Coastal British Columbia on tsunami watch
Early this morning, a quake of 8.8-magnitude struck central Chile, and the country’s President Michele Bachelet declared a “state of catoshrophe.” Many older buildings collapsed and the power is out. The death toll is beyond 200 and rising. Bachelet appealed to the residents to stay calm, that the “system is functioning.” Nonetheless, people were urged to stay home and not to travel. Also, after a big wave hit Robinson Crusoe Islands, 660 kilometres off the Chilean coast, tsunami warnings have now been issued to other areas, including parts of South America, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines, Russia and many Pacific islands. A less severe advisory was issued for British Columbia, where low-lying coastal areas and beaches are at risk.