Please humor me while I try again.
On the one week anniversary of the earthquake and ensuing tsunami that destroyed entire city blocks, crippled transportation networks, and washed away entire seaside towns, a 24 hour domestically televised telethon style fund raising event was held. The goal of "Chile Ayuda Chile" (Chile Helps Chile) was to raise 15 billion pesos, or $30 million US to build 30,000 emergency homes, an aim which I found impossibly high for a country of 16 million people, 70-80% of which were just affected one week earlier by the 7th largest earthquake ever recorded.
I was wrong. I was so wrong that my eyes welled up with tears of pride when I heard the total. Somehow, through personal and corporate donations, 3o,212,775,555 pesos were gathered. That's over US$58 million. That's almost twice the original goal. That's simply unbelievable.
Unfortunately, this amount won't be enough. Unfortunately, many will be sleeping without roofs over their heads tonight, and for many nights to come. This is especially true in my community.
Chile lost an estimated 500 thousand homes to the earthquake and resulting tsunami, a staggering blow to a country of 16 million people. Even though Chile Ayuda Chile nearly doubled their goal, this only amounts to 60,000 emergency homes. That leaves 440 thousand to go.
Winter rains could arrive as early as one month from now. This situation has reached a critical level of urgency.
Poblacion, a small rural town near Santa Cruz was especially affected.
Many of the homes destroyed in this town were owned or lived in by low income agricultural workers.
Aid has arrived slowest to rural areas. These are also the last people to have their basic infrastructure, like water and electricity, restored.
A group of residents has taken it upon themselves to start providing the most critically affected victims in this town with materials to construct emergency shelters. We are funding this effort through private donations from our friends and family and we are starting NOW.
These homes, or "media aquas," are single room structure of 18 square meters (about 160 square feet). They are little more than a shed with windows, but they will give families shelter, and a place to start from in order to rebuild their lives. The materials for each home cost 300,000 Chilean pesos or US$580. They will be built mainly by the people who will be living in them, although construction assistance will be provided to those who need it.
Poblacion's local government has estimated that 100 homes are needed. As the volunteer disaster relief information organizer, I think the total will end up being higher. I'll post updates on the statistics as the information gets... erhh, organized. (Tomorrow's project! And what a project it is!) Even though there was no information on how many houses were in the town before the earthquake, it is clear that a large percentage of homes in the community were destroyed.
To my friends and family: Please help me rebuild the community in which I live. Contributions of any amount are helpful and can make a direct and immediate impact on a family that is living in the open air or under a tent with the shock and fear associated with becoming homeless overnight. Many of these families have small children and/or elderly members.
As one of the coordinators of this program told me, the media aquas are just the first step. She said that priority number one was assuring that every little old lady, every family, had a roof to sleep under. Next, she said, we are going to rebuild Poblacion to be more beautiful than before. You should have seen her eyes glow with pride when she said that.
Many town residents see this as an opportunity. To see them speak, to see them work voluntarily around the clock, while they have their own homes to repair, their own jobs, lives, and families to attend to, it's an incredible thing.
Please contact me if you are able to contribute.
For those of you who aren't my family or friends (or if you are uncomfortable with the idea of sending me your contribution), I don't expect you to just randomly send me money. I ask that you please consider donating to Un Techo Para Chile (A Roof for Chile), which works in a similar area.
We are trying to set up a google group or something similar so that donors can see a record that their contributions have been received and can also see updates as houses are built and progress in the town is made.
Please watch this National Geographic video that details the earthquake aftermath in the region of Santa Cruz and Poblacion.
Take care,
Allie
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