Lucky Mexico: 7.9 Earthquake

article from March 22, 2012

By Jamie Douglas

As one who was in Mexico City 48 hours after the disastrous quake in 1985, I was extremely concerned when I heard the first reports of a 7.9 earthquake hitting the home of the Distrito Federal. As sometimes happens, first reports do not convey the full extent of a catastrophe like the one in 1985. It was through a network of HAM radio operators that I first received word and, together with a friend, set out from Brownsville in a station wagon loaded to the hilt with bandages, sutures, plaster cast materials, antibiotics and whatever else the good people from the region donated when we urged them to bring supplies to the international bridge, where we were waiting to depart.

Nothing could have prepared us for what we encountered when we got to Mexico City. The destruction was amazing and a layer of dust still hung over the city. Individual citizens were still digging by hand in the ruins looking for loved ones. Just like the earthquake that shook the nation a couple of days ago, it was centered off the coast of Guerrero state, and Mexico City, being built over an old lake bed, suffered the most, as soil liquefaction caused many of the tall buildings to lean and collapse.

There were scenes of absolute horror everywhere, most hospitals were destroyed and there was no water or electricity, so when nightfall came, there was just an eerie collection of fires burning in the street and one could still hear the cries of some of the buried victims.

When I first heard about the current seismic event, it was from friends in Michoacán who related the severity of the shaking, while at the same time assuring me that there was little damage. As the reports started coming in from the D.F., it became clear that, at least for the moment, the megalopolis was intact. Obviously, strict new building codes put in place when 1985’s rebuilding began saved the day.

The Mexican newspaper El Universal stated today that the damages were hovering at about Mex$45 million, and likely to go up some, but Marcelo Ebrard, the head of government of the D.F. announced that most of the damages were covered by insurance. As of last night, March 21, 99% of electricity has been restored, 300,000 households were still without water and a force of workers were repairing the A Line of the subway, where approximately 120 meters (400 feet) of track has been displaced by the massive seismic event.

Overall, for an event of this magnitude, things are returning to normal quite rapidly, the streets have been cleared of most debris and fortunately, aside from a few isolated but sometime serious injuries from falling bricks and mortar, there has not been one single fatality reported.

The countryside nearer to the epicenter is mostly made up of small towns, many of the buildings being mud bricks. But since the 1985 quake, much more steel-reinforced concrete is in use, which was able to resist the force of the tremor. The epicenter was about 100 km straight east of Acapulco. The governor of Guerrero state announced that about 800 dwellings were destroyed, but there were no casualties there or in neighboring Oaxaca state, where US President Barack Obama’s daughter Malia was on a class trip.

Jamie Douglas

San Rafael, Mendoza

I encourage you to write me at cruzansailor [at] gmail [dot] com with any questions or suggestions you may have. Disclaimer: I am not in any travel-related business. My advice is based on my own experiences and is free of charge (Donations welcome). It is always my pleasure to act as a beneficial counselor to those who are seekers of the next adventure.

South America News Roundup Oct 18, 2011: Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia

article from October 18, 2011

By Jamie Douglas

Argentina: Vog

For those of us living in some parts of Argentina, yesterday morning brought a renewal of the ash fall from Chile’s Puyehue Volcano. Instead of the crisp blue skies we have been getting accustomed to, we are under a blanket of vog (volcanic smog). On Sunday, I got up around dawn to let the dog out, and there was a heavy layer of what I thought was fog about 300 meters to the south which, it turns out, was that unpleasant ash, having drifted north and then east, once again wreaking havoc with air transportation across the region. All flights in and out of Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza and Montevideo have been grounded, and there is absolutely no service to the rest of the country. Hopefully we will not see another repeat of the situation a few months ago, when Australia and New Zealand were affected likewise. Sleep sweet Puyehue, sleep!

Venezuela: Hugo

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez is back in Cuba for a complete checkup, after his fourth and final chemotherapy treatment. He appeared at the airport, joking that he was going to grow an afro when his hair resumed growing. The opposition has demanded that he come clean with his health status, stating that he was very ill, and he owed it to the country to reveal what type of cancer he had (probably prostate) as well as what his actual condition is and not treat it like a state secret. El Maximum Líder countered that he was in excellent health and that he would “sail” through the coming elections next year and be reelected. I think Venezuela could use a change!

Bolivia: Evo

Meanwhile in Bolivia, the coca-farmer president, Evo Morales, got spanked again by his constituents when close to 70% of the ballots for the election of his handpicked judges were turned in blank or spoiled. He not only had his cronies change the constitution to allow him to run again, but now he is going to stack the deck in every court having any constitutional powers. The people who put him into office, the indigenous masses of the country, are plenty pissed off at him for several breaches of trust, the latest being when police and military attacked peaceful protesters walking to the capital of La Paz to voice their protests against a Brazilian-financed four-lane highway through their tribal lands, which are supposed to be guaranteed to them. Evo ¿que pasa? Is the power of the presidency blinding you to your people’s needs?

You say “Falklands”, I say “Malvinas”

When it comes to delusional politicians, Argentina certainly has its share. Take for instance Argentine representative at the United Nations Jorge Argüello. His recent statements before the world body in regard to the Falkland Islands would make more sense if they had been uttered by a 3rd-world despot, but unfortunately, these moronic statements were made by the official representative of Argentina. Argüello claimed that the British government “hides information in London to the Europeans in Brussels and to the rest of the world” (whatever he means by that).

Also, in a recent address to an audience at the top Mexican university, UNAM, Ambassador Argüello said about the Falklands that, “England knows that if it cuts the social assistance and employment budget of the islands as it has done with other territories, it will lead to emigration to Argentina or South America, where the opposite thing is happening.” Huh?

While there is no doubt that the citizens of the islands lead a somewhat isolated existence, you would be hard-pressed to find even one resident of those cold and windy islands that would choose to live in Argentina or South America. But it makes for good propaganda. With the possibility of commercially viable deposits of crude oil, the residents of the Falkland Islands may end up being quite wealthy. It is solely for this reason that Argentina is rattling its plastic sabers all over the world, trying to get the support of other countries. But the United Nations made it quite clear how the destiny of the islands will be chosen: By a plebiscite of the residents living there! So come on Argentina, give it up. They were never your islands, and your claims are so far in the past.

Jamie Douglas

San Rafael, Mendoza

Where we have sheep, too, along with that Fine Malbec Wine!

I encourage you to write me at cruzansailor [at] gmail [dot] com with any questions or suggestions you may have. Disclaimer: I am not in any travel-related business. My advice is based on my own experiences and is free of charge (Donations welcome). It is always my pleasure to act as a beneficial counselor to those who are seekers of the next adventure.

Volcanoes, Sheep and Airlines: The Argentinean Ash Problem

article from October 4, 2011

By Jamie Douglas

Those of us living in the Southern Hemisphere are well aware of the effects of the Chilean volcanic eruption of Puyehue-Cordón Caulle. Flights in a large swath of South America had to be cancelled for weeks, and after the initial ash cloud had made its way around the world, flights in Australia and New Zealand had to be cancelled as well, causing massive disruption to peoples' travel plans and large losses for the air carriers.

The initial eruption from the Cordón-Caulle fissure occurred June 4, 2011, and by June 18, exactly two weeks later, the ash cloud had completed is circling of the globe. No human lives were lost. The dimensions of this natural disaster, however, keep growing. The economic impact of the Argentinean winter-sports tourist industry has been devastating, with almost the entire season lost due to the ash fall, closure of the airspace and the associated bad publicity.

The effect on livestock has been tragic, with thousands of cattle and horses having died because of lack of food and water as well as from ingestion of the fallen ashes. And in Argentine Patagonia, it is estimated that half a million sheep have perished. The ashes have not just contributed to the deaths of many of these sheep by way of ingestion of ash-covered forage, but have also diminished the amount of their available pasture. An additional complication has been the added weight of the volcanic emissions, which, when combined with rain, has created so much additional bulk that the poor creatures have been having difficulties moving about, and when they lie down, many simply cannot get back up.

Of course, the steady deposit of more ashes has complicated lives for the human population, as well. Aside from being harmful when inhaled, there is a constant struggle to keep roofs from collapsing under the weight of accumulated deposits, with traveling and routine trips to the store having become very hazardous. In some areas of the province of Chubut, the accumulations on roads are up to 1 meter, costing the Public Works Department a fortune to clear and maintain.

This is also a minor contributor to the hemorrhaging of cash that the government-owned Aerolineas Argentinas is suffering from. While the national airline enjoys a near-monopoly on domestic flights, it did not help things that, for a large portion of the winter season, the Patagonian ski areas were unreachable by air. For weeks, all flights from Buenos Aires south were cancelled, and on many days, no flights out of Buenos Aires operated at all. While sitting idly on the ground, the leasing fees, along with everything else involved, such as insurance, continued to accumulate.

The Argentinean flag carrier, sadly, has the distinction of being the third-most money-losing carrier in the world, with a loss of US$486 million in the past year. While that is serious money for the nation, consider Air India, which lost $1.2 billion over the same period. Government ownership always means that there need not be too much worry about efficiency, and of course, there is a lot that is allowed to fall between the cracks. But it all adds up in the end.

Jamie Douglas

San Rafael, Mendoza

I was introduced to that Fine Malbec Wine on an intercontinental flight on Aerolineas!

I encourage you to write me at cruzansailor [at] gmail [dot] com with any questions or suggestions you may have. Disclaimer: I am not in any travel-related business. My advice is based on my own experiences and is free of charge (Donations welcome). It is always my pleasure to act as a beneficial counselor to those who are seekers of the next adventure.

Volcanic Eruption in Southern Chile

article from June 6, 2011

By Jamie Douglas

On Friday, June 3, 2011, Southern Chile's Puyehue Volcano started erupting again. It threw an ash cloud 10km (6.25 mi) into the air and is accompanied by hundreds of temblors in the range of 4-5.5 on the Richter scale. The Chilean civil defense authorities called for an immediate evacuation of about 3,500 people living in the shadow of Puyehue.

By midday on Saturday, the debris started falling in nearby San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, where pebbles of 1- 2 cm were raining onto this Andean ski resort and the bordering Nahuel Huapi National Park. Civil defense authorities are urging all to stay indoors and not use automobiles or other motorized equipment, due to the possibility of severe damage from the ash fall. The ground is shaking.

Here is a list of some of the seismic activity yesterday:

M 4.9      2011/06/04 17:54     Depth 20.3 km    

M 4.7      2011/06/04 17:00     Depth 23.5 km     

M 4.8      2011/06/04 16:28     Depth 19.6 km     

M 4.6      2011/06/04 15:19     Depth 35.6 km     

M 4.6      2011/06/04 15:05     Depth 46.2 km     

M 4.7      2011/06/04 13:48     Depth 46.8 km     

M 4.7      2011/06/04 13:20     Depth 35.8 km     

M 4.8      2011/06/04 12:24     Depth 58.9 km     

Chile’s 1960 seismic event

In 1960, this same volcano erupted after Chile suffered the most intense earthquake in recorded history, a temblor of magnitude 9.5, which caused widespread destruction in the region as well as causing much death and destruction across the Pacific Basin. Sixty-one people in Hawaii were killed and the east-facing port of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii was wiped out. Waves as high as 35 feet were observed. Waves of 18-20 feet slammed into Northern Honshu in Japan, killing another 185 people and damaging or destroying several thousand homes. The Philippine Islands counted 32 dead and suffered severe localized destruction, while damages to Samoa and Easter Island were moderate and fortunately without any loss of life.

Along the Chilean coast from the southern tip of the Arauco Peninsula all the way to Quellon on Chiloe Island, the ground sank as much as 3-5 feet, while on Isla Guafo, the  surface rose a whopping 10 feet! Chile has experienced many seismic events of this and lesser magnitude, but it was the first time scientists were able to document a seismic event of this size. Two days later, Puyehue erupted in grandiose style, but not as severely as the current eruption.

The wisdom the Chilean dam projects (or lack thereof)

Now, the Chilean neoliberal government, led by Sebastián Piñera Echenique, a billionaire who bought himself the presidency, has approved the damming of the Baker and Pascua rivers in this highly active seismic zone, virtually endangering the entire population living downstream from the projected dams. I am all for hydroelectricity, as I grew up surrounded by it in Switzerland, and aside from the construction debris, it is very clean energy. The mountains in Switzerland, however, have been very stable for millennia, and the electricity does not have to be transported 2,000 miles away, which will result in a very large consequent line loss of what was initially put into the system. Considering that the electricity is destined to be used most heavily at the very northern end of the country, the players involved in the construction of the dams, and the subsequent destruction of thousands of acres of Valdivian forests, it is very easy to see how corruption within the Chilean government has made this possible.

Ash-fall from Puyehue Volcano

In Bariloche, the airport was closed on Saturday and Sunday, and a continuing eruption with the prevailing westerlies will bring major problems to this area that is world-renowned for its great skiing in the austral winter. The main winter sport season here starts on June 15, and continued lack of air service will deviate a lot of the aficionados to resorts further north in Mendoza province. Right now, the area looks as if it had a serious snowfall, with the entire landscape covered with a light-gray layer of volcanic ash. By Sunday afternoon, the ash-fall in Bariloche has subsided, and a shift in the wind is dropping most of the ashes in Chile, but Bariloche has a bear of a cleanup ahead of itself, and the winds may shift again. “Experts” are forecasting this event to last anywhere from days to weeks to months. I have taken the precaution of putting a couple of pillows and a comforter into our car that is parked in the open, instead of the carport, in case of seismic activity, at least for now.

Jamie Douglas

San Rafael, Mendoza

Where the Malbec wine is Always Fine!

[Image via Wikipedia]

I encourage you to write me at cruzansailor [at] gmail [dot] com with any questions or suggestions you may have. Disclaimer: I am not in any travel-related business. My advice is based on my own experiences and is free of charge (Donations welcome). It is always my pleasure to act as a beneficial counselor to those who are seekers of the next adventure.

What do Frogs Know about Plate Tectonics that Humans are Missing?

article from February 17, 2011

By Jamie Douglas

The Ring of Fire starts in Antarctica with Mount Erebus, works its way up the west coast of the Americas, from Chile to Alaska, and thence wraps itself around past the Kamchatka Peninsula, Japan, south to the Pacific Islands and New Zealand, circling right back to Mt Erebus, encompassing thousands of dead, dormant and active volcanoes, any of which could erupt with little notice – yes even the ones that are considered inactive.

A great part of the Caribbean islands are also of volcanic origin, with several that are still very active, and the plate tectonic activity below the surface leads to disastrous events like last year’s Haitian disaster that killed hundreds of thousands.

So, about the frogs...

Last week, on the fateful night of 11/12 February, when Egypt was rocking the world with its own seismic events, something very unusual happened at our house. At about 9 pm (21:00), my wife saw a little frog under my desk. I gently picked him up and put him outside. Now please be aware that during the year that we have been at this house, I have only seen a very rare frog outside.

Then there was another, and another, and another. We became literally overrun with these cute little frogs, to the point that we had to watch where we walked and, interrupting our Daily Show with Jon Stewart watching, we set about liberating the frogs, one by one. All this time my accumulated trivial knowledge in my soft drive (brain) did not recall my having once upon a time read about how, in the orient, particularly, in Japan, they had carefully observed animal behavior to predict earthquakes. I never put the two together. We don’t even have any idea how or why they came in the house. I suspected that they wanted to watch the Daily Show with us, but my wife Julie is somewhat squeamish about creatures in the house [Editor’s Note: only because I startle easily, not because I fear cute little frogs], so it was best they go. We finished watching a couple of more episodes, and then Julie went to sleep while I set to writing an article for my expat blog.

Much later, after I had joined her in bed, I heard noises, like the roof creaking and some plaster hitting the ground. It was a minor temblor, of which we get quite a few. Then it occurred to me that the frogs, in their haste to escape from underground, should have been a warning sign to us, and indeed, we live only 6 km from the place in the Chilean Andes where, at that time, an aftershock of 6.8 hit.

The Earth has continued to rumble after the big 8.8 quake last February 27, where over 500 people tragically lost their lives. To see just how active this region is, check out the USGS seismic activity map of Chile.

All this, of course, is the natural course of evolution of a planet with a liquid core, upon which floats what is known as “the surface.” There is sure to be more to come, large and small, so pay attention to our amphibian friends.

Be good to the frogs, maybe occasionally kiss one – you never know which one is the right one!

Jamie Douglas

Chacra Ushuaia, Patagonia

[Photo by Jamie Douglas]

I encourage you to write me at cruzansailor [at] gmail [dot] com with any questions or suggestions you may have. Disclaimer: I am not in any travel-related business. My advice is based on my own experiences and is free of charge (Donations welcome). It is always my pleasure to act as a beneficial counselor to those who are seekers of the next adventure.

Haiti Earthquake vs. Chile Earthquake and Recovery

article from December 13, 2010

By Jamie Douglas

This year has brought two major natural disasters in the form of the massively destructive earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. Haiti, being the poorest nation in the hemisphere, never mind its decades-long political instability, seems to have suffered the most, as the infrastructure was not in place for dealing with a catastrophe of this scale.

After a natural disaster such as the ones that befall these two nations, it is only normal that people start “looting.” But it must be understood that the people who were raiding the supermarkets for water and food were not looters; rather, they were looking to survive and take care of their families, as social order had broken down. However, when you see people coming out of stores with flat-screen TVs, washing machines and domestic appliances, I think you can apply the term “looter” without reservation.

Earthquake in Haiti

After the earthquake in Haiti, all hell broke loose. The prison collapsed, the Presidential Palace collapsed like a wedding cake, and the harbor was damaged to the point where it was not possible for the first rescuers to land. The international community rallied, promising billions of US$ in aid and sending emissaries, including two former US presidents, Bush and Clinton, to the scene, in a show of moral support. It was during that ex-presidential visit where one could really see that Kanye West’s statement that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” had some truth to it.

While President Clinton and President Bush were in the crowd, after someone shook Bush’s hand, he actually wiped his hand on President Clinton’s shirtsleeve, as if he had touched something toxic. Rebuilding in Haiti really is stalled, and now the cholera outbreak, torrential rains and passing hurricanes have made things even worse for the populace there. Rumors were spread that the cholera bacillus was being spread by Nepalese UN soldiers, which turned out to be true, although it was the result of leakage from one of Haiti’s own sewage pipes.

No real rebuilding is going on there, with the exception of a few luxury properties, and most of the billions that have been promised have not materialized. There is no “Operation Bootstrap,” where those who help themselves get help. Instead, the victims are living in tents and under tarps, on top of the ruins of their country. Very few are making an effort to try to rebuild their homes and businesses. Commerce is done in the open, crime is rampant, and they are still waiting for help that will never arrive. Reconstruction will have to be accomplished somehow by the citizens of Haiti themselves.

Earthquake in Chile

I was watching live pictures from the earthquake zone in Chile on TV just after it happened, and there was some looting there as well, but within 48 hours, the Army and Carabineris had established curfews and were guarding properties. Then came the heavy equipment that started demolishing properties that were unsafe. People were sleeping in the streets and helping each other out as well as they could. There were a few bad incidents as well, which should not be overlooked, but within a few days, repairs and rebuilding had begun. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton arrived, hugged people, shook hands, promised aid and did not wipe her hand on anyone. And today, Chile is way ahead in the recovery phase compared to Haiti. Aid was quick in being delivered to Chile from all of its neighbors, and no Christian aid groups tried to steal children and smuggle them to a neighboring country. In fact, because Chile is overwhelmingly Catholic, there was very little aid offered from the American evangelicals.

Haiti just can´t catch a break

Haiti is a lot closer to the USA than Chile, but Haiti has had so much bad press in the USA that people just did not really care that much. Could it be because they are all poor and black? Or could it be that they are not just the poorest, but also the most corrupt country in the hemisphere? Ever since the French left their former colony impoverished and in ruins, things have just been going downhill for the regular Haitians. When they do make a desperate attempt to reach the shores of the USA, they are incarcerated by the Home of the Free, while Cubans benefit from the “wet foot, dry foot” policy, which gives them automatic asylum if they manage to crawl onto a beach in the Florida Keys.

What Haiti needs is not money – nor missionaries. They need rebar, cement, building blocks, pipes, water treatment plants and lineman, just to mention a few items. Any monetary donations will be abused by agencies all over the world as overhead and salaries, and the little that will trickle down to Haiti surely will be absconded with and end up in corrupt officials’ bank accounts in the Cayman Islands and Panama.

And now, the recent rigged elections and riots that followed ...and Sarah Palin?

Jamie Douglas in Patagonia

[Image of Haitian Presidential Palace via Wikipedia]

I encourage you to write me at cruzansailor [at] gmail [dot] com with any questions or suggestions you may have. Disclaimer: I am not in any travel-related business. My advice is based on my own experiences and is free of charge (Donations welcome). It is always my pleasure to act as a beneficial counselor to those who are seekers of the next adventure.