Chile Death Toll Continues to Climb

SANTIAGO, Mar 1, 2010 (IPS) - While the number of victims of the severe earthquake and tsunami that hit Chile early Saturday has climbed to 723, government officials and experts admit that the catastrophe has highlighted institutional shortcomings and blunders.

The government of outgoing President Michelle Bachelet called the army onto the streets to help the police curb looting in the city of Concepcion, an industrial hub.

Coastal localities in the central regions of El Maule and Bío-Bío, which were hit hardest, were struck by tsunamis triggered by the quake that measured 8.8 on the Richter scale at 3.34 AM local time on Saturday, with an epicentre 90 km north of Concepción, the second-largest city in this South American country of 17 million people.

Toppled houses and buildings, collapsed bridges, blocked roads, damaged hospitals and churches, people calling for water and food, entire families sleeping on the streets for fear of aftershocks and looting in supermarkets are the images broadcast around the world over the last two days after the quake that lasted more than two minutes.

In response to the widespread looting, the government declared a state of emergency Sunday in the regions of El Maule and Bío-Bío, situated between 200 and 500 km south of the capital, to ensure public order and supply the local population with food handed out from supermarkets.

A 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM curfew was also declared Sunday night in Concepción and several towns, and 55 people were arrested for looting. The measure may be extended.

Defense Minister Francisco Vidal announced that some 10,000 troops were deployed to the disaster areas.

The search for an undetermined number of missing people continues, while many areas in southern Chile remain cut off, without running water, electricity or telephone services.

Those who have Internet access are desperately trying to find family members and friends through social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and solidarity groups have formed to help them in that task.

Although the government says it immediately put rescue and aid operations into effect, the affected populations and some local authorities have complained that assistance has been slow to arrive.

There is also criticism of the lack of information in the affected areas with respect to the location of aid distribution points or the identities of victims.

Field hospitals have been set up, along with shelters for the tens of thousands of people whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

The navy denied allegations by government officials that its Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service made a mistake by not immediately issuing a tsunami warning after the quake.

"Chile is short of experts, protocol and procedures, and communication among all of the concerned institutions" with respect to tsunami warnings, said University of Chile seismologist Jaime Campos.

The country should already have the satellite technology that is available today to detect the possibility of a tsunami while an earthquake is occurring, he argued.

"Unfortunately, Chile is a seismic country, one of the countries with the highest levels of earthquake activity in the world, if not the highest. It's vulnerable to quite frequent tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic activity, and the country needs mechanisms adapted to all of these natural threats," Campos stressed.

These mechanisms must include "instruments, protocols, institutions, and an army of researchers, experts and engineers in every area," which it does not currently have to the required extent.

The director of the National Emergency Office, Carmen Fernández, said the country lacks a "tsunami culture ... We do not have enough experience."