Santiago, Chile (CNN) — A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake rocked Chile early Saturday, killing at least 147 people and triggering tsunami warnings for the entire Pacific basin.
Warning sirens were sounded in Hawaii at 6 a.m. (11 a.m. ET), although any possible tsunami would not strike for several hours. Tsunamis can travel at 400 to 500 mph — the speed of a jet plane, said Georgia Tech geology professor Kurt Frankel.
A large wave killed three people and 10 were missing on the island of Juan Fernandez, 400 miles (643 km) off the coast of Chile, said Provincial Governor Ivan De La Maza.
On mainland Chile, the task of trying to save survivors and recover the dead was fully under way. Buildings lay in rubble, bridges and highway overpasses were toppled and roads buckled like rumpled paper. Mangled cars were strewn on several highways, many of the vehicles coming to rest on their roofs.
Regarding building codes: If the New Madrid Seismic Zone were to come alive, how prepared would Memphis be for a major earthquake?
I feel for the Chileans. Pretty damned strong quake.
But for those falling into sheeple-like cult behavior regarding this quake, let me tell you that quakes in Chile come as often every year as the number of artists that give a concert on the Vinha Del Mar Music Festival there.
Of course they’re not as strong as this one, but they’re as used to quakes as a Japanese or even more then Californians.