CHILEAN

EARTHQUAKES
AND DISASTER
RISK
REDUCTION

IGNACIO GUTIERREZ QUIROZ, SWY28 (i.gutierrez.quiroz@gmail.com)

THE MAJOR DISASTER IN CHILE. Earthquakes in Chile have marked its
history. Located in a geographical area called Pacifics Ring of Fire, Chile is
one of the most sismic countries in the world, showing enormous catastrophes
related with this phenomena along the time.
In february 27th 2010, one of the biggest earthquakes in the world history
affected the Chiles center-south regions. With 8.8 Richter scale and 4 minutes
of duration, the movement had its epicenter in the Pacific ocean and caused
important damage in 6 regions, leaving large cities and little towns devastated
and with losses of 500,000 in housing and 2,000,000 victims. Although, the
major loss was Human in consequence of the tsunami that took 525 lives and
left 23 missing people after only 15 minutes of the shake.
NATIONAL EMERGENCY SYSTEMS. The alert systems in that moment
showed its fragility because of the relevant information that authorities
dissmissed, where they comunicated citizens not to evacuate coastal zones
and as a result a big ammount of lives were lost.
After this tragedy in 2010, an analysis made by national and international
organisms about the operation of Emergencies Systems and Chilean
Catastrophes, showed how the capacity of monitoring, early alerts generation,
reaction to catastrophes and prevention was weak. Considering the
Governments situation, they generated a Law Project in order to create a new
National Emergency System and Civil Protection that would incorporate an
accurate strategy for RRD with the society as a main character

Table 1 Chilean Emergency Systems Goals.

Taking as a base Hygos framework for 2005-2015: Increase on resiliency of
nations and communities in disasters; a solid structure was built. This,
considered strategical points of the framework, objectives of the National
Emergency System and Civil Protection and also the priorities of action from
a consolidate system, to be able to answer the necessities of a society on
different aspects such as Institutional reliability, strengthen regional power
(decentralization) and search for quick and efficient answers to emergency
situations.
STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED INTO DRR STRATEGY. In consideration of
the societys role as a protagonist of an accurate strategy for DRR, the logistic
connects to a system of communication and information management: In the
core, a National Early Alert System that is connected to a network with the

CHILE

National Seismology Center, the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of

the Navy and the National Civil Protection System, is able to take and send
valuable information in a quick way to Regional Early Alert Centers and from
there, pass it to the community that will follow pertinent instructions according
to the situation.
CHILEAN EARTHQUAKES DRR KEY FACTORS. The identification of key
elements for the projects success includes 3 levels:
1. Prevention: a) Development of Schools security program, b) Drills for
Northern, Central and Southern Chile according to their potential risks, c)
Introduction of campaigns and instructives for emergencies d) Visiting and
educating schools, institutions and corporations.
2. Communication: a) Improve and position the Regional Offices, b)
Integration and systematization of Early Alert Centers c) Increasing in
technical capacity of operation, d) Standardization of protocols and action
plans.
3. Response: a) Fortify monitoring networks with the creation of the National
Seismology Center, b) Diversification of network matrix c) Creation of the
Emergency Alert System (sending SMS alert), d) Signposts and
evacuation roads of easy recognition.
CHILEAN RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN. The restructuring plan of risk
management in Chile, with a new organization to prevent and respond to
emergencies through a multi-sector team focused on coordination and
cooperation is developing as an executable project between 2010-2018. As
for the resources needed to implement it, the incorporation of more manpower
capable of ensuring operational capacity and field operation was necessary,
as well as training and coaching of the entire value chain associated with
emergency response. With an investment of about 15 million USD per year,
the project will also allow to improve technical and logistical equipment of the
institutions in charge of preventing and responding to disasters, including
vehicles, communication equipment of different frequencies, measuring
instruments and conditioning units upgraded for risk management and disaster
response.
NATIONAL DRR ACHIEVEMENTS . Finally, talking about the achievements
and benefits on the treatment and efforts to reduce disaster risk in Chile is to
talk about an investment that has been worth it, focused on early warning
systems and urban planning and responses to emergency that were able to
reduce to a minimum number of victims in the latest 8.3 magnitude earthquake
and later tsunami that Chile experienced in September 2015, because the
implemented programs. Early warnings have been very effective in saving
lives and the country's mechanism for ensuring compliance with building codes
has paid it off. The evacuation of one million people guaranteed that the
extensive loss of lives, meaning 525 people that occurred in 2010 would not
be repeated. As a result, only 15 died in this past earthquake.
CONCLUSIONS. Chile is one of the countries more likely to have a natural
disaster and has played a key role in formulating the framework of Sendai (ex
Hyogo), a comprehensive plan for Disaster Risk Reduction, which has shown
the assimilation of learning and results of a cooperative, comprehensive and
systemic program internationally reported by the head of the United Nations
Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlstrm, who congratulated
Chile's goverment for its successful efforts to reduce the disaster risk in the
country.