Today in History: Chile Suffers Devastating Earthquake Followed by Tsunami

by M.C. Millman 

Thirteen years ago, on February 27, 2010, at 3:34 a.m., Chile experienced an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that shook six Chilean regions occupied by 13 million people for three long minutes.

The earthquake, the fifth strongest one recorded to date, triggered a tsunami that wiped out and destroyed coastal towns across south-central Chile and impacted  California and Japan.

President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" as the army was deployed to assist affected areas as 93% of the counter went without power. Three hundred seventy thousand homes in Chile, belonging to nine percent of the population, and numerous other buildings were damaged by the earthquake or burned in the subsequent fire in Santiago, Chilie's capital.

Over 1,000 landslides took place in the Maule region of Chile after the earthquake. 

The Chilean quake killed 525 people and cost between $4-$7 billion in damage.