In Chile, Caritas moves materials into area hit by quake, aftershocks

April 04, 2014 - Caritas Chile has continued moving materials into an area in the north hit hard by an April 1 earthquake and the subsequent aftershocks, which have prevented some people from sleeping in their homes. Bishop Guillermo Villa of Iquique has spoken via radio to the local population, while he and his priests have continued celebrating Mass in the affected areas of the diocese and visiting those whose homes were damaged by the magnitude-8.2 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks. The natural disaster did damage, triggered tsunami warnings and killed six, but has been much less destructive than previous earthquakes in the region.
"We're used to having the ground move often, but not with this intensity," said Doris De Ferrari, secretary at the Diocese of Iquique offices, commenting after a magnitude-7.6 aftershock rocked the region. The aftershock of April 3 prompted another tsunami and evacuation alert for Chile's entire coastline. "It's quite worrying," she added, saying schools and businesses had closed, while highways were wrecked and many homes lacked power or water service. Ingrid Saavedra, spokeswoman for Caritas Chile, said in an email, "The most urgent needs are for water, some food, hygiene products and shelter for families that have suffered damage to their homes." Caritas was working with other nongovernmental groups to coordinate its response, she said, while crews from the church's charitable arm were still assessing this situation. (Source: CNS)