01 March 2010

Following a devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile during the early hours of Saturday morning, Salvation Army emergency Services were immediately mobilized to provide support and comfort. International financial assistance is already on the way. The Salvation Army has had a presence in Chile since 1909 and today offers social services including hospitals, schools for impoverished children and adult rehabilitation.

The immediate response is to provide food, water, first aid kits, emergency packets, blankets, candles and other urgently required supplies. A recently arrived mobile canteen (a donation From The Salvation Army in the United
States) is one of the key relief vehicles.

Donors can visit www.salvationarmyusa.org to make a donation to support ongoing relief efforts in Chile. Also, they can text the word "chile" to 52000 to make a one-time $10 donation billed to their cell phone account.

The Salvation Army personnel on the ground has placed tents to house 60 displaced families on the grounds of a Salvation Army center near Concepcion. Salvation Army officers are traveling from Puerto Montt and Osorno, in Southern Chile, to Concepcion to join The Salvation Army emergency relief response team.

The earthquake epicenter was approximately 90 miles North west of the city of Concepción in Southern Chile.  This is approximately 350 miles from  the capital of Santiago. Nevertheless, according to officials on the ground, the quake was of a  7.0 magnitude in the Santiago metropolitan region. People have flocked to the streets as numerous aftershocks continue to pummel the country, severely affecting older buildings in the more historical areas of the larger cities.