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)