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Big earthquake in Chile
Massive earthquake in Chile today, hope Antonio and Lonewolf are ok in Peru, big tsunami generated and we are getting moderate warnings issued here.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-34275783
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-34275783
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― Douglas Adams
Didn't felt a thing and although we had a Tsunami alert (Local authorities issue 3 increasing degree of potential risk: Warning, alert and if dangerous waves are incoming, alarm) that lasted for our city until around 9:00 p.m. local time. Living just 4 blocks away from the coastline, we have to keep monitoring this seriously; fortunately we have a safe "refugee area" at my parents' home, 25 minutes highway drive inland, so just have to keep the trucks with gas, some emergency food for the girls and the dogs.......and guns & ammo at close hand! Other than an unusual sea level rise, waves went almost unnoticed.
In-laws in Chile & other wife's relatives over there are OK too; sister-in-law says that they were already home after work and although it was long-lasting and felt VERY hard, no harm done; later some replicas were felt, with one of them close to the original quake, but they were calmed and no material damage done.
"Ground zero" was like 160 miles South of Santiago, the capital city; Tsunami waves hit some coastal towns and cities and caused some damage, but not even close to the 2010 earthquake. So far 10 dead are reported, but apparently most had heart attacks or were trapped by collapsing derelict constructions.
They have a strict construction code and constantly exercise quake and Tsunami evacuation drills, both State and privately-organized; unlike us, they take these things very seriously since the 2010 quake and are much better prepared to face such situations.
Friday is their Independence day but all State festivities are suspended....in-laws will probably stay put at home, but at least here I'm not going to miss the "empanadas" :drool2: at my sister-in-law's home, nor are the girls going to avoid wearing their typical Chilean dresses her visiting grandma is currently sewing.
Had to look up 'empanadas'. Those sound VERY good! Have a good time at your SILs home. And if it's not too much trouble, a picture or three of the food and stuff would be nice! Take care!
― Douglas Adams
Preparedness is what in case a really BIG one strikes will greatly reduce the number of casualties, specially considering that in 1906 (Valparaiso, main Chilean port 100 miles West of Santiago) and 1960 (Valdivia, biggest Southern Chilean city) they had over 3,000 and 2,000 deaths respectively, with a much lower population density, being the latter the most powerful ever registered worldwide, with a 9.5 intensity in the Mercali scale (Lasted 10 minutes!) that leveled the city and that triggered a Tsunami that killed a lot of people in Chilean coastal towns and caused damage even in Hawaii and Japan; also triggered a nearby volcanic eruption that almost caused a huge lake flooding that risked the lives of over 100,000 people living in the area, but fortunately it was prevented by an heroic 2-month long struggle of volunteers and emergency crews equipped with a handful of bulldozers (The "Riñihuazo" incident) that managed to slowly drain the enormous trapped water mass
"Empanadas" are basically the same as an Italian "Calzone"; each S.A. country has its own version but with different kind of cooking procedure (Most are oven-baked but some could be fried), size, filling recipe & ingredients, and dough.
Chilean ones are usually hand-sized, oven baked (Firewood is preferred) with thin dough and filled with either a mix of seafood, plain cheese or "pine", as those filled with grounded beef, onions and spices are called. You can add a few drops of lime juice or chili sauce as you eat them to add an extra touch of flavor too.
When over there in my in-laws country house, my M.I.L. will make them from scratch and use the mud oven & firewood to cook them; usually with a couple of them you're good to go!
Another typical food they serve in these reunions is called "Completos" (Completes), basically hot-dogs topped with chopped fresh tomatoes, mayonnaise and mashed avocado....not very sophisticated but delicious anyway; will take & post the pics you're asking for.
― Douglas Adams
:drool:
Pictures as asked; couldn't take a lot since my S.I.L. had a bunch of hungry guests ans I risked ending up ordering a KFC delivery!:
M.I.L. concluded that empanadas weren't enough, and making the Chilean-style hod-dogs I mentioned above wouldn't fill everyone's expectations, so Spanish as she is, ended up cooking a delicious "Paella" for everyone....and no one complained!:
For those who don't know, it's cooked using mainly rice and all the vegetables, assorted meats & seafood you can put your hands on, using usually a seafood broth as "base". Everything is added at different stages of the cooking procedure, made in a big flat pan (Called "Paella", thus the name of the dish) with a mid/slow fire until all the ingredients are properly (But not over) cooked and the broth has evaporated, leaving kind of a Risotto.......delicious!
Here's the empanada; pic is a tad blurry due to the steam coming out of it since they had been pulled out of the oven only seconds above, and had to cut mine in half to let it get cool enough to be edible; it has a chunk of boiled egg stuffed between the meat & onion filling:
Had a couple of those hand-sized "entrees" since I wanted to leave space for the Paella.
Finally, my Chilean & our 2 "half Chileans" posing with the Tex....err, Chilean flag :jester: and dressed in typical "Chinitas" (Little Chinese) dresses (That's how they call them over there, with no relation to the Asian country...apparently that's the way ladybugs are called in the country) made by my M.I.L.:
Boy, they've grown up!
Felt a little as a gringo in a "Cinco de Mayo" celebration, but me and my stomach had a nice, multicultural evening. Diet starts today (Again).
Those are a couple of cute kids in the dresses. And your M.I.L. did a great job on the dresses for those two. Much nicer than could be bought in a store.
― Douglas Adams
Cute as can be too
Isn't it great when a potentially tragic topic regarding a forum member turns into a good one? So far the family balance in Chile is positive; no personal harm whatsoever and little if any material damage (Murphy's laws at their best: The most expensive and therefore fragile ornaments usually fall from the highest shelves). In-laws opted for relaxed holidays enjoying a little sun and some BBQ at the family's country house, and we all hope mother nature stays put for a while.
Girls are growing strong, almost a year old in a few days; grandma is indeed crafty, and I think she's losing money! Amazing things she can do knitting and handling the sewing machine like a gun nut running a progressive reloading press!
Glad you guys are all OK and them little girls are cute as a button and a handful, I'll bet!
Words of wisdom from Big Chief: Flush twice, it's a long way to the Mess Hall
I'd rather have my sister work in a whorehouse than own another Taurus!
Thanks; playful but very well-behaved even in public; mom likes to run a tight ship (As tight as possible as you can with a couple of 11-month old girls).
Very tolerant to people, noise, other children and out-of-their-routine situations, while pretty attached to their almost Prussian play/sleep/eat schedule; they're just stating to "walk" and therefore interact (Under close supervision) by themselves with the world, so we'll see in the future. As many of you can testify, daughters are a COMPLETELY different package than usually simpler-to-handle boys.