February 5, 2017 Sunday edition of the Boston Globe.
The fires are now under control but for many Bostonians, this story about historically massive wildfires in south-central Chile, on one of the last pages of the first section, was one of the only ones to appear in my local paper while was in Nogales, Chile for two weeks.
QUOTE "The ferocity of the blazes led President Michelle Bachelet to issue a state of emergency, deploy troops, and seek international aid. Supertanker planes from the United States and Russia have dumped thousands of gallons of water on the area.
In all, some 20,000 people, including firefighters and experts from a dozen countries, have battled the wildfires that Bachelet has called the worst forest disaster in Chile’s history. At least 11 deaths have been blamed on the fires." END QUOTE.
On February 4, President Michelle Bachelet declared that the Wildfire Emergency Is About to End
QUOTE According to the latest report of the Onemi emergency management office, a department of the Interior Ministry, the fires left 11 dead, 6,370 affected and 1,603 homes destroyed.
The government said Friday that the forest fires' preliminary cost has reached 233 billion pesos (some $333 million), money invested chiefly in helping the thousands of people affected by the flames.END QUOTE
Chile is not a subject of news often unless there is an equally devastating earthquake or tsumami. We are connected with it more through fruits, flowers, and vegetables than through disasters.
Links to a list of organizations involved in relief efforts is at the bottom of this link. One of the six organizations is for relief to the people in Santa Olga in which 1200 homes were burned to the ground. The list is in Spanish but you get the idea.
I can't vouch for how well the organizations are run but do know how good it feels to donate to a worthy cause. Despite the turmoil going on around us in America, Americans are really good at donating to others whose lives have been turned upside down.
Check this translated page about desafiolevantemoschile. Let your conscience be your guide.
https://cl.usembassy.gov/u-s-government-assists-fight-chilean-forest-fires/
https://www.desafiolevantemoschile.cl
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