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Educaedu would like to take the opportunity to show its support for Chile after the terrible earthquake that hit on February 27th.  We have several offices in South America, including one in Chile, where our commercial representative Jessica is based.  Jessica has told us that she and her immediate family are doing fine, but there are still many friends and other people that are unaccounted for at this stage, as communication systems are not functioning normally.

We have translated an email that Jessica recently sent us, describing her experience early last saturday morning:

The earthquake scared us, it surprised us while we were asleep, and it left us in the dark without the means to communicate.  Even though my apartment still stands, the destruction has affected us terribly, but I am thankful to still have my home and my life and that I can tell you about it.

The earthquake was graded as 8.8, the one in Haiti was a 7 so you have an idea how severe it was.  It was followed by another one at level 6.8 that lasted almost the same time and it was this one that caused the most destruction.  In the hour after the tremor, all of the coasts were hit by tsunamis, some that went almost unnoticed, and others that destroyed everything in their path.  The aftershocks still continue, some stronger than others, but they never stop to scare us, they bring with them a silence that makes us hold our breath, as we wonder  if it will become stronger or stop in any moment.

The darkness, the fear, the uncertainty and the lack of leadership made the hours of the night unforgettably difficult.  Groups of looters broke out in the city, and in the towns in the south where the devastation was the worst, the looters caused even more damage.  They stole televisions, washing machines, beds, everything, something that I`ve never seen and that I am ashamed to write about. Recently things have gotten a bit better with the deployment of the army in the streets.

Rescue workers on Sunday, February 28. Photo - CNN - AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Jessica has told us that it is not clear how the earthquake impacted many education centres, but she does know that the University of Concepción lost its entire chemistry laboratory, which was one of the most important in Chile.  Many centres are also opening their doors and forming groups of volunteers to help with the recovery.

We hope that Chile can recover from a terrible event such as this, and that it can reestablish stability.  To all of the universities and educational centres, we hope that they too can recover what they have lost.