|
Update on Tuesday’s 8.2 Magnitude Earthquake in Chile
In country reporting by McLarens adjusters and associates largely corroborates public press reports of localized non-severe damage. The following adjuster observations may be of interest to organizations with commercial interests there. McLarens Chile General Manager Patrick Hardy in Santiago reports “In Iquique there are many disruptions in public services; areas of the city do not have an electric supply, which in turn leaves buildings without water as they cannot operate pumps. There is also a fuel shortage and a shortage of basic foods. However, the population and general atmosphere in the city is remarkably calm despite the fact that there have been a number of aftershocks, one of which gave rise to an evacuation due to a new tsunami warning. “As to earthquake losses, apparently not a single building has been evacuated due to structural damage. Damage to buildings appears to be modest; my associate Carlos Jiménez has not seen any building with structural damages, and local business has ratified this. I have seen photographs of buildings that we have inspected and the damage appears superficial. Bearing in mind that commercial earthquake deductibles are usually 1% of the sum insured, it is likely that many losses will be below the deductible. “Damage appears to be more severe in Alto Hospicio, a town that is inland from Iquique. However, this is a relatively impoverished residential area, with few, if any, high value properties. The road between Iquique and Alto Hospicio was damaged and blocked by landslides, but one lane has been reopened. “Sergio Saez is in Arica, but was only able to get into Arica this afternoon (Thursday), so he has not seen a lot of the city. However, it seems that the situation in Arica is better than Iquique. The supply of electricity and water has been restored to the entire city, and classes at local schools will re-commence tomorrow. Sergio has not seen any serious damage. The Arica port terminal only has minor damages, and all their facilities are operational.” Organizations with interests in the impacted areas may contact their regular McLarens representative, or the McLarens Coordinators listed below, to place instructions or loss reports. |
|
Coordinators:
|
