8.8 Earthquake Puts Chile In State Of Emergency

By STORMTRACKER 13 Chief Meteorologist Matt Meister & staffm.meister@krdo.com

SANTIAGO, CHILE — A state of emergency declared in Chile Saturday morning after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the country for approximately 90 seconds. Officials say at least120 people are confirmed dead and the toll is expected to rise as damage assessments continue.

The quake hit central Chile near the capital, Santiago. Buildings have collapsed and powerand utilities areout. Officials say it is difficult to tell how much damage has been done, but with about 500 times more energy released than the recent quake in Haiti, damage could be catastrophic in some areas as light dawns.

Chilean President MicheleBachelet declared a “state of catastrophe” earlySaturday morning.

In a statement from the WHite House this morning,President Obama said theUS has resources in position to deploy should Chile ask for help

The quake created a large wave that reached the Robinson Crusoe Island, off the coast of Chile. Tsunamiadvisories have been issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center for much of thePacific Ocean. In Hawaii, a Tsunami Warning, the highest level of alert, has been posted.Local warning sirens will sound in Hawaii at 6am local time as current projections are for waves of up to 5 meters to arrive in Hawaii at 11:19am local time. The entire coastline is vulnerable, regardless of direction. Other Pacific Islands, Japan, Russia and Australia are also under Tsunami Warnings. In the 1960s, a 9.5 quake in Chile caused Tsunamis across the Pacific Ocean.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.