office in 10 days.
The Nation has a long, wonky, wonderful article on Mexican maize cultivation, the effects of NAFTA, and the dangers of genetically-modified seeds. Author Peter Canby backs up his excellent writing with piles and piles of meticulous research. Not to be missed. [link, via SM] (Image from Joel Penner.)
Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas ended his hunger strike yesterday after 134 days. Farinas decided to end his strike after the Cuban government said it would release political prisoners rounded up in the "Black Spring" crackdown of 2003. Get well soon. [link]
The Uruguayan selection, which has made it to the quarter finals of the World Cup, just received a shipment of half a ton of fine cuts of beef for the mother of all asados in preparation for a contest against Ghana on Friday: "450 kilos of lomo, 200 of entrecot, 75 of vacío, 75 of colita de cuadril, 150 of ojo de bife and 50 kg of picaña." [link]
Hitmen have assassinated the PRI candidate for governor of Tamaulipas State, Rodolfo Torre Cantú. Torre was gunned down along with six others at about 10:30 this morning on a highway on the way to a campaign event. Drug mafias are assumed to be responsible. [link]
From the days when coups were something of a regional sport, new documents detail a famous British ballerina's role in a plot to topple the government of Panama. The plan was to use her yacht to gather men and arms, then "land somewhere and collect in the hills." It didn't work. [link]
Mexico's Attorney General's Office has posted on its web site irrefutable evidence that gold-plated AR-15s and diamond-studded pistol grips are not nearly as cool-looking as they sound. The deadly knick-knack collection is said to belong to Valencia Cartel leader El Lobo. [link]
Two Brazilian ranchers were sentenced to 30 years in prison apiece for ordering the killing of an environmentalist nun: "Prosecutors said the pair offered to pay a gunman $25,000 to kill the 73-year-old [Dorothy] Stang because she had prevented them from stealing a piece of land that the government had granted to a group of poor farmers." [link]
This video of a kidnapping and car chase in Mexico is notable mainly for the bad-assitude of the TV journalists who were on this like white on rice. Well done, gentlemen.
The Economist takes a peak at the Mockus phenomenon in Colombia: "His moustacheless beard gives him the air of a Baltic pastor... He is financing his campaign with a bank overdraft. His supporters rely on Facebook and make their own posters; street vendors sell unofficial campaign T-shirts." [link]
Some cruise lines will cease traveling to Antarctica after this cruise season, as a ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil goes into effect next year. The ban came after a 2007 incident when a Gap Adventures ship got punctured by ice and sank, causing a mess. [link]
The Nation has a long, wonky, wonderful article on Mexican maize cultivation, the effects of NAFTA, and the dangers of genetically-modified seeds. Author Peter Canby backs up his excellent writing with piles and piles of meticulous research. Not to be missed. [link, via SM] (Image from Joel Penner.)
Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas ended his hunger strike yesterday after 134 days. Farinas decided to end his strike after the Cuban government said it would release political prisoners rounded up in the "Black Spring" crackdown of 2003. Get well soon. [link]
The Uruguayan selection, which has made it to the quarter finals of the World Cup, just received a shipment of half a ton of fine cuts of beef for the mother of all asados in preparation for a contest against Ghana on Friday: "450 kilos of lomo, 200 of entrecot, 75 of vacío, 75 of colita de cuadril, 150 of ojo de bife and 50 kg of picaña." [link]
Hitmen have assassinated the PRI candidate for governor of Tamaulipas State, Rodolfo Torre Cantú. Torre was gunned down along with six others at about 10:30 this morning on a highway on the way to a campaign event. Drug mafias are assumed to be responsible. [link]
From the days when coups were something of a regional sport, new documents detail a famous British ballerina's role in a plot to topple the government of Panama. The plan was to use her yacht to gather men and arms, then "land somewhere and collect in the hills." It didn't work. [link]
Mexico's Attorney General's Office has posted on its web site irrefutable evidence that gold-plated AR-15s and diamond-studded pistol grips are not nearly as cool-looking as they sound. The deadly knick-knack collection is said to belong to Valencia Cartel leader El Lobo. [link]
Two Brazilian ranchers were sentenced to 30 years in prison apiece for ordering the killing of an environmentalist nun: "Prosecutors said the pair offered to pay a gunman $25,000 to kill the 73-year-old [Dorothy] Stang because she had prevented them from stealing a piece of land that the government had granted to a group of poor farmers." [link]
The Economist takes a peak at the Mockus phenomenon in Colombia: "His moustacheless beard gives him the air of a Baltic pastor... He is financing his campaign with a bank overdraft. His supporters rely on Facebook and make their own posters; street vendors sell unofficial campaign T-shirts." [link]
Some cruise lines will cease traveling to Antarctica after this cruise season, as a ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil goes into effect next year. The ban came after a 2007 incident when a Gap Adventures ship got punctured by ice and sank, causing a mess. [link]
Chile earthquake news roundup: Day 3
Everyone’s favorite photo: Emol.com has the story behind the above AP photo, which has become emblematic of both the devastation and the hope found in the wake of Saturday’s monster earthquake. The man in the picture, Bruno Sandoval, is an artist living in the coastal town of Pelluhue. He was out of town the moment the earthquake hit, and returned to find the place completely wiped out by a tsunami.
The death toll: Official government statistics now put the death toll at 763. The majority of the deaths took place in the south-central part of the country, where the epicenter was located. Only 38 people died in the capital, Santiago, located some 200 miles north of the epicenter. The official count of the missing stands at 19.
The controversy: The Chilean military (specifically, the Navy) has admitted it made “a mistake” by not immediately alerting the coastal areas to the possibility of a tsunami. The military says the mistake was minor because other emergency response systems kicked it and told people to move to high ground in time, but had it immediately passed on the multiple warnings it received from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association scientists, people would have had an addition 10-15 minutes to get to safety.
The looting: Total chaos is reigning in parts of the country hardest-hit by the earthquake. Everything from grocery stores, to pharmacies, to ATMs have been completely emptied in Concepción. Terrified residents are forming little vigilante squads to guard their homes. One mayor went on the radio and basically panicked in public:
The government has deployed 6,500 elite troops to the hardest-hit areas, meaning that perhaps the worst is over as far as public safety is concerned. In the video below, from a couple days ago, government security personnel allow people to carry off food and other essentials, though the looting of electronics can also be seen.
The plan: President-elect Piñera says he’s working on a recovery plan called “Levantemos Chile” (“Rise up Chile”). Some early estimates say the damage from the earthquake is going to cost as much as US$30 billion to repair, though Piñera says that “as we deepen our investigation and continue analyzing the situation, we’re finding damage that’s much greater than the initial estimates.” Piñera takes office in 10 days.
Related posts: