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8.8 earthquake hits Chile Hawaii braces for tsunami
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Santiago, Chile (CNN) -- A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake rocked Chile early Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, killing at least 147 people and triggering tsunami warnings for the entire Pacific basin.
Warning sirens were sounded in Hawaii at 6 a.m., although any possible tsunami would not strike for several hours. Tsunamis can travel at 400 to 500 mph, the speed of a jet plane, said Georgia Tech geology professor Kurt Frankel.
A large wave killed three people and 10 were missing on the island of Juan Fernandez, 400 miles (643 km) off the coast of Chile, said Provincial Governor Ivan De La Maza.
On mainland Chile, the task of trying to save survivors and recover the dead was fully under way by late morning. Buildings lay in rubble, bridges and highway overpasses were toppled and roads buckled like rumpled paper.
"This is a major event. This happened near some very populated areas," said Randy Baldwin, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "With an 8.8, you expect damage to the population in the area."
President Obama said the United States stands ready to assist Chile in rescue and recovery efforts, and that the country would take any steps to prepare for a potential tsunami along American shores.
The quake struck at 3:34 a.m. off the Pacific coast, about 60 miles northwest of Chillan, Chile, the USGS said. Santiago, the capital, is 200 miles northeast of the epicenter.
At least 33 aftershocks were reported, the most recent being a 6.3-magnitude in Argentina.
"There are really aftershocks like every hour," said Felipe Baytelman, speaking to CNN from Santiago.
Chilean officials took to the airwaves to try to control any jitters.
"We are asking everyone to stay calm, to be patient," Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said after inspecting some of the damaged areas. "We assure everyone that emergency crews are working to resolve these issues.
Bachelet declared areas of catastrophe, similar to a state of emergency, which will allow her to rush in aid. She said the town of Chillan -- which was destroyed by a killer quake in 1939 -- was one of the worst affected.
Check out the world's biggest earthquakes since 1900
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/27/chile.quake/index.html?hpt=T1
Warning sirens were sounded in Hawaii at 6 a.m., although any possible tsunami would not strike for several hours. Tsunamis can travel at 400 to 500 mph, the speed of a jet plane, said Georgia Tech geology professor Kurt Frankel.
A large wave killed three people and 10 were missing on the island of Juan Fernandez, 400 miles (643 km) off the coast of Chile, said Provincial Governor Ivan De La Maza.
On mainland Chile, the task of trying to save survivors and recover the dead was fully under way by late morning. Buildings lay in rubble, bridges and highway overpasses were toppled and roads buckled like rumpled paper.
"This is a major event. This happened near some very populated areas," said Randy Baldwin, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "With an 8.8, you expect damage to the population in the area."
President Obama said the United States stands ready to assist Chile in rescue and recovery efforts, and that the country would take any steps to prepare for a potential tsunami along American shores.
The quake struck at 3:34 a.m. off the Pacific coast, about 60 miles northwest of Chillan, Chile, the USGS said. Santiago, the capital, is 200 miles northeast of the epicenter.
At least 33 aftershocks were reported, the most recent being a 6.3-magnitude in Argentina.
"There are really aftershocks like every hour," said Felipe Baytelman, speaking to CNN from Santiago.
Chilean officials took to the airwaves to try to control any jitters.
"We are asking everyone to stay calm, to be patient," Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said after inspecting some of the damaged areas. "We assure everyone that emergency crews are working to resolve these issues.
Bachelet declared areas of catastrophe, similar to a state of emergency, which will allow her to rush in aid. She said the town of Chillan -- which was destroyed by a killer quake in 1939 -- was one of the worst affected.
Check out the world's biggest earthquakes since 1900
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/27/chile.quake/index.html?hpt=T1
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The capital lost electricity and basic services, including water and telephones. Bachelet said regional hospitals had suffered damage; some were evacuated. A major bridge connecting northern and southern Chile was rendered inoperable, and the Santiago airport was shut down for at least the next 24 hours.
Chilean television showed buildings in tatters in Concepcion, in coastal central Chile. Whole sides of buildings were torn off, and at least two structures were engulfed in flames. Video showed roads that were destroyed and impassable.
The earth's rumbling was felt by millions in Chile and in parts of Argentina, as well. Some buildings were evacuated in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, which is 690 miles from Santiago.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was trying to contact the Santiago-based U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean for an assessment of the earthquake and information on staffers.
As recovery efforts continued in Chile, threat of a tsunami loomed.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning, the highest level, for the entire Pacific region, including Hawaii and countries as far away as Russia and Japan.
"We have information of high-altitude waves that could be seen in the following hours," Bachelet said. "We are evacuating people in lower areas to higher ground."
California and Alaska were under a tsunami advisory.
Follow tsunami warning information
"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicenter within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours," the National Weather Service said in a statement.
USGS geophysicist Victor Sardina said several tsunami waves had come ashore along the Chilean coast; the largest was recorded at 9 feet near the quake's epicenter.
The earliest estimated arrival for a wave that could affect Hawaii is 11:19 a.m. (4:19 p.m. ET), according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
But evacuations of coastal areas began at 6 a.m. Outdoor siren systems in each Hawaiian county sounded simultaneously to alert residents and visitors to evacuate coastal areas.
Saturday's temblor comes weeks after an 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated parts of Haiti and killed more than 220,000 people. The Chilean quake, at magnitude 8.8, was 700 to 800 times stronger.
CNN Chile suffered damage to its broadcast facilities, although it is still actively newsgathering.
Santiago resident Leo Perioto jumped out of his bed in his apartment at the top of a six-story building.
"The whole building was shaking," he said. "The windows were wobbling a lot. We could feel the walls moving from side to side."
Glass shattered at the Santiago Marriott Hotel, but there appeared to be no structural damage, said Alessandro Perez.
Anita Herrera at the Hotel Kennedy in Santiago said electricity was out and guests were nervous.
"Our hotel is built for this," she said. "In Chile, this happens many times."
All but two U.S. Embassy personnel in Chile are accounted for, the U.S. State Department said. No decision has been made about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's planned trip next week to five Latin American countries, including Chile.
Coastal Chile has a history of deadly earthquakes, according to the USGS. Since 1973, there have been 13 quakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher.
Saturday's epicenter was just a few miles north of the largest earthquake recorded in the world, a magnitude 9.5 quake in May 1960 that killed 1,655 and unleashed a tsunami that crossed the Pacific.
The earthquake off the west coast of South America caused a tsunami that reached the Hawaiian Islands in about 15 hours. This tsunami caused little damage elsewhere in the islands, but the Hilo Bay area was hard hit. Sixty-one people lost their lives and about 540 homes and businesses were destroyed or severely damaged. The wave heights in Hilo Bay reached 35 feet compared to only 3-17 feet elsewhere.
CNN's Rolando Santos, Brian Byrnes and Patty Lane contributed to this report.
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blue turbins
From Those Fishes - I Fingered An Old Bitch (i got Aids on my finger)
because some people dont read the news?
not joking around or anything
not joking around or anything"
there's a tsunami about to destroy his island. Brace yourself kid, he may not make it.
[-(
blue turbins
From Those Fishes - I Fingered An Old Bitch (i got Aids on my finger)
lol, im picturing that right now.
[-(
blue turbins
From Those Fishes - I Fingered An Old Bitch (i got Aids on my finger)
[-(
blue turbins
From Those Fishes - I Fingered An Old Bitch (i got Aids on my finger)