In the wake of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that early Saturday morning shook the central coast of Chile, university officials have received word that all Tufts students studying there are safe.
"By Saturday night, we had gotten in contact with all the students down there," Sheila Bayne, associate dean of programs abroad, said. "There are six students starting the Tufts-in-Chile and twelve students in four different non-Tufts programs, and all are accounted for."
Although unexpected earthquakes and tremors are not a rare occurrence in Chile, this was the worst the country had seen in decades.
The Tufts-in-Chile program is located in the heart of Santiago, Chile's capital city situated in the central region of the coastal country. Although the brunt of damage caused by the earthquake was experienced further south, Santiago has still been significantly affected by the quake.
"Only 13 people in Santiago have died, which is terrible, but still those are low numbers compared to the [723] in the total death toll," junior Gabrielle Bills, who is spending the whole year in Chile through the Tufts program, said. "But still, bridges, buildings are damaged, and water and power have been down for two days."
Bills, who is currently in the United States for winter break, was scheduled to fly back to Santiago on Sunday, just in time for the start of the spring semester, which was scheduled to begin with an orientation on March 1 and classes on March 3. Her flight, however, was canceled because the Chilean government has halted all flight activity at the country's airports.
She also noted that on-ground travel in Chile has been disrupted. "There are also transportation problems getting there," Bills said. "They're telling people not to drive near the airport for security reasons."
Bayne explained that the Tufts-in-Chile program is still going ahead as it normally would, just a few days later.
"Things are going to be a bit delayed," she said. "From what I hear, electricity is being delayed, but otherwise the program is set to proceed."
Bills added that she managed to reschedule a flight for next Monday, which is when classes will begin. Orientation is set to commence on Thursday.
Junior Charles Skold, who spent last semester on the Tufts-in-Chile program, said that to his knowledge, the campus remained intact.
"We haven't heard that there was any structural damage to the Tufts-in-Chile campus," he said.
Both Bills and Skold said that they successfully contacted their host families through Facebook.com and were relieved to find out that they were fine and had suffered minimal damage to their houses.
Although most in Santiago and other areas have evaded physical harm, many have in the quake's aftermath lost their homes and access to basic resources. News reports have indicated that 1.5 million people lack electricity in Santiago and its surrounding towns.
Skold explained that within Santiago and other cities, there are varying degrees of damage from the earthquake. He cited the stark dichotomy of the city's wealthy and extremely poor areas as the reason for this discrepancy, since less structurally sound homes in the poorest sectors would be more likely to crumble under the tremors.
Bills noted that areas further south from Santiago and closer to epicenter of the earthquake are experiencing much more chaos, according to news accounts and her friends in Chile.
"Down south they've had problems with people leaving, people who are in need of water and food," Bills said. "Others are just opportunists and looting electronic stores, but none of that is in Santiago. The worst-hit areas were definitely Concepción, Maule, Bio-Bio."
Local governments have sought to counter looters at grocery stores by employing tear gas and water cannons, and as the situation in some parts of the country worsens, the government has been seeking to restore stability.
Skold noted that approximately two million Chileans have been displaced by the disaster, making up a significant percentage of the Chilean population.
Bayne said that recovery from the catastrophe is underway.
"There has been a major event, but things are picking up again," she said. "An important thing is that all of our students are alive and well."
