IMPACTS OF THE M8.2 EARTHQUAKE OFFSHORE

CHILEApril 1-2, 2014

Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna,

Virginia, USA 

SOUTH AMERICA AND CHILE

The 20-km-deep (12-mile-deep) quake was located approximately 100 km (60 mi) offshore from Iquique,

96 miles from Arica, and 210 km (128 mi) from Tacna.

CHILE’S CITIES (NOTE: IQUIQUE)

TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER

• The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center immediately issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas of Chile, Peru, Nicaragua, and Ecuador. 

• A tsunami watch issued for parts of the west coasts of the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica, was later withdrawn.

EXPERIENCE IS A GREAT TEACHER

"The whole population is used to earthquakes, and in a very strong earthquake, everybody knows to

evacuate to the hills without being told."

THE MEDIA: AN UNEXPECTED BENEFIT

• For 15-20 days before the M8.2 event, several hundred small earthquakes occurred.

• Hearing the media talk about the possibility of a big earthquake and tsunami helped many Chileans to anticipate and adapt quickly to the impacts of the M8.2 event.

The seismic waves reached Chile’s coastal communities in about ½ minute; the 2-m (6 ft) tsunami generated in

the hypocentral region reached them in about 45

minutes

LOCAL EARTHQUAKE IMPACTS

• Six deaths reported.

• The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction noted in 2011 that the "strict building codes in Chile...continue to play a large part in protecting lives of people."

PERU

• In Peru, the earthquake caused temporary power outages and evacuations in some southern towns, but did not cause serious damage or injuries.

GOOD INITIAL REACTIONS

• Sirens and text messages warned Chilean residents of the possibility of a tsunami, triggering the exodus of more than 900,000 inland to "safe inland zones."

TSUNAMI PROPAGATION FORECAST (Source: NOAA)

PREDICTED TRAVEL TIMES (Source: NOAA)

AS EXPECTED, THE TSUNAMI WAVES DID TO CAUSE ANY MAJOR IMPACTS AS THEY TRAVERSED THE PACIFIC

LOCAL EFFECTS OF TSUNAMI

LOCAL EFFECTS OF TSUNAMI

LOCAL TSUNAMI IMPACTS

• More than 2,600 homes were damaged and fishing boats along the northern coast were smashed up.

• However, most infrastructure held up and mines in the world's No. 1 copper producer were functioning normally.

INITIAL IMPACTS

• At least three fires broke out in the port city of Iquique

FIRES IN IQUIQUE

THE LOCAL OFFICIALS WERE PREPARED

• Police, military, and firemen came onto the streets immediately.

• This decisive action served to calm the people.

SOLDIER ON THE STREET

ECONOMIC IMPACTS

PRELIMINARY LOSS ESTIMATES

• “Economic losses are expected to be much lower than the $30 billion from the 2010 quake, which affected the more densely populated central region”

• "The small tsunami triggered by the quake is not expected to have caused significant damage.“(Source: Munich Re).