Habitat News
Earthquake in Chile. 27th February
HUGE TOLL ON HOUSING: While details from the areas closest to the magnitude-8.8 quake in Chile remain incomplete, preliminary estimates put the number of homes destroyed or severely damaged at 500,000. Habitat for Humanity Chile is a strong presence in the country and has been invited to be a part of the government’s assessment of housing needs created by the quake. The national organization will be doing its own preliminary assessment this week, to be followed next week with a broader assessment by a team that will include representatives of the National Office, the Latin America-Caribbean Area Office and the Disaster Response department from HFHI headquarters.
All N.O. office personnel in Santiago, Chile’s capital city, had been accounted for. But with telephone communications difficult in the country, contact with Habitat’s four project offices in the areas most affected by the earthquake was taking longer. Each of those offices is staffed by four people. Kip Scheidler, senior director of Disaster Response for HFHI, reported that two of the offices had been contacted, and staff accounted for. Efforts continued to reach the other two project offices, checking not only on the safety of staff members, but on the condition of Habitat houses and families.
Habitat for Humanity Chile has provided more than 3,500 families with housing since 1998 and works in each of the five regions of the country. Because Chile’s location makes it so prone to earthquakes, the staff has received training in disaster mitigation and response techniques and recently began a project to respond to damage from an earthquake that occurred last year in the north of Chile. A large part of HFH Chile’s work is helping families access government subsidies in order to construct their homes. It is through that program that the N.O. has developed such a close working relationship with government housing authorities and why Habitat is likely to be a turn-to organization for the current response.
HABITAT’S RESPONSE IN CHILE: Even before formal assessments of the latest quake damage began, Habitat committed to responding to the disaster, based on the strength of the quake—one of the largest on record—and our existing strong program presence in the country. Those wishing to support the response effort in Chile may donate online at www.habitat.org.nz
Details of a response plan will be developed based on assessment findings and in cooperation with Chile’s government and other nongovernmental organizations. Our ability to expand work in Chile to effectively meet the housing needs created by the quake will require support from individuals, churches, corporate partners and other organizations—particularly in light of resources already committed to Haiti. Habitat also has response programs still under way from disasters last fall in the Philippines, India, Samoa and Indonesia.
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