P1: Chile earthquake

Question 1

What kind of country is Chile?

Answer 1

HIC

Question 2

When was the earthquake?

Answer 2

February 27th 2010

Question 3

What was the magnitude?

Answer 3

8.8

Question 4

What caused the earthquake? (Plate boundaries)

Answer 4

It occurred on a destructive plate boundary. The oceanic Nazca plate is subducted under the continental South American plate.

Question 5

List three primary effects:

Answer 5

• 500 people killed and 12,000 injured.
• 220,000 homes, 4500 schools destroyed.
• 1500km of roads damaged mainly by landslides. Some remote communities were cut off for many days

Question 6

List three secondary effects:

Answer 6

• Cost estimated to be US$30 billion
• Coastal towns devastated by tsunami waves
• Santiago airport badly damaged.

Question 7

List three immediate responses:

Answer 7

• International help supplied field hospitals, satellite phones and floating bridges.
• Power and water restored to 90% of homes within 10 days.
• Temporary repairs made main roads, enabling aid to be transported from Santiago to affected areas.

Question 8

List three long term responses:

Answer 8

• The President announced it could take four years for Chile to recover fully from the damage.
• A month after the earthquake: Government launches housing reconstruction plan to help nearly 200,000 households affected by the earthquake.
• Chile’s strong economy (from copper exports) could be rebuilt without the need for much foreign aid.

Question 9

Where was it?

Answer 9

• Just offshore
• The capital, Santiago was too far away to be strongly affected.