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USAID Responds to Chile Earthquake
Update: April 8, 2010
Chile Earthquake Fact Sheet #17 (pdf, 40kb)
Chile Earthquake Mapbook: 04/08/10 (pdf, 916kb)
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
- As of April 7, the Government of Chile’s (GoC’s) official death toll was 486 people, with 79 others missing. According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the GoC confirmed that the earthquake and tsunami affected more than 1.8 million people in the four most affected regions.
Current Situation
- On March 29 the GoC launched “Chile United to Build Better,” a government housing reconstruction plan designed to provide assistance for approximately 196,000 earthquake- and tsunami-affected households, as reported by the GoC.
Health
- As of March 26, the GoC Ministry of Health (MoH) reported one case of H1N1 influenza in earthquake-affected areas. The GoC MoH plans to conduct a vaccination program in emergency shelters and camps, prioritizing the most vulnerable groups.
Emergency Relief Supplies
- As of April 7, the Chilean Red Cross had distributed more than 4,400 family kits in Maule and Bío Bío regions.
- The German Red Cross is currently procuring and plans to distribute an additional 3,000 family kits in Maule and Bío Bío.
Livelihoods
- As of April 7, the company Arauco, part of the Chilean industrial, energy, and forestry conglomerate Copec, reported that 70 percent capacity of pulp production would be restored by the end of April. Pulp plants were severely damaged in the Los Ríos, Valdivia, and Bío Bío regions during the February earthquake.
- The Chilean wine industry continues to recover after the earthquake led to the loss of approximately 12.5 percent of the 2009 harvest. According to international media sources, the earthquake damaged or destroyed approximately $300 million in wine and equipment, particularly affecting the Colchagua Valley in O’Higgins Region.
Shelter and Settlements
- As of April 5, approximately 370,000 houses were damaged due to the February earthquake, according to OCHA.
- Large amounts of rubble remaining in streets and roads continue to hinder reconstructions efforts, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
- The GoC announced plans for the national housing reconstruction plan on March 29. The “Chile United to Build Better” plan will cost approximately $2.5 billion and will provide housing subsidies to assist nearly 196,000 families affected by the February earthquake and tsunami. Housing subsidies will be provided between April 2010 and April 2012 and will benefit the most vulnerable and middle-income families.
- USAID/OFDA non-governmental organization (NGO) partner Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) plans to build transitional shelters for approximately 1,000 displaced families in the central coastal area of Chile. Additionally, the project—which is expected to be completed by September 2010—will provide water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and livelihood interventions to individuals affected by the February earthquake.
- As of April 7, the Chilean NGO Un Techo Para Chile (A Roof for Chile) had provided 4,400 mediaguas, or small wooden shelters, since the February earthquake. Un Techo Para Chile plans to provide up to 20,000 mediaguas by May 2010.
- The IFRC is working towards procuring nearly 1,000 improvement kits for emergency and early recovery shelter units to distribute in affected areas to benefit up to 8,300 families.
USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
- On February 27, USAID activated a Washington, D.C.-based Response Management Team (RMT) to coordinate the USG response to the effects of the earthquake in Chile and facilitate information-sharing and provision of assistance to disaster-affected individuals. The RMT concluded operations on March 19.
- On February 28, U.S. Ambassador Paul E. Simons issued a disaster declaration in response to the effects of the earthquake. In response, USAID deployed a 17-member USAID/DART to Chile to conduct assessments of humanitarian conditions in earthquake- and tsunami-affected areas, work with the U.S. Embassy and GoC to identify and respond to priority humanitarian needs, and coordinate the delivery of USAID/OFDA-funded emergency relief commodities. The USAID/DART concluded operations on March 23.
- USAID/OFDA assistance in response to the earthquake totals nearly $8.5 million, including support for the IFRC emergency appeal, an ADRA shelter and WASH program, support for the deployment of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Medical Support (EMEDS) field hospital to affected areas, and the provision and transport of 8 mobile water treatment units, 20 medium-duty generators, 4 additional EMEDS tents, and 300 rolls of plastic sheeting from the USAID/OFDA warehouse in Miami, Florida.
- In addition, as of April 8, DoD had provided assistance valued at nearly $1.4 million through the deployment of two C-130s to Chile to assist with the transport of emergency relief supplies to disaster-affected areas, as well as the provision of tents, tools, and hardware for affected populations.
- The USG dispatched satellite phones to Chile to facilitate communications in affected areas. Including USAID and DoD contributions, the USG has provided more than $9.8 million in humanitarian assistance to Chile to date.
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