Marlyn Ogburn writes: Having had the great privilege of living in Concepcion/Talcahuano Chile for more than two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1970s, we are stunned by the earthquake and tsunami that occurred on Saturday morning



Our friends in Chile used to say that Americans turn their faces left and right, and see Asia and Europe, but they forget to look down at South America. We need to look now and do everything we can to assist them in their time of need.

Marlyn Ogburn writes: Having had the great privilege of living in Concepcion/Talcahuano Chile for more than two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1970s, we are stunned by the earthquake and tsunami that occurred on Saturday morning

EARTHQUAKE

Don't forget Chile

Having had the great privilege of living in Concepcion/Talcahuano Chile for more than two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1970s, we are stunned by the earthquake and tsunami that occurred on Saturday morning.

We are also stunned by the lack of reporting by U.S. news agencies about this tragedy over the weekend.

There was decent coverage on Saturday morning, then the focus switched to Hawaii to cover a tsunami that never arrived.

Coastal towns in Chile were wiped out. The loss of life is going to rise, and the lists of the missing may never be resolved. Many coastal towns, small fishing villages basically, were constructed of wooden houses that broke in the face of the wall of water that overtook them.

The people of Chile are warm, resilient and determined. When we lived in Chile, they were recovering from the devastation of a political event - the revolution that removed an elected government and replaced it with a military dictatorship. They will recover from this crisis also, but they need the attention and assistance of a caring world.

Our friends in Chile used to say that Americans turn their faces left and right, and see Asia and Europe, but they forget to look down at South America. We need to look now and do everything we can to assist them in their time of need.

MARLYN OGBURN

Jacksonville

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: March, 2010; Peace Corps Chile; Directory of Chile RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Chile RPCVs; Speaking Out; Journalism; Disaster Relief

When this story was posted in May 2010, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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