Many countries continue to work to provide relief to Haiti but another disaster has hit close to my home country of Peru. When a recent earthquake hit Chile it was graded as an 8.8 which is thought to be the seventh strongest earthquake in history.
This earthquake created a tsunami that hit the Chilean coast and warnings were issued for 53 other countries in the Pacific. Some reports said that the Huascar Monitor, anchored in Talcahuano harbor, had disappeared. This Peruvian flagship was captured and kept as a trophy in The War of the Pacific (1879-1884) between Peru, Chile and Bolivia. A national treasure in Chile, it was good to hear that the Huascar had been found and was ok. The ship is now back in her original position. Maybe Admiral Miguel Grau, known as "Knight of the Seas" for his chivalry, sailed her away and to a safe place during the danger.
What do you think? Do you know about this story? It begins with Chile and Bolivia fighting over salt. Peru entered the picture to make peace but soon found itself in the fighting. It is an epic tale and well worth the read.
Besides our relief that this ship safe, we should all look for ways to help Chileans in their time of need. Here is an idea from the Red Cross where you can text Chile to 90999 to donate $10 to help out.
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