In the aftermath of last saturday’s earthquake, the news from Chile has been getting worse. It seems the arrival of aid to affected areas has been slowed by looting and the beginning of a slide into chaos.
President Bachelet, facing the crisis with only a couple of weeks left in her last term, was appalled by the scenes of anarchy coming out of the most badly hit areas in the south, such as Concepcion.
“We have seen images that are, frankly, intolerable,” Bachelet said. “We want to make it clear that it won’t be accepted.”
More than 13,000 soldiers are being sent to re-establish order, and curfews are in place in some areas. The news isn’t all bad, though.
All emergency measures are now in place, aid is reaching all regions and the flow is becoming constant. SCL, the Santiago airport, has begun the first phase in their plan to return to operations and is splitting the day between national and international flights, at an alternate terminal. The segunda fase, scheduled to begin on March 5th, should see a return to full operational capability.
Though I still haven’t managed to get through to our carrier, I am hopeful this means that our flight on the 7th will be departing as planned! Time will tell.