Tsunami warning in the Pacific Ocean due to Chile earthquake

by crv.staff
27.02.10
1:12 PM UTC

Filed in Costa Rica

Please retweet and share this article to support disaster relief for the famileies in need in Chile. The massive 8.8- magnitude earthquake off the coast of Santiago, Chile early this morning has set off a Tsunami warning in the Pacific Ocean. The National Weather Service Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a widespread warning to Japan, China, and Hawaii, but has given no specific warning to Costa Rica. However, they do urge anyone to stay away from the beaches on the Pacific Ocean until local officials determine there is no longer a threat.

The quake killed at least 147 and Chile’s Minister of Housing said in an interview on Chilean TV that about 1.5 million houses have been damaged by the earthquake and 500,000 houses are severely damaged.

A woman sits in front an earthquake-damaged house in Talca, Chile, after a 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country early Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010. (Sebastian Martinez/AP Photo)

The earthquake, which hit just after 3 a.m. local time, was 64 times stronger than the one that devastated Haiti last month but was much deeper, likely making the number of casualties far fewer than those in the Caribbean nation. The Chile earthquake struck 22 miles below the surface in the Bío Bío region of the country, while the Haiti earthquake struck only 6 miles below the surface.

The Tusnami warnings are reminiscent of the December 26^th, 2004 Tsunami in Phuket, Thailand that was set off by a 9.0 earthquake on the Richter scale. Google Crisis in response has put up a web page to help victims of this devastating quake find lost relatives and raise money for the Red Cross and Unicef.

Rating 3.50 out of 5