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Chile quake’s estimated losses high, damage to several coastal towns

September 18, 2015   by Canadian Underwriter


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The U.S. Geologic Society is reported to have made a loss estimate from the 8.3-magnitude earthquake in Chile on Sept. 16 – emphasizing it is early on and the range is far from concrete – of as much as US$1 billion.

Noting it is “far too early to provide an economic loss projection,” BNamericas quoted USGS as reporting that there was a 52% chance “of losses being between US$100 million and US$1 billion.”

The USGS also noted an 18% likelihood of “economic damages exceeding US$1 billion, and a 29% chance of economic losses being less than US$100 million,” reports BNamericas.

Damage reported in coastal towns following Chile quake

Catastrophe modelling firm AIR Worldwide reports the quake struck off the coast of central Chile, triggering a hazardous tsunami and causing damage to coastal cities. The earthquake, near Coquimbo, struck at 7:54 pm local time and “caused significant damage to several coastal towns in central Chile and prompted about 1 million people to evacuate their homes,” notes an AIR statement Thursday.

The company cites the USGA as reporting that several strong aftershocks have occurred, including one magnitude 7.0 and several exceeding magnitude 6.0.

The quake “was the strongest to strike Chile since the devastating 2010 M8.8 event in Maule,” which was 5.6 times stronger in terms of energy than the recent quake and triggered a massive eight-metre tsunami, reports Mehrdad Mahdyiar, AIR’s vice president and senior director of earthquake hazard research.

The heaviest damage was reported in Illapel, 46 km from the epicenter and about 280 km north of Santiago, where buildings along with several adobe homes have collapsed. In La Serena, some significant damage to a shopping mall was reported, while localized flooding from the tsunami was said to blocking roads.

“Power outages have affected about 250,000 people, including the entire city of Illapel and about 95% of Coquimbo,” the statement notes, leaving many people without access to drinking water and suspending operations at copper mines.

Related: Magnitude 8.3 earthquake hits Chile, prompts tsunami warning

AIR points out that the majority of residential buildings in urban areas of Chile are of masonry (reinforced, confined, and unreinforced) or reinforced concrete construction, while a notable portion of residential building stock, particularly among older structures, is of unreinforced masonry (URM).

“Seismic performance of (reinforced masonry buildings) masonry walls is considerably improved compared to URM walls. While these masonry structures tend to perform well during moderate earthquakes, their load-bearing walls may develop large cracks, which are costly to repair,” the statement notes.

As for URM, “this construction type is vulnerable to shake damage from earthquakes because these buildings tend to be heavy and brittle, and lack appropriate lateral load resisting systems,” AIR adds.

“Commercial and industrial buildings are generally constructed according to stricter standards than residential structures; however, building code enforcement varies within and across Chile,” the statement adds.

The earthquake “generated a tsunami that was recorded by multiple stations across the Pacific. At the source region, it occurred at low tide, which limited its inundation potential,” notes the statement from AIR Worldwide. “However, tsunami waves reached higher than three metres above tide level along parts of Chile’s coastline, causing some significant flooding,” it adds.

The heights were far lower in other areas, including a metre or less reported for Peru and Ecuador, parts of Mexico, Japan, Hawaii, New Zealand, Fiji and other South Pacific islands and parts of Russia, AIR Worldwide notes. In Southern California, the most noticeable wave height “was recorded in Ventura and was less than 0.5 metre.”

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