A magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck off the coast of Chile on Wednesday, killing at least five people and slamming powerful waves into coastal towns.
More than a million people were forced from their homes as the government ordered the evacuation of coastal areas, anxious to avoid a repeat of a quake disaster in 2010 when authorities were slow to warn of a tsunami that killed hundreds.
The quake and heavy waves caused flooding in coastal towns, damaged buildings and knocked out power in the worst hit areas of central Chile and shook buildings in the capital city of Santiago about 280 km (175 miles) to the south.
President Michelle Bachelet said she planned to travel to the areas worst affected by the quake, the biggest to hit the world's top copper producer since 2010.
Chile, which runs along a highly seismic and volcanic zone where tectonic plates meet, is no stranger to earthquakes.
In 2014, an 8.2-magnitude quake struck near the northern city of Iquique, and four years earlier an 8.8-magnitude earthquake in central-southern Chile triggered a massive tsunami, and more than 500 people were killed.
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Chile has already intervened in the emergency.
Jorge Alé, director for ADRA Chile, visited the places to assess the situation and bring water purifiers to residents camped in tents. Alé also met with officials of the humanitarian network of Chile, in the stadium "Land of Champions" which functions as the headquarters for the rescue operation.
Subsequently, ADRA programs will be implemented and psychological support will be provided to the victims affected by post-traumatic stress. ADRA is setting up a project for the construction of emergency housing for families left homeless. In this first intervention 223 kits were distributed, containing sufficient food for 8 days and 230 containers of drinking water. The food products are delivered in plastic crates because many families are living in tents on the street and the plastic prevents contamination and keeps away rodents. Water is supplied in 5-liter plastic bins and flour in packages of 1 kilo. The aid to 223 families in the municipality of Alto Hospicio means that beneficiaries are about 1,115 individuals.
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