February 27, 2010
Holy shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced. And we’re on the ground floor in a house — people up higher in tall buildings got rocked way more than we did.
I’m posting to let everyone know that we are ok. Thank you for all the concerned emails. Our whole family is good and I’ve heard from most of my friends who are also good.
So here’s what went down. I’ve been averaging about 3-4 hours of sleep a night this week. This morning we were supposed to have a session at 7:30am when the some came up! So I decided to do something unthinkably out of character, and go to bed before midnight. Of course, that means that I woke up around 2:30am feeling like I had just taken a nap and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I was awake for the whole thing.
At first, I thought it was just a tremor. Honestly, up until this point, I’ve slept through almost all of the tremors that have been strong enough to be felt. But the tremor felt strong so I started trying to wake up Seba.
“Seba, Seba…Seba, Seba…Seba!”
He wasn’t waking up, and all of a sudden the earthquake was so strong that the house was completely rocking and I heard cement and glass smashing to the ground. That was when I started to realize it wasn’t a tremor.
“Seba!!! ES UNO GRANDE!!!” or, “Seba!!! IT’S A BIG ONE!!!”
At that point we both got out of bed to try and go out into the patio so the house wouldn’t collapse on our heads. The fan had fallen over though and the cord was blocking the door, along with a piece of furniture that had shifted. Standing there, I felt like there was an ocean moving under the Earth, I could feel the ground move me as if I were riding a wave. We couldn’t get out the door so Seba shouted at me to get under a doorframe. Me, being the prepared little Gringa that I am, had just happened to read an Earthquake survival guide after Haiti. In it, it said that almost all the people who had been found alive were crouched next to large pieces of furniture, like the bed or a dresser, because that way when the ceiling falls, it hits the furniture and then a little triangle pocket of space is created next to it. So yelled back, “No! Remember the guide?”
Then it stopped. And Seba, being the prepared little Chilean that he is, found his flashlight, with batteries in it and everything, and turned it on right away. We ran to Seba’s parents room, and the Earth was still moving, but now it was like surfing a much smaller wave. Actually, I just felt really drunk, like I was about to fall over.
His parents were fine, just shaken. Seba’s Mom and I sat on the bed, while Seba and his Dad went upstairs to check on Tia Pacha, who lives with us. They walked away with the flashlight, leaving us in complete darkness, because at this point, the entire city of Santiago was without power. We could hear their feet crunching over broken glass through the kitchen and the living room, and at that moment, I got really scared. Up until that point pure adrenaline had kicked in and I’d felt very little fear. But sitting there alone in the dark and silence — that was terrifying.
The silence lasted for maybe two minutes, but I realized how odd of a sound that was. Santiago is never completely silent, there are always cars driving by, honking, busses passing, drunk people on the streets. The two minutes without those comforting noises felt like forever. And then one ambulance’s cries broke the silence. And then another, and another. We could hear cars moving again and sirens, a lot of sirens.
Seba and his Dad came back. We sat there with his parents a little while longer and then decided to try and go back to sleep. Laying there, aftershocks kept coming and some of them felt pretty big, and lasted quite a while. About two hours (or maybe less?) after the quake hit, the power came back on. Since we still weren’t sleeping, we got back up to go see if the news was on. MAD kudos to TVN. All the other channels were dead, but they had a newsgirl who looked like she had just rolled out of bed, no makeup on, wearing a crooked shirt, broadcasting the news as it came in. At first it was reassuring. One dead. Two dead. Five dead. We didn’t think it was that bad. They didn’t have their full video teams on the street and everything was still dark in most places, but eventually images started coming in — a church entirely caved in, a highway that fell. Thank goodness this happened at night and that people weren’t out on the streets driving. The number of casualties would have been far higher.
On CNN they say that the Earthquake was an 8.8 and that 122 people are dead. I hope that number doesn’t get much higher.
Aside from mad kudos to TVN, mad kudos to the entire country of Chile! Santiago has been in chaos, but at least it’s been a relatively organized chaos. The power came back on quickly. President Bachelet was up and in the main offices of the earthquake experts by the time the news was broadcasting, and less than three hours after the quake hit, she was in a meeting with her disaster relief team. Roads are now safe(r) to transit. I feel like we’re in good hands here.
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- @dregonzrob, hahaha, eating wall paper, that's a new one. Dog whisperer dato coming your way :)
- @lanapuckett, when we get back I'll have to introduce you to @gabrielrodriguez, @sebamilla and @sebastiankaulen!
- @dregonzrob, you need the dog whisperer!!!
- Brian McBride is announcing his retirement from the game today. He will go down in history for me as my favorite U.S. player ever. LOVE him.
- Caroline and Tommy should probably stop being this hot or somebody's going to catch on fire. http://tinyurl.com/2feozcy
- Writing w/ @imnotobsessed tomorrow early! Love catching people up on their daily dose of gossip and I <3 @inosherry, my online co-worker :)
So glad you're ok. We were trying to call since we heard at 9 am but there were no phones! We finally got in touch with family and friends via Facebook. Love to you both. Take care!
Comment by Cori — February 27, 2010 @ 8:53 am
Glad to hear that y'all are ok Kyle! Cuidense
Comment by nicklpadilla — February 27, 2010 @ 8:54 am
SO glad to hear you are safe and sound! You were the first person I thought of when I saw the news this morning.
Comment by capturinglife — February 27, 2010 @ 8:58 am
wow Kyle! your safety was our first thought and I'm SO happy you and Seba are ok!!!
Please STAY SAFE!!!
Comment by Erin Heeren — February 27, 2010 @ 9:07 am
I'm glad to hear you're ok! And not just because you owe me money
I hope things aren't too bad during the recovery process to come. I'm glad you have power back.
Comment by PastaQueen — February 27, 2010 @ 9:11 am
So glad to know. I think you've been through enough traumatic events now. Hope that's the last.
(BIG HUG)
Comment by Still Life in Southeast Asia — February 27, 2010 @ 9:13 am
So glad to know that everyone's safe and sound. Hugs!
Comment by Katie Alley — February 27, 2010 @ 9:50 am
I heard the news in the car a few hours after it happened (10am UK time) and my first thoughts were for you and Seba. So glad that you're all ok.
Thinking of you both x
Comment by elizaclaire — February 27, 2010 @ 9:55 am
I'm so glad that you and your family are safe. What a terrifying experience. Thank you for sharing.
Comment by Kristi Wright — February 27, 2010 @ 10:47 am
Hey, glad to hear you are okay! I happened to be awake when the earthquake hit. I am in the north, and I still felt the swaying, so it must have been crazy intense down there! I am also impressed with the way Chile has handled the situation.
Comment by Kathleen K. O'Connor — February 27, 2010 @ 10:58 am
Thank God! I immediately thought of you this morning when Mike told me that an earthquake had hit Chile. Kyle, it's time for you to come back to the good ol' USA where you DON'T get hit by cars and wake up to earthquakes! Seba and Papito can come with you, but I'm telling you, I think it's time. I worry that you're good luck will run out down there in Chile!
Comment by Haley — February 27, 2010 @ 10:58 am
So glad to hear you're okay! I'm still waiting to hear from some friends down in Chile! I couldn't contact felipe this whole morning and he was at the beach so I was freaking out! And I was hearing all these conflicting news reports that made me freak out even more! Man it sucks to be separated when something like this happens! Everyone I talked to so far seems like they're in complete shock! I have this one friend that lives here in Canada with me and is still waiting to hear from her Chilean boyfriend who happened to be on a trip in that area. My heart just completely goes out to her and to everyone else that is still anxiously waiting for news from loved ones and especially to those that lost loved ones!
Comment by gringagonesouth — February 27, 2010 @ 11:13 am
I just heard, crazy!!! I got shivers down my spine when I read this. My heart goes out to all those who experienced this…
Comment by As We Travel — February 27, 2010 @ 11:43 am
Glad to hear your are ok. For me as well it was one of the most frightening things I have ever experienced in my life. The worst thing was how long it lasted….it seemed like it wasn't ever going to end. I totally agree with you about how creepy that silence was post-earthquake. It was so short, but I never heard Santiago that quiet, and afterwards just madness – car alarms, ambulances, people yelling, crashing (I live right behind the church that caved). SO SCARY! Anyways glad you are ok and hopefully the réplicas will stop soon!
L
Comment by Leana — February 27, 2010 @ 12:05 pm
oh my stars, kyle. i'm so glad you and your family are safe!
Comment by Laura — February 27, 2010 @ 12:06 pm
Long-time reader, first time commenter, fellow expat gringa here (I'm in Mexico, though…). I was listening to the news and heard about the earthquake, and my first thought was to check in with you. Figured I'd de-lurk to say I'm glad you all are fine!
Comment by Sarita — February 27, 2010 @ 12:08 pm
Is there a way for us to talk on skype i would like to interview you for my radio show! my skype name is crotchshotradio
Comment by louiebee — February 27, 2010 @ 12:10 pm
Glad you and your family are OK. Thinking and praying for the rest of the people in Chile.
Comment by nicholemanner — February 27, 2010 @ 12:16 pm
OMG glad your okay!!!
Comment by chubbi — February 27, 2010 @ 12:34 pm
Wow, such a powerful post darling. I have goosebumps! You were the 1st person I thought of this AM when I turned on the TV and hear the news. Fingers crossed that the death toll doesn't rise. This is just all so sad. Please let me know if I can help in any way!!!
Comment by GlobalButterfly — February 27, 2010 @ 12:52 pm
I agree Kyle. Mad props to the Chilean government and their ability to get shit down in a disaster. Our cell phones were working in a mere 10 minutes post earth movement! I remember that when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit the SF Bay Area in 1989, we didn't have phone service until two days later!!
We ARE in good hands here … Chile is many things… and EFFICIENT (thus far) in an emergency is right up there!
Comment by Andrea Gonzalez — February 27, 2010 @ 1:24 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by paxlonglifelove: Here’s a guy blogging (in English) on the scene in Chile about the earthquake: http://www.kylehepp.com/massive-earthquake-hits-chile.html...
Trackback by uberVU - social comments — February 27, 2010 @ 11:42 am
Glad you're ok!
Comment by Christy — February 27, 2010 @ 1:55 pm
[...] Kyle [...]
Pingback by Man or Nature « Musings from inside, outside, and underneath — February 27, 2010 @ 12:40 pm
Kyle I am so glad you safe! And I really enjoyed reading your account of it…Stay safe!
Comment by Decoybetty — February 27, 2010 @ 2:53 pm
Glad to hear you are safe! Thanks for sharing your experience. My best friend was (and still is) in Haiti for the earthquake. Traumatizing. I'm glad it wasn't so bad in Santiago.
Comment by Addie — February 27, 2010 @ 3:57 pm
So. Glad. You. Are. Ok.
Comment by Kirsten Alana — February 27, 2010 @ 4:30 pm
The triangle of life theory is controversial – the Red Cross doesn't support it, and I'm sticking with their plan of ducking and covering until a new theory gets more widespread support. Just wanted to throw that out there in case some of these aftershocks get even stronger and you need to choose which survival plan to follow! But I'm glad you guys are all ok and that I was able to talk to you, albeit briefly.
You're totally right about it having been good this happened at the time it did. Everything would have been so much worse if more people had been on the roads.
Comment by emilyinchile — February 27, 2010 @ 6:49 pm
We are so glad you are all ok was thinking about you. Your poor Mom
Comment by spopma — February 27, 2010 @ 6:50 pm
SO glad to hear you're okay… I was thinking about you yesterday – and I had to check your blog first thing to see if you were safe! Thanks for the update – what a scary, scary experience. My thoughts are with your family and friends who have been affected…
hugs.
Comment by Christine P — February 27, 2010 @ 7:05 pm
Me alegra saber que esten bien, me acuerdo del terremoto del 85 en Santiago y fue muy feo.
Comment by Sebastian — February 27, 2010 @ 7:07 pm
Glad you, Seba and Seba's family are o.k. Keep us posted. Prayers to all there. We love you.
Comment by judyhepp — February 27, 2010 @ 8:22 pm
pssh, i was relatively surprised with how organized everything was…but lucky you guys in santiago. I JUST got online with electricity and its been almost a full day since then. i didnt get a phone line to let my parnets know i was ok til nighttime¡. i think i scared a number of people.
Comment by Lydia — February 27, 2010 @ 9:31 pm
So glad you're ok! Good to hear! x
Comment by kristyperkins — February 27, 2010 @ 9:32 pm
so glad you're ok! our thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
Comment by Laura — February 28, 2010 @ 12:11 am
SO GLAD you guys are okay and safe. Earthquakes are the scariest things out there (I should know, Puebla had a big on in 99 that still sends shivers down my back when I remember how it feels to have the ground shake beneath your feet!!)… Stay safe and hope things get back to normal as soon as possible.
Bises
Comment by Fned — February 28, 2010 @ 5:01 am
Glad you are ok!!!!!
Comment by DRL — February 28, 2010 @ 5:16 am
So Glad you are ok. I immediately thought of you after the news. Haiti, now Chile, I hope it stops at that!! The Chile Earthquake was in fact much more powerful that the Haiti earthquake but there are so much less deaths and chaos because you are in an organized country that has building codes and efficient institutions. So yes, you are in good hands… I will be following the news closely.
Comment by vanessa2010 — February 28, 2010 @ 6:50 am
[...] after all the earthquake madness happening all over Chile that I saw on TV, we stayed inside pretty much all day. At one point we ventured out to buy pop and [...]
Pingback by Aimee, Felipe & Evan | Fotografia de Familia, Maitencillo | Massive Earthquake News in Santiago, Chile « Kyle Hepp — February 28, 2010 @ 1:02 pm
Good to hear you are OK. 8.8 is something you will never forget, huh? Wow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s3YqIie1I8
Comment by John Evo — March 1, 2010 @ 1:30 am
Kyle! so excited to find your post and get first-hand report from a person in Santiago! Claire has only been able to reach us briefly to reassure us that they are okay, and otherwise we know so little. THANK YOU for your post. Keep them coming, if you can!
Claire Jarvis' mom
Comment by barbarabothers — March 1, 2010 @ 6:07 am
[...] If you want to read her blog post about it all, click here. [...]
Pingback by INO Mommy » Blog Archive » My Writer In Chili Is Ok – Thanks For The Emails — March 1, 2010 @ 6:38 am
So glad you were able to get through. That must have been torture not knowing
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 8:53 pm
Thanks Nick, we're good!
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 8:54 pm
It was pretty crazy. We are very lucky.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 8:55 pm
We will! Thanks, Erin
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 8:56 pm
Haha, PastaQueen, I like people who can make me laugh in the face of tragedy.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 8:58 pm
And I thought 2010 would be a calmer year!
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 8:59 pm
We are so lucky!
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 8:59 pm
We are ok and so is everyone we know!
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:00 pm
It was definitely something I will never forget.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:02 pm
Chile has been great so far, time will tell how they do rebuilding.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:03 pm
Haha, I think I have 9 lives but even so that would mean that i have already used up 3.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:05 pm
That must have been so scary! I am really really happy that Felipe's whole family is OK.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:08 pm
My heart goes out to those suffering in the south as well.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:09 pm
It was terrifying! I didn't notice how long it lasted but i couldn't believe how strong it was.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:10 pm
I am glad too. I feel very fortunate.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:11 pm
Thank you so much for your thoughts. Next time don't wait for an earthquake to comment
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:13 pm
Sorry, my skype is not working well right now.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:14 pm
Thank you so much for your prayers.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:14 pm
It was scary but we are totally fine.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:15 pm
I hate hearing the news because the death toll just keeps getting higher and higher
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:16 pm
You are lucky. It's Tuesday and we just got relatively normal cell phones usage back.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:17 pm
Electricity seems to be random because some comunas are just getting it back now.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:18 pm
Gracias!
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:19 pm
Thank you!
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:19 pm
Wow, your best friend probably has it way worst than we do.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:20 pm
Me too!
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:20 pm
Honestly, who has time to react and choose a plan anyways.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:22 pm
My poor mom was surprisingly calm, but very relieved to heard from us.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:23 pm
Thank you Christine.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:24 pm
Al parecer este fue mas fuerte que el del 85, o mas largo. De todas formas fue bastante aterrador.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:26 pm
Thank you aunt Judy!
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:26 pm
Muchas gracias!
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:26 pm
We appreciate it!
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:27 pm
It pretty scary to be in an earthquake, you have absolutely no control over anything. Thanks for your concern.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:29 pm
Thank you!
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:29 pm
This is definitely a time when i feel extremely fortunate to be living in Chile.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:30 pm
Definitely no!
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:33 pm
Good to heard from you Barbara. Don't worry, in Santiago things are not so bad.
Comment by kyleracine — March 2, 2010 @ 9:35 pm
So glad you were able to get through. That must have been torture not knowing
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 4:53 am
Thanks Nick, we're good!
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 4:54 am
It was pretty crazy. We are very lucky.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 4:55 am
We will! Thanks, Erin
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 4:56 am
Haha, PastaQueen, I like people who can make me laugh in the face of tragedy.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 4:58 am
And I thought 2010 would be a calmer year!
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 4:59 am
We are so lucky!
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 4:59 am
We are ok and so is everyone we know!
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:00 am
It was definitely something I will never forget.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:02 am
Chile has been great so far, time will tell how they do rebuilding.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:03 am
Haha, I think I have 9 lives but even so that would mean that i have already used up 3!
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:05 am
That must have been so scary! I am really really happy that Felipe's whole family is OK.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:08 am
My heart goes out to those suffering in the south as well.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:09 am
It was terrifying! I didn't notice how long it lasted but i couldn't believe how strong it was.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:10 am
I am glad too. I feel very fortunate.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:11 am
Thank you so much for your thoughts. Next time don't wait for an earthquake to comment
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:13 am
Sorry, my skype is not working well right now.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:14 am
Thank you so much for your prayers.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:14 am
It was scary but we are totally fine.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:15 am
I hate hearing the news because the death toll just keeps getting higher and higher
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:16 am
You are lucky. It's Tuesday and we just got relatively normal cell phones usage back.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:17 am
Electricity seems to be random because some comunas are just getting it back now.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:18 am
Gracias!
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:19 am
Thank you!
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:19 am
Wow, your best friend probably has it way worst than we do.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:20 am
Me too!
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:20 am
Honestly, who has time to react and choose a plan anyways?
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:22 am
My poor mom was surprisingly calm, but very relieved to heard from us.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:23 am
Thank you Christine.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:24 am
Al parecer este fue mas fuerte que el del 85, o mas largo. De todas formas fue bastante aterrador.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:26 am
Thank you aunt Judy!
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:26 am
Muchas gracias!
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:26 am
We appreciate it!
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:27 am
It pretty scary to be in an earthquake, you have absolutely no control over anything. Thanks for your concern.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:29 am
Thank you!
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:29 am
This is definitely a time when i feel extremely fortunate to be living in Chile.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:30 am
Definitely not!
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:33 am
Good to heard from you Barbara. Don't worry, in Santiago things are not so bad.
Comment by kyleracine — March 3, 2010 @ 5:35 am
[...] morning my bed started shaking again — not violently like it did on the night of the 8.8, but shaking quite a bit nonetheless. I got up in a flash and stood in the doorway — not that [...]
Pingback by Kyle Hepp Photography — March 11, 2010 @ 8:47 am
[...] the lights are out and unlike the rest of Chile, we did not stockpile batteries and water after the giant earthquake. Maybe we’re the stupid ones. Because when I say the lights are out, I mean, the lights are [...]
Pingback by Kyle Hepp Photography — March 14, 2010 @ 6:30 pm
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