Sunday, February 28, 2010

Father and daughter survived a 13th floor fall...


This picture shows a building, in Concepcion, that collapsed completely during the earthquake. Alberto Rozas was in his apartment on the 13th floor when he felt the earthquake. He grabbed his 7 year old daughter and decided to stay under the bathroom door frame, until the earthquake was over. But instead, they fell, together with the building which was falling like a tree would fall.
They never stopped hugging each other while falling. The father says he didn't know which was the way up, until he saw some light coming through the destroyed apartment window: "there was light, the light from the full moon". Alberto and his daughter Fernanda climbed up and got out through the rubble with only some bruises, cuts, and scratches. A real miracle!


Their neighbours weren't as lucky, though. They were trapped under the building structure. Today, firefighters were still trying to rescue about 60 people still trapped in the building. The rescue teams have been working, non stop, trying to break the concrete with electric saws and mechanical hammers. "We don't have specialised listening devices or cameras", said one of the firefighters working in the rescue operation.

And the Chilean president kept on saying we didn't need help...???

Chilean firefighters in Chile are not paid. They are all volunteers. Great people. I have seen them working all over the place...
Here you can see a firefighter in charge of supplying much needed water...

Chilean flag...

Image from one of the Chilean TV channels, where a man rescues a Chilean flag from amid the mud that covers most of the coastal towns...

Vicente Terremoto...


In the midle of all this tragedy, a baby is born... His name is Vicente... They call him "Vicente Terremoto". He is doing fine and is being breastfed by a neighbour...

Heartbreaking...


Community of Pelluhue, about 200 miles south of Santiago, where from the very beginning authorities said there was no Tsunami. The south of Chile was devastated, but unfortunately, because communications are still down in the most affected areas, information is limited. I still haven't heard from some family members...
It is heartbreaking to be so far, looking at the news, and not to be able to help. And then, when you hear about all those mistakes made in decision making, by authorities, by the Navy (in charge of the Tsunami prevention)...
I will just translate the information from the people of Chile, affected by this tragedy, for all of you that have asked me how the situation is right now. Maybe it will be of some use for the people of Vancouver, too.