We have power! We got it back Monday morning and I was so glad to finally be able to see what was going on in the south and to be able to use the Internet. It's amazing the devastation this earthquake caused and how powerful it actually was (an 8.8). The stories of the people who narrowly escaped their collapsing buildings with just the clothes on their backs - are countless and so very sad. They are in desperate need of the essentials and are now homeless. Being a new mom, it hurts to watch the TV coverage of mothers clutching babies, who are pleading for diapers and formula. I can't imagine what that must be like for them. As a parent, you can handle being without..but it's a totally different story when it comes to your kids. It must be terrible living day to day..not knowing where they will get their next meal and how they will be able to provide for their family.
The epicenter of the quake was a 196 miles south of our house, so the strength of the quake here in Santiago was an 8.0 (!!). You know..being from Texas..I'm familiar with tornadoes and where to go if one should appear. Coming from Houston, I know about hurricanes..since we evacuated for one and stayed while a level 2 came ashore. But...I have to admit..I knew pretty much nothing about earthquakes. So..I felt utterly helpless and completely terrified when I experienced one this past Saturday morning...(3:38 am exactly).
So...Matt works in shifts of 8 days up north (680 miles away) and then he's here with us for 6 days in Santiago. As luck would have it, when the quake hit, he was up north and I was by myself with Wyatt. (!) I woke up in the middle of the night to a loud rumbling noise and the ground was shaking pretty violently. I immediately ran to get Wyatt and I started to hear things crashing around. I vaguely remembered seeing something of how you should get in the doorway in the event of a quake..so that's what I did. I held Wyatt close with one hand and braced myself against the doorframe with the other hand to steady myself. The strength of the quake kept getting stronger as time went on..and it seemed to last forever. I just stood there and prayed...I prayed for it to be over and for us to be OK. Since this was my first quake..I had no idea what to expect...if the walls were going to start crumbling around us..or if this sort of thing happens all the time.
In the end, there was no damage to our house and we amazingly didn't have anything broken. Books, CDS, and a mirror fell..but nothing else. It's crazy how well the buildings here in Santiago withstood the strength of the quake. But..they are built specifically for things like this..so I guess it shouldn't be too surprising. This quake was several times stronger than the quake in Haiti, but fewer buildings collapsed here due to better construction and building codes.
Obviously, we immediately lost power and since there is a seismograph where Matt works up north, he knew right away that there had been an earthquake where I was. Cell phone reception was non existent for a while and so it took several hours for Matt to be able to get a hold of me. It was SO good to hear his voice! My other network of friends got in contact with me and they had even scarier stories since they lived in high rise apartments and could actually feel their buildings swaying when the quake hit. They have broken glass and cracks down walls..but everyone is OK...which is important.
I'm sure everyone has seen coverage of the quake on TV, but I thought I would post a pic of what the earthquake caused to a highway in Santiago.
So...after it all, there was mass hysteria for a while...(long lines at gas stations, long lines at supermarkets with everyone filling up the carts, no bottled water to be found, etc). Thankfully, I had plenty of formula..so I didn't have to worry about Wyatt. Unfortunately, I didn't have much non perishable food at my house, so I feasted on some fruit and a hamburger bun on Sunday. I know...!..I will be better prepared next time. Grocery stores still didn't have power where I was and since traffic lights weren't working, I didn't feel comfortable trying to drive down into the city to try to find more food.
Matt got here Wednesday morning after a 16 hour (!) bus ride down from where he was working. The airport had a 3 day backlog, so there wasn't a guarantee that he would be able to have a seat on the plane for his usual flight. So..he and several of his co-workers had to take the bus.
We were able to get a hold of some water and the only thing we have been unable to find is more of the formula that Wyatt takes. The shelves are almost always in short supply and the brand that he uses is always out of stock. The brand has formula for 0-6 months and then 6-12 months..so we had to buy the 6-12 months, since that was what was available. Hopefully, since Wyatt is 5-1/2 months..it's not really a big deal. We started him on solids Wednesday...!! Squash and carrots..but that's for another post. They don't have rice cereal here in Chile, so we just had to jump in and start with real food.
Anyways...we have experienced several aftershocks and I find that I am still pretty jumpy. Most of my friends here feel the same way..so I guess it's just apart of the process. I am thankful that I have a great support system down here of people that constantly checked up on me since they knew I was alone with Wyatt.
I feel very blessed and fortunate that things turned out for our family the way they did...but also realize that other families suffered loss and devastation..so please keep them in your prayers.
Note...happier posts to soon follow!
