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Cable reference id: #10STATE18595

“All of them, those in power, and those who want the power, would pamper us, if we agreed to overlook their crookedness by wilfully restricting our activities.” — “Refus Global“, Paul-Émile Borduas

Hide header UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 018595 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AEMR [Emergency Planning and Evacuation], ASEC [Security], CASC [Assistance to Citizens], KFLO [Family Liaison], MARR [Military and Defense Arrangements], PREL [External Political Relations], PINR [Intelligence], AMGT [Management Operations], CI [Chile] SUBJECT: MGCI01: CHILE EARTHQUAKE SITUATION REPORT NO. 1 STATE 00018595 001.2 OF 002 8.8 EARTHQUAKE HITS CHILE ------------------------- ¶1. (SBU) The 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck at 0134 EST 200 miles southwest of Santiago and 70 miles northeast of Concepcion at a depth of 22 miles. (Ops/USGS e-mail) ¶2. (SBU) Aftershocks up to 6.9-magnitude continue to hit Chile. (Ops/USGS e-mail) ¶3. (SBU) Three million people were exposed to severe shaking with another 12 million exposed to moderate to very strong shaking. (Ops/USGS e-mail) DEATH TOLL RISING AS PRESIDENT DECLARES DISASTER --------------------------------------------- --- ¶4. (SBU) There are 122 confirmed fatalities with more expected. The death toll is expected to be in the hundreds, not thousands. (Ops/Embassy Santiago telcon) ¶5. (SBU) There are no reports of deaths or injuries to American citizens. Post reports 5000 registered American citizens in Santiago and 500 in the vicinity of Concepcion. (Ops/Embassy Santiago telcon) ¶6. (SBU) President Bachelet declared a state of emergency and issued a disaster declaration. (Ops/Embassy Santiago telcon) ¶7. (SBU) The airport in Santiago is closed because a terminal sustained significant damage. It will be closed for 24 hours perhaps longer. Flights are being diverted to Buenos Aires. Damage to runways is unknown. (Ops/Embassy Santiago telcon) ¶8. (U) A highway bridge and a parking garage collapsed in Santiago while chunks of buildings and glass were strewn across roads, media report. Several buildings also collapsed in the cities of Curico and Concepcion. (Reuters) ¶9. (SBU) The Pan-American highway spanning the country north-south is impassable, while the main tunnel connecting Santiago with the Chilean coast is closed. The government instructed coastal vacationers not to return to the capital. (Ops/Embassy Santiago telcon) ¶10. (SBU) Concepcion is without water and electricity. (Ops/Embassy Santiago telcon) ¶11. (SBU) Cellular and landline phone networks are intermittent at best. (Ops/Embassy Santiago telcon) TSUNAMI WARNING ISSUED FOR ENTIRE PACIFIC BASIN --------------------------------------------- -- STATE 00018595 002.2 OF 002 ¶12. (SBU) The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a widespread tsunami warning for all areas within and bordering the Pacific Ocean, including 50 countries and territories. (Ops/USGS e-mail) ¶13. (SBU) Tsunami waves have reached Colombia and are moving northward and westward. Waves were expected to reach Mexico at 1030 EST, Samoa at 1500, and Hawaii at 1600. (Ops/USGS e-mail) ¶14. (SBU) The largest tsunami wave yet recorded was 7.7 feet in Talcahuano, Chile while a 1.7 meter wave hit Valparaiso, Chile. (Ops/NOAA e-mail) U.S. GOVERNMENT ASSETS AND RESPONSE ----------------------------------- ¶15. (SBU) Post has accounted for all but three official Americans. These three are likely out-of-country. There are no reports of deaths or injuries among Locally Employed Staff. (Ops/Embassy Santiago telcon) ¶16. (SBU) The Embassy stood up a crisis task force and issued a warden message urging Americans to stay home and contact loved ones in the United States. Post is contacting wardens throughout the country. (Ops/Embassy Santiago telcon) ¶17. (SBU) Post notes some minor flooding in the Chancery, but reports no significant structural damage. (Ops/Embassy Santiago telcon) ¶18. (SBU) The State Department Executive Secretariat formed a Chile earthquake monitoring group under the direction of the Western Hemisphere Bureau. Consular Affairs personnel have established a task force to handle consular issues and calls from American citizens. USAID has established a response management team. (S/ES) ¶19. (SBU) There are no U.S. government assets in Concepcion, but the Chilean military maintains a command operations center there. (SOUTHCOM Watchgram) ¶20. (SBU) Post is working with the Chilean government at the civilian and military levels to determine needs. SOUTHCOM expects Chile will try to handle SAR response themselves before asking for assistance. (Ops/Embassy Santiago telcon) ¶21. (SBU) USAID has two SAR teams and a DART team standing by. (Ops/Embassy Santiago telcon) ¶22. (U) Additional updates are available through our Intellipedia portal on the unclassified system at: https://www.intelink.gov/wiki/Portal:State_Op s_- Chile_Earthquake_2010. ¶23. (U) Minimize considered. CLINTON