Chile Forum

Well the morning reports are looking good. The winds are with Futa, and there is sun and no new ash falls. Crossing our fingers.

I seen that they sent in a team of vets to Chaiten to gather up all the pets the could and take them out (450). They were vaccinating the animals they could not get out.

Yea, one of the problems is how few Chileans even know where these places are, let alone have visited them. Most Chileans in the central region would just freak at the remoteness and the condition of the roads in those area, and the transportation issues. We have been told by Chileans in the central regions that the dirt roads around Puerto Varas and Pucon are too bad to drive on even with 4x4. Compared to the main road between Chaiten and Futa, they are 5 lane autobahns.

We have a bank account!!!!!!!!!

Banco Estado:
Cuenta Corriente: 500 500 "Ayuda a damnificados de Chaitén"

Banco Estado SWIFT Number: BECHCLRM


It is the Palena Association which is composed of several groups from the region, including the tourism association of Futa.

We are still working on getting a pay pal system up and running to make it easier for people to donate.

This one I have to put on the spineless political board:

I see the SII (Chilean IRS) has come out with a tax exemption plan for the area. It seems in their infinite wisdom they are going to exempt people from paying property taxes in the area.

Only one problem with that. The people that most need the aid don't pay property taxes already. They are rural agricultural properties, and are exempt or pay next to nothing ( like 20,000 - 30,000 pesos a year ). This one smells of some guy in a Santiago office thinking he was some how helping the poor rural people, by relieving them of the sorts of property taxes he pays in las Condes or on his vacation property in Vina del Mar. At best it was done out of ignorance, and worse it was done out of pure political theater.

We will wait and see if that front gets any better.

all AA flights to EZE are cancelled until further notice.

eeuunikkeiexpat wrote:all AA flights to EZE are cancelled until further notice.

UA has followed the AA announcement RE suspension of all flights in and out of EZE. Carriers AR and LA domestic flights heavily impacted. Expect other airlines to follow the AA and UA announcements.

Ash present 20,000-25,000 feet north of Buenos Aires.

This is no longer a local disaster.

It now has regional and perhaps international aspects (weather modification, air cargo, food production/supply).

Please consider .....

We had reports that all flights south of the ash had been grounded to protect the planes from potential particle damage. They said it was not so much dangerous, as just hard on the planes.

As far as we know the nearest working airport to Futa is in Osorno, which is a 10-14 hour drive North through Argentina and back in to Chile.

My wife Zandra Valenzuela has just had a meeting with the dean at the Austral University Law School where she teaches. He has given her a team of 10 law students from the 3rd to 5th years to help with organizing the legal assistance program. He has also said once we get the list of people in need, issues, and concerns organized the University may be able to commit some funds to the project.

We are also going to put out feelers to other departments as the Austral University for other sorts of assistance, as it has one of the best agriculture, biology, and other science related programs in Chile.

Basically, they got all the goodies and funds that the region needs in terms of experts, mandate, and existing programs to do things that need doing down there without needing to reinvent things.

We are working on some other Universities also.

admin wrote:This one I have to put on the spineless political board:

I see the SII (Chilean IRS) has come out with a tax exemption plan for the area. It seems in their infinite wisdom they are going to exempt people from paying property taxes in the area.

Only one problem with that. The people that most need the aid don't pay property taxes already. They are rural agricultural properties, and are exempt or pay next to nothing ( like 20,000 - 30,000 pesos a year ). This one smells of some guy in a Santiago office thinking he was some how helping the poor rural people, by relieving them of the sorts of property taxes he pays in las Condes or on his vacation property in Vina del Mar. At best it was done out of ignorance, and worse it was done out of pure political theater.

We will wait and see if that front gets any better.

BAHAHAHAHA! KINDA LIKE A "GAS TAX HOLIDAY" YEEHAW! This will be awesome for the copper baron who has his multi-million mansion on the islet in Lago Lancanoa! Wish I had a picture to share, you would have to be scraping your eyeballs off the computer screen about now. Wowza, bet he needs that tax break more than Chile needs the revenue, huh?

This would not be so absurd if it were not for the fact that Charles is correct about agricultural properties here. I think they should revise it that everyone gets a 20,000 peso deduction on their taxes. Huh?

Vicki

Futa seems to be in a position to weather this thing, although they will come out tattered. The main issue being dispare, and vultures swooping in. Chaiten, on the other hand is one of the saddest situations in all of this mess. For both places, and the region, the best thing law students, and interested persons could do, is to call, and pester the powers in Santiago to protect these people in the short term by getting livestock relief in immediately to preserve the self-sufficient lifestyle of folks in this area, and to start a campaign of awareness for those who will not be able to return to Chaiten (warning them of unsavory, unfavorable land sharks, protecting the evacuees interests), and in the long term, urging them not to further damage an already threatened ecosystem by installing large-scale dams on pristine (they will be again) rivers.

You can leave your lights on a little longer for less at the expense of losing the beauty of a free-flowing Futaleufu, or Azul, or Baker River, I suppose. You can boost the national exports of mineral wealth. But how much do we do - at what expense to what is left in the world of natural, unspoiled beauty. I have mixed emotions about a road from this area connecting to the north. But then I see the bridges that have been built across small rivlets, and it's not for tourist cars, believe me! You could drive tanks across, two abreast. Is it possible the Austral Highway is being readied for bigger things? I hope not.

Nobody gave a shit about this area of Patagonia until they thought they might find gold, or cheap hydro for the north. Hell, how many Santiagans have even ventured south of Puerto Montt, or Isle Chiloe? It's unconscionable to think that people who have lived, and let live, without the benefits of most of the rest of the country, would now be taken advantage of for the benefit of the rest of the country. That said....

Chaiten is gone, for all practical purposes. That should be first priority and focus for those who will have to completely start all over. But, I'm not short-changing Futa, winter and spring will be difficult. I will say that Futa is already rallying. There are not many people left here right now (40? not counting Carabineros and Bomberos). Folks are scraping off roofs, helping neighbors, feeding left-behind pets, sharing, and generally getting by. The day was sunny until winds blew existing ash from trees and ridges and the day grew gray and hazed. Shop keepers continued to sell on credit even though an emergency bank was set up across from the hospital by Banco Estado, handing out emergency money with no questions asked to folks with no accounts, and doing transfers and withdrawals for those with accounts. Because there are so few left in town, the water trucks aren't making rounds now, but set up a water bladder in the Plaza del Armas for drinking water. Widespread generosity is the only outbreak right now, although some kind of immunizations were being given out at the hospital. I have to check on that, and what it is for. Fire wood, food, and fuel was handed off by those who left, to those who stayed. The Carabineros are feeding local dogs with donated dog food.

I saw a youtube video of loads of pet food being loaded on a plane for the affected areas, so I hope that those who left know that someone is caring about the domestic animals. My neighborhood gaggle of geese, just a week ago numbering 30+, is now down to ten, or so.

All in all, while this is devastating in social, and ecological terms, no one has died as a direct result, and the resilience of the folks here humbles me.

Vicki

xxx

Wish I knew how to put a photo in here, cause Max says "Grassy Ass" to Regalon and Tesero! I'll put him on the photo gallery.

We thank them too!

Vicki and Greg