As we all know the earthquake in Haiti was devasting emotionally and physically. The earthqauke in Haiti had a magnitude of 7.0, and it caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and practically destroyed the country of Haiti. Thousands of people were left injured and homeless. Many people were trapped under rubble either dead or unconsious. However Haiti had full support from countries all over the world to help it get back to its feet.
However a couple of days ago, Chile had an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8. Now heres where it gets weirder. Haiti had an earthqauke with a magnitude of 7 and Chile with 8.8. So why did more people die in Haiti then in Chile? Well, Chile is wealthier and infinitely better prepared, with strict building codes,sturdy emergency response and a long history of handling seismic catastrophes. No living Haitian had experienced a quake at home when the Jan. 12 disaster crumbled their poorly constructed buildings. By contrast, no Chilean urban area suffered more than "severe" shaking the third most serious level Saturday in its 8.8-magnitude disaster, by USGS measure. The quake was centered 200 miles (325 kms) away from Chile's capital and largest city, Santiago. In terms of energy released at the epicenter, the Chilean quake was 501 times stronger. But due to Chile's experience with earthquakes (such as the one in 1960 which was known as the world's most powerful earthquake) and due to there wealth and strict building codes millions of people survived.http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/hot_stories/compare-chile-quake-haiti-quake-20100227t
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