Earthquake in Chile

TO ANYONE TRYING TO CONTACT RELATIVES IN CHILE:

I have had a few people message me through a couple of the Chile forums, worried about relatives they have here in Chile and so am posting this here in case others need help reaching their relatives. If you're having trouble getting through to your family, put down the phone and try email or Skype. Alot of people don't think of that in an emergency, but while the phones here are barely working, Internet access IS available to many still. If you still haven't had any luck and need peace of mind, you can contact me, and I'll do my best to keep calling until I get a hold of someone for you.
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Our water supply for the next couple days.

Holy Moses what a way to wake up! All the dogs were freaking out except Deja who prefers to freak out when it's unwarranted instead of when it makes sense.

It woke us up from our stupor and I have a feeling we slept through part of it (compliments of a large bottle of wine and a belly full of bbq from my Aunt M). It was, strangely, very loud. E has never experienced an earthquake before and he said it sounded like a really bad hail storm until he felt the house start to shake and we heard stuff crashing to the ground in the living room. That's when it really clicked and we ran to get Georgia, who was asleep in her kennel outside and had started to cry when the quake started.

It didn't last long, maybe a minute and half? There were quite a few large aftershocks and even now, we keep getting little aftershocks here and there. It's weird because you're just standing around and then you feel the ground shaking and the signs above storefronts rattling and you can't help but think to yourself, "Hmmm, maybe I won't stand near that big glass window then..." Crazy stuff. Thankfully, our little coastal community weathered it very well.

The quake hit here around 3:30am give or take, and the power went out right after. It came back on around noon today which booted our internet up thankfully, so we were able to use Skype to call our family back home in Canada as the phones here went out in the early morning. The cell service has been cutting in and out and the landlines here aren't working. The water went out about an hour after we got electricity, so we spent a few hours stocking up on bottled water and filling all the buckets and empties we had. And of course, because there's no water, it also feels like the hottest day of the year.

All in all though, we're doing great. We didn't sustain any damage, really, a couple nicknacks and things just got knocked off the shelves. The water being out sucks, but we're stocked up enough to get through the next few days (although we may smell dreadfully by then!). Thankfully, our internet and satellite feed are working so we have contact with the outside world although, honestly, watching the news here and seeing the damage is quite heartbreaking. It's kind of surreal, because we felt it, but it didn't seem so bad to us and then we woke up to the news of all the damage and devastation just an hour away. Am feeling very lucky right now and my heart goes out to the families who have lost so much.

And so to end this disjointed summary of our earthquake experience:

1. The next time your Aunt gives you a kerosene Lantern for emergencies, buy the bloody kerosene BEFORE the emergency hits.
2. When your brother warns you that there will probably be water shortages and to start filling up bottles right away, he means RIGHT AWAY, not after you've finished skyping your family and friends and updating your facebook status (thanks for all the messages guys, it's good to feel loved).
3. When you open up the kitchen cupboard after an earthquake, maybe think about how you do it. Those cans and boxes actually get jostled around too and will fall on your head and feet. (I'm ok, I have a really hard head).
4. This one is for relatives back home: When you are frantically trying to call your relatives after a natural disaster has struck in their area, and you're not getting through for whatever reason, maybe try GETTING OFF THE PHONE, MOTHER as we may actually be trying to call you but keep getting a busy signal. I'm just saying...
5. The next time you find yourself in the aftermath of a natural disaster, if the water is actually running when you get up that morning, take your shower right away before you lose your window. I'm a little ripe and sticky right now because of the heat, it's not pretty.
6. Lastly and most importantly, thank God, Buddha, The Flying Spaghetti Monster, whoever; but thank someone that you were so incredibly f-cking lucky when so many weren't. 

Disclaimer: This post may seem glib or insensitive and it's not meant to. It's simply a recounting of our own personal experience for our friends and family. We're fully cognizant of the dire situation many are in and how lucky we are. We are doing our best to contact people for those who can't get through. Sometimes though, you have to try and find the humour in terrible situations or you end up feeling overwhelmed and useless.