Miscellaneous
In Chile, we are always prepared for earthquakes
Chilean Ambassador Andres Barbe talks about how Nepal quake dominated the Chilean coverage & how safe building practices & quake preparedness, as employed by his country, could save lives.What would be your advice to Nepali policy makers as we are also in seismically active zone?
The only thing we have to be really aware is to accept that countries like ours, being in active seismic zones, suffer this kind of situation. It’s natural. Be always prepared, for we know it’s coming. It’s also important to know that despite having many protocols for disasters like earthquake, they are never enough. You always miss something. In the earthquake of 2010, which destroyed a part of the country; old houses build of mud and bricks, just like here, were completely destroyed. We now have buildings of same type but with new technology, that’s the only way to tackle the problem.
We also have high-rises, the highest building in south America, which is in Santiago. On the day of the 2010 earthquake,I was on the 21st floor of one of the high-rise buildings. Though the building swung violently, you knew that the building was not going to fall down.
Never run during earthquakes, it might invite accidents. We have protocols in schools and offices on ways to remain safe during earthquakes.
If a quake was to hit now, what would be the first thing that you would do?
Of course, we have to go out. It is a myth that standing on the threshold is safe. It is always safe to go out to an open space. And it’s not that all quakes are strong enough to cause damages. Before arriving here, I was expecting that the situation of Kathmandu was worse than what it is now. People suffered a lot but the city is not destroyed as portrayed by the media. People are working. I can see the spirit of the people high
What are the lessons that your country learnt from the big earthquake of 1960, in term of building safety and educating citizens?
The first one is we are strict with construction. We have specific rules about constructing building as well as houses. Everyone is aware that if something goes wrong, they are going to face the consequences. We know the earthquake is coming. We are always prepared for it. We have 10 or 11 temblors everyday, round the year. But we have metro, high-rises and all sorts of constructions, which are safe. That’s why the first point is to be strict in construction. The earthquake-resistant technology is slightly expensive but you save a lot of money at the same time as you don’t have to rebuild things again. Children are given earthquake drill. Every schools have installed earthquake alarms. As it goes off, children leave the building and reach a safe place.
What could we do together?
I had an opportunity to talk to the government officials. I told him that I would like to share everything with related to our working agency in the area, estimated budget and information. More than teaching, it’s about sharing. We would like to share our experiences, knowledge and expertise in the field. Our experience has been that radio is handy and functional after earthquake since telephone network goes down as everyone tries to call their family members.
Is there also a possibility of academic collaboration?
Absolutely. We would like to share the information and knowledge that we have. Our experts can come here to share our experiences and what part of the experience you can use.
When you compare Japan, which has really great expertise. But Japan is a really rich country. You cannot take the same one. We are not as rich as Japan. We are on the same page. I am expecting to talk with some authority about it.
After the April 25 earthquake in Nepal, many people are suffering from anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. How does your government go about handling such situation?
Immediately what we have is medical students, psychiatrists, professional counsellors organise treatment at tents. Every public square, people went to help. Most of the people need to talk, share their experiences with other people, for which you need people to listen to. For weeks, many professionals to temporary shelters and talked to them.
How do you make a nation hopeful at time of national crisis?
We started working from the very next day. Our government mechanisms were activated immediately. They started working with community, working together immediately. When people are busy, they stop thinking about the tragedy. We have to continue with our life.