World Vision readies emergency response to Chile earthquake

World Vision is assembling tarps, blankets, water and other aid for survivors of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile on Saturday.

The Christian aid agency is preparing to transport the emergency supplies and workers, despite airport closures in Chile delaying the departure of its first relief flight.

Steve Matthews, of World Vision’s global rapid response team was quick to allay fears that Chile would turn out to be another Haiti, where a massive earthquake on January 12 killed more than 200,000 people.

“This quake will not be like the one in Haiti,” he said. "Haiti was concentrated, and that led to the challenge of tons of aid and hundreds of aid workers being sent into a small zone.”

He added, however, that it would be extremely difficult to assess the number of deaths and extent of the damage caused by the Chilean quake because of its potential to reach remote areas.

Matthews is coordinating the response from Haiti, where World Vision and other aid agencies have focused resources and people to help reconstruct the country. World Vision said it would continue to respond to Haiti’s needs alongside the Chile quake.

Mariela Chavarriga, emergency adviser with World Vision in Chile, described the moment the quake struck.

"It happened in the middle of the night. Everyone was sleeping, and there was no time to escape," she said.

"Many houses are destroyed, even large buildings have collapsed. Main roads have been destroyed, and communication is very difficult.

“We are trying to connect with our regional offices, but all the phone lines are down."

More than 300 people have been killed in the quake, the strongest to hit Chile in half a century. The Chilean government believes as many as two million people have been affected and 1.5 million homes damaged.

There had been fears of tsunamis after the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued alerts, but the waves reported have been smaller than anticipated and not caused significant damage.

The British Red Cross said it had dispatched £50,000 to the initial response and launched an emergency appeal, as search and rescue operations continue.