Massive Earthquake In Chile

One of Steve's favorite 'apps' on his cell phone is his earthquake monitor. During rehearsal downtime, we sometimes sit and ponder the strength of quakes in Tonga, the Kuril Islands, and even the recent unexpected tremor near Chicago.

Last night, Steve left the theater about midnight. I was locking up the theater when Steve returned in a frantic rush with the news that an 8.2 magnitude (since upgraded to 8.8) quake had struck Chile. This would be one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded, and an utter catastrophe anywhere near the epicenter.

At the restaurant after the show, Travis recalled that the 9.5 magnitude 1960 Chilean earthquake was the largest ever recorded. Christine knew of a contingent of Chilean students attending UCD. She said, "they will be completely freaking out!"

Today, stunned Chileans are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. Tsunami warnings are racing round the world. In New Zealand:

A tsunami surge of water measuring one metre has reached Northland.

Civil Defence Minister John Carter said the surge reached Tutukaka Harbour, north of Whangarei.

A 40cm surge has reached Gisborne, while Pitt Island in the Chathams has been hit by a 1.5 metre surge and consistent one metre surges.

In Hawaii, a live blog announces:

12:35pm 3rd wave hit Oahu, they are not getting bigger than 3 ft. But they have not signalled a cancellation of the warning yet.

12:06 second wave has just hit and receding from Hilo, HI. Oceanographer can't predict what will hit Oahu and says the next 2 hours is the final window. Ventura, CA is reporting damage from their tsunami. Jeez, who saw that coming?