Earthquake in Chile - IFRC 2010

26 March 2010 - An earthquake of magnitude 8.8 struck at a depth of 35km near the coast of Chile on February 27 and was followed by a tsunami that affected the Pacific Basin. This was the country's largest earthquake in 25 years affecting approximately 2 million people. Immediate needs are for essential relief items emergency health and medical care shelter materials and access to safe water and sanitation services. The Canadian International Development Agency's (CIDA) contribution is supporting the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Chilean Red Cross to meet the emergency needs of those affected by the earthquake. Activities focus on providing essential non-food items (including hygiene kits kitchen sets blankets and jerry cans) emergency shelter materials curative and preventative health services and on improving access to safe water and sanitation services. In coordination with local authorities the Red Cross is also carrying out emergency needs and capacity assessments to build on those conducted during the preliminary response and to reflect the changing context of needs since the onset of the disaster. The project is expected to reach up to 90 000 beneficiaries.