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| A car lies under the rubble of a destroyed building in Curico, Chile, after the February 28 earthquake. |
March 3, 2010: With 13 SOS Children's Villages throughout Chile, some of the charity's homes, schools, and training centers suffered structural damage from that nation's powerful February 27 earthquake. Fortunately, no SOS children or staff were injured.
If the 8.8 quake was not traumatic enough for SOS children and staff, a subsequent breakdown in security resulted in looting causing a security scare for our Village in Concepcion and another close-by.
Thieves attempted to break into SOS Children's Village-Concepcion on March 2nd, reported Village Director Jessica Lange. Children and staff were instructed to stay inside the Village while armed, potentially dangerous people roamed the streets. Norma Valdes, Director of an SOS Mothers Training Center near Concepcion, reported hearing gunfire and witnessing business looting in the area. Cars and fuel were stolen from SOS Children's Village-Chaimavida, a 20-minute drive from Concepcion.
Communication with SOS staff across Chile is still greatly impaired. However, according to an SOS contact in Concepcion, the nation's police and military are now patrolling that area, allowing SOS children and staff to feel more secure.
Structural Damage to SOS Villages and Offices
Of the four SOS Children's Villages facilities in and near Concepcion, six family houses in SOS-Bulnes suffered the most damage and are uninhabitable. Some houses containing SOS administrative offices in Concepcion were also affected, as was the SOS Social Center in Carahue, near Bulnes. SOS project staff in Chaimavida, Coyanco, Malleco. and Padre las Casas have reported slight damage and cutoffs of power and water.
SOS's fundraising office in the capital, Santiago, was destroyed. Staff members have moved to SOS's main Santiago office for the time being.
SOS's On-the-Ground Action Plan
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| Boys and girls stand beside mattresses and bottled water at SOS Children's Villages - Curicó |
Operating under difficult conditions because of communication blockages, SOS-Chile has set up a team in its Santiago headquarters to contact the different program directors to understand the situation in their respective regions. SOS will prepare an emergency program to analyze what aid needs to be delivered where, and how to coordinate its delivery to the children and families in need.
At the same time, SOS staff in Chile are coordinating actions with Chile's National Emergency Office and the National Service of the Minor-Youth Welfare Authority. To support the SOS emergency team, staff are working to mobilize psychologists who specialize in post-traumatic therapy as well as child care professionals from other SOS Children's Villages in Chile.
The goal is to provide basic supplies and foodstuffs to cover the most urgent needs not only of children and families tied to SOS Children's Villages, but to earthquake-affected families in the heaviest hit zones. Cold snacks, water, tents, blankets, and generators are all sorely needed.
Help SOS help the children and families of Chile who've been struck by one of the world's worst earthquake in decades. Make a donation to SOS Children's Villages today.
