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The earthquake in Chile was far stronger than the one that struck Haiti last month — yet the death toll in this Caribbean nation is magnitudes higher. 
The reasons are simple. 
Chile is wealthier and infinitely better prepared, with strict building codes, robust emergency response and a long history of handling seismic catastrophes. No living Haitian had experienced a quake at home when the Jan. 12 disaster crumbled their poorly constructed buildings. 
And Chile was relatively lucky this time. 
Saturday’s quake was centered offshore an estimated 21 miles (34 kilometers) underground in a relatively unpopulated area while Haiti’s tectonic mayhem struck closer to the surface — about 8 miles (13 kilometers) — and right on the edge of <a href="/topics/Port-au-Prince">Port-au-Prince</a>, factors that increased its destructiveness. 
“Earthquakes don’t kill — they don’t create damage — if there’s nothing to damage,” said Eric Calais, a Purdue University geophysicist studying the Haiti quake. 
The U.S. Geological Survey says eight Haitian cities and towns — including this capital of 3 million — suffered “violent” to “extreme” shaking in last month’s 7-magnitude quake, which Haiti’s government estimates killed some 220,000 people and left about 1.2 homeless. Chile’s death toll was in the hundreds. 
By contrast, no Chilean urban area suffered more than “severe” shaking — the third most serious level — Saturday in its 8.8-magnitude disaster, by USGS measure. The quake was centered 200 miles (325 kms) away from Chile’s capital and largest city, Santiago. 
In terms of energy released at the epicenter, the Chilean quake was 501 times stronger. But energy dissipates rather quickly as distances grow from epicenters — and the ground beneath Port-au-Prince is less stable by comparison and “shakes like jelly,” says <a href="/topics/University_of_Miami">University of Miami</a> geologist Tim Dixon. 
Survivors of Haiti’s quake described abject panic — much of it well-founded as buildings imploded around them. Many Haitians grabbed cement pillars only to watch them crumble in their hands. Haitians were not schooled in how to react — by sheltering under tables and door frames, and away from glass windows. 
Chileans, on the other hand, have homes and offices built to ride out quakes, their steel skeletons designed to sway with seismic waves rather than resist them. 
“When you look at the architecture in Chile you see buildings that have damage, but not the complete pancaking that you’ve got in Haiti,” said Cameron <a href="/topics/Cameron_Sinclair">Sinclair</a>, executive director of Architecture for Humanity, a 10-year-old nonprofit that has helped people in 36 countries rebuild after disasters. 
Sinclair said he has architect colleagues in Chile who have built thousands of low-income housing structures to be earthquake resistant. 
In Haiti, by contrast, there is no building code. 
Patrick Midy, a leading Haitian architect, said he knew of only three earthquake-resistant buildings in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country. 
Sinclair’s <a href="/topics/San_Francisco">San Francisco</a>-based organization received 400 requests for help the day after the Haiti quake but he said it had yet to receive a single request for help for Chile. 
“On a per-capita basis, Chile has more world-renowned seismologists and earthquake engineers than anywhere else,” said Brian E. Tucker, president of GeoHazards International, a nonprofit organization based in <a href="/topics/Palo_Alto">Palo Alto</a>, <a href="/topics/California">California</a>. 
Their advice is heeded by the government in <a href="/topics/Latin_America">Latin America</a>’s wealthiest nation, getting built not just into architects’ blueprints and building codes but also into government contingency planning. 
“The fact that the president (Michelle Bachelet) was out giving minute-to-minute reports a few hours after the quake in the middle of the night gives you an indication of their disaster response,” said Sinclair. 
Most Haitians didn’t know whether their president, <a href="/topics/Rene_Preval">Rene Preval</a>, was alive or dead for at least a day after the quake. The National Palace and his residence — like most government buildings — had collapsed. 
Haiti’s TV, cell phone networks and radio stations were knocked off the air by the seismic jolt. 
Col. Hugo Rodriguez, commander of the Chilean aviation unit attached to the U.N. peacekeeping force in Haiti, waited anxiously Saturday with his troops for word from loved ones at home. 
He said he knew his family was OK and expressed confidence that Chile would ride out the disaster. 
“We are organized and prepared to deal with a crisis, particularly a natural disaster,” Rodriguez said. “Chile is a country where there are a lot of natural disasters.” 
Calais, the geologist, noted that frequent seismic activity is as common to Chile as it is to the rest of the Andean ridge. Chile experienced the strongest earthquake on record in 1960, and Saturday’s quake was the nation’s third of over magnitude-8.7. 
“It’s quite likely that every person there has felt a major earthquake in their lifetime,” he said, “whereas the last one to hit Port-au-Prince was 250 years ago.” 
“So who remembers?” 
On Port-au-Prince’s streets Saturday, many people had not heard of Chile’s quake. More than half a million are homeless, most still lack electricity and are preoccupied about trying to get enough to eat. 
Fanfan Bozot, a 32-year-old reggae singer having lunch with a friend, could only shake his head at his government’s reliance on international relief to distribute food and water. 
“Chile has a responsible government,” he said, waving his hand in disgust. “Our government is incompetent.”

Nation/World

ny-wohait0228

Chile was ready for quake, Haiti wasn’t

Chile Earthquake

With tsunami warnings yesterday, Susan White and her fiance prepared for the worst. 
The Long Island expats, who live in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, not far from <a href="/topics/Honolulu">Honolulu</a>, went to the market to stock up on water and canned goods and soup and matches. 
And beer. 
"On the news, they're making it out to be really big," said White, 27, a teacher's aide originally from <a href="/topics/Levittown%2C_NY">Levittown</a>. 
The couple waited, monitoring news reports, but barely anything came of the dire warnings. 
The quake in Chile, which struck early yesterday some 7,000 miles southeast of Hawaii, prompted warnings not only for the island state, but the entire West Coast of the United States and other Pacific nations. 
Back on the U.S. mainland, family and friends of loved ones in Hawaii faced jammed phone lines - but were able to reach out through text messages and <a href="/topics/Facebook_Inc.">Facebook</a>. 
Meanwhile, fears of the quake left tourists stuck while they waited to see how bad the tsunami would be. 
At the Sheraton Hotel on <a href="/topics/Maui">Maui</a>'s Kaanapali Beach, warning sirens sounded early in the morning and guests below the third floor were moved to higher levels, said Barbara Schuler, a Newsday editor vacationing in Hawaii. 
But when tsunami waves washed across Hawaii, little damage was reported, The Associated Press said, and things started to return to normal last night. Still, guests were told to stay out of the ocean, Schuler said. 
"I was feeling really guilty up until this morning, with you guys having another snowstorm," Schuler said. "Now, I'm not feeling so guilty since I had my own little drama." 
With Carrie Mason-Draffen and Jennifer Sinco Kelleher

Long Island

Nassau

LIHAWA28

Tsunami fears disrupt LIers' plans in Hawaii

Long Islanders with ties to Chile had varying degrees of luck in their often desperate attempts to reach relatives early Saturday. 
<a href="/topics/Levittown%2C_NY">Levittown</a> resident Kiko Orellana was on the phone minutes after the quake struck at 1:30 a.m. Eastern time, hoping to reach his sisters and father-in-law. They live in the capital, Santiago, about 200 miles northeast of the epicenter. 
"I've been calling since this morning and I haven't been able to get through," he said Saturday. 
He finally reached his father-in-law, but had no luck getting through to his four sisters. 
<a href="/topics/Kings_Park%2C_NY">Kings Park</a> resident Jorge Fredes was luckier. Just minutes after the disaster, his brother in <a href="/topics/Arizona">Arizona</a> called to say their mother, Graciela Fredes, of Santiago, had phoned to say she was fine. 
"Although she didn't have any electricity, at least we knew she was OK," said Jorge Fredes, the father of a Newsday employee. 
Long Island is home to about 3,200 people of Chilean descent, according to census data. Those with relatives in the quake-prone country are dealing with the aftermath of the most powerful tremor to rock Chile since 1960. 
At least 214 people died in the latest disaster, and officials are warning that the numbers will rise. The quake has set off tsunami warnings for every nation around the <a href="/topics/Pacific_Ocean">Pacific Ocean</a>, roughly a quarter of the globe, The Associated Press reported. 
Graciela Fredes, 85, who splits her time between Santiago and Long Island, is one of the lucky ones. She said she was awakened by the jolt and the sound of things breaking outside, but her apartment wasn't damaged. 
"I am not afraid," she said. "A quake can come at any time, but what are you going to do?" 
At Chilean food specialty shop <a href="/topics/San_Antonio">San Antonio</a> Bakery on Rockaway Avenue in <a href="/topics/Valley_Stream%2C_NY">Valley Stream</a>, people gathered to watch a Chilean news channel on a big-screen TV. 
Cristina Banados of <a href="/topics/East_Hampton%2C_NY">East Hampton</a> was able to reach her parents in Casablanca right after the quake, but has had no luck since. 
"Everybody's scared," said her husband, Raul Banados, of the people back home. "No one wants to go back to sleep." 
He said that all the relatives they have reached are safe, but he added, "This is hard for everybody here today." 
Ximena Russell of <a href="/topics/Valley_Stream%2C_NY">Valley Stream</a>, who was having lunch with her sister at the bakery, said she spoke to her family in Vina del Mar, but she is concerned about aftershocks. 
Jennifer Acevedo, 22, whose parents own Juanito Deli and Bakery down the street, said they are still trying to reach family in <a href="/topics/San_Antonio">San Antonio</a>, Chile. Steve Gonzalez of <a href="/topics/Glen_Cove%2C_NY">Glen Cove</a> had no luck in trying to reach his uncle Jorge, 73, a retired commercial fisherman who lives in Santo Domingo. 
But Cristian Sandoval, 33, a designer colorist at Tru Salon in <a href="/topics/St._James%2C_NY">St. James</a>, got good news about his grandparents, uncles and others through a cousin's video connection. "As far as we know, everyone is OK," said Sandoval, who is from Vina del Mar. 
With Stacey Altherr and Jennifer Gundersen 
<h4>OTHER MAJOR EARTHQUAKES</h4> 
These registered at least magnitude 8.6: 
9.5 An earthquake in southern Chile and ensuing tsunami kills at least 1,716 people. May 22, 1960. 
9.2 The quake that hits Prince William Sound, <a href="/topics/Alaska">Alaska</a>, on March 27, 1964, and ensuing tsunami kills 128. 
9.1 A strike off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Dec. 26, 2004, triggers a tsunami that kills 226,000 people in 12 countries. 
9.0 Arica, <a href="/topics/Peru">Peru</a> (now Chile) is struck on Aug. 13, 1868. The quake generates catastrophic tsunamis; more than 25,000 are killed in <a href="/topics/South_America">South America</a>. 
9.0 Areas in current-day Northern California, <a href="/topics/Oregon">Oregon</a>, Washington and <a href="/topics/British_Columbia">British Columbia</a> are shaken on Jan. 26, 1700. The temblor triggers waves that damage villages in Japan. 
9.0 On Nov. 4, 1952, an earthquake in Kamchatka causes damage but no reported deaths, despite setting off 30-foot waves in <a href="/topics/Hawaii">Hawaii</a>. 
8.8 The earth shakes near the coast of <a href="/topics/Ecuador">Ecuador</a> and <a href="/topics/Colombia">Colombia</a> on Jan. 31, 1906, generating a tsunami that kills at least 500. 
8.7 Valparaiso, Chile, is struck on July 8, 1730. At least 3,000 people die. 
8.7 An estimated 60,000 people are killed in and around <a href="/topics/Lisbon">Lisbon</a>, Portugal, by the quake and ensuing tsunami, on Nov. 1, 1755. Much of that city is destroyed. 
8.6 On Aug. 15, 1950, a massive earthquake strikes Assam, <a href="/topics/Tibet">Tibet</a>, killing at least 780 people. 
Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology and WHO's International Disaster Database 
- AP

LICHIL28

Long Islanders try to reach relatives in Chile

liCHIL

PAPEETE, French Polynesia (AP) — Tsunami waves up to 6 feet (2 meters) high have struck parts of French Polynesia, but no damage was immediately reported. 
Residents were being warned early Sunday morning that tsunamis can consist of several waves and they should remain vigilant. 
<a href="/topics/Tonga">Tonga</a> and the <a href="/topics/Cook_Islands">Cook Islands</a> were evacuating coastal areas as the waves were expected to hit later in the morning. 
On Tahiti, traffic was banned on roads less than 500 meters from sea. Residents on islands of low elevation were told to get to high ground. 
Monique Richeton, mayor of Rikitea, said the first wave struck Gambier early Sunday at less than one meter and no damage was reported.

ny-wopoly0228

Tsunami hits French Polynesia; Pacific on watch

CHILE-QUAKE-TSUNAMI

EWA BEACH, Hawaii (AP) — Hawaii braced Saturday for a potentially damaging tsunami, after a massive earthquake off Chile sent waves across the Pacific Ocean. 
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning — its highest alert — for Hawaii, where incoming waves could cause damage along the coastlines across the island chain. A warning was also in effect for <a href="/topics/Guam">Guam</a>, <a href="/topics/American_Samoa">American Samoa</a> and dozens of other Pacific islands. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/1.1783895">Massive earthquake in Chile; tsunami warnings across Pacific</a> 
The first waves were expected to arrive in Hawaii at 11:19 a.m. Saturday (4:19 p.m. EST). 
A lower-grade tsunami advisory was in effect for the coast of <a href="/topics/California">California</a> and an Alaskan coastal area from Kodiak to Attu islands. Authorities in Australia did not issue a warning, but asked residents to stay away from the coast. 
The Ewa Beach, Hawaii-based center called for “urgent action to protect lives and property” in Hawaii, which is among 53 nations and territories subject to tsunami warnings. 
“The main thing is we want everyone to take this event seriously,” said Charles McCreery, director of the center. 
McCreery said he didn’t know how big the waves will be, but he expected them to be the largest to hit Hawaii since 1964. 
The state planned to sound warning sirens statewide at 6 a.m. to alert residents and tourists of the incoming tsunami, said Shelly Ichishita, spokeswoman for state civil defense. 
People in coastal areas, such as tourist-filled Waikiki, will then be instructed on a possible evacuation. The sirens will also be sounded again three hours prior to the estimated arrival time. 
“If you’re in an evacuation zone, police or civil defense volunteers would instruct you to evacuate, or instructions will come out over the radio and TV,” she said. 
If coastal areas are evacuated, visitors in Waikiki would be moved to higher floors in their hotels, rather than moved out of the tourist district, which could cause gridlock. 
Ichishita said people who are not in evacuation zones to stay away from coastal areas. 
Despite the incoming waves, the state was calm through the night with no signs of panic. 
“We’ve got a lot of things going for us,” McCreery said. “We have a reasonable lead time. The evacuation should all take place during daylight hours, and wave impact should be during daylight hours. 
“We should be able to alert everyone in harm’s way to move out of the evacuation zones.” 
Barry Hirschon, also of the Tsunami center, said the advisory for the <a href="/topics/California">California</a> coast and parts of <a href="/topics/Alaska">Alaska</a> was the agency’s lowest level alert. 
“It’s a heads up that there’s been a tsunami event and it could affect the coasts later,” Hirschon told CNN. “I don’t think it will be updated to a warning.” 
The largest earthquake ever recorded struck the same area of Chile in 1960. The deadly wave that it caused raced across the Pacific and hit the Hilo area of the Big Island, where 61 people were killed.

ny-wohawa0227

Hawaii under tsunami warning

Quake Tsunami Alerts

VANCOUVER, <a href="/topics/British_Columbia">British Columbia</a> (AP) — Chile’s athletes and coaches are planning to skip the Olympic closing ceremonies following a magnitude-8.8 earthquake that has devastated their country. 
Team spokesman Luis Alberto <a href="/topics/Santa_Cruz">Santa Cruz</a> said Saturday morning that the athletes and coaches are trying to get home from Vancouver as soon as possible because of the quake. 
Chile has three Alpine skiers representing the country at the Vancouver Games. Noelle Barahona, Maui Gayme and Jorge Mandru are all finished competing, so they won’t miss any remaining events. 
<a href="/topics/Santa_Cruz">Santa Cruz</a> says that some of the coaches and athletes have been able to reach family and so far, they have found out that their loved ones are fine. Some are still trying to make contact.

Sports

Olympics

ny-spwooly0228

Chile's athletes, coaches to skip closing ceremony

chileoly

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California warned its coastal cities to prepare for possible tsunami waves following a deadly magnitude-8.8 earthquake off the coast of Chile. 
A tsunami advisory was issued for the coast of California and an Alaskan coastal area from Kodiak to Attu islands. 
An advisory means there may be strong currents, but that widespread inundation is not expected to occur. 
Jordan Scott, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Management, said the state was monitoring the situation and that it’s up to local communities to prepare. 
If a tsunami hits the West Coast, the first waves would reach La Jolla near <a href="/topics/San_Diego">San Diego</a>, according to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.

ny-wocalchile0228

California under tsunami advisory

COMPLETE COVERAGE: Chile earthquake and its aftermath

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