Chile Forum

The husband and wife team of docs from Futa are incredible folks. Most folks won't know that they had JUST arrived in the Futa area to settle in and finish their home and start their lives there. Talk about selfless people. But that seems to be what folks in Chile are like, both nationals and ex-pats. There is something you can't quite put your finger on when you come here....this is it. The good old-fashioned neighbors helping neighbors, giving more than you get. This couple, along with all the folks on allchile, most especially Charles and Zandra, and their incredible staff are ALWAYS going above and beyond the call ofduty for no other reason than it is the right thing to do.

When the volcano hit, one of the docs was in Futa and since the banks were closed, there was no money to be had. This doc gave us some money and said, "Worry about it later when things have calmed down." That's how things are here, and Chile is so fortunate to attract people like the docs and do so because of the kind of people who are Chilenos.

Vicki

UPDATE FROM TEMUCO AIRPORT
The team is currently at the airport loading planes with water and supplies. In just a few moments, the AllChile.net Earthquake Relief Flights will take off from temuco...... Pictures will be posted soon - Zandra called and mentioned that they are experiencing internet problems so they can't send the pictures over.

Getting the plane ready for departure

Spoke to Charles on the phone. They just got back from their first trip out. Dr Charles Whiting stopped and spoke to a pregnant women - they report lots of stomach problems - water is contaminated. We need methods to solve that problem. Air force is also flying in water..... We need to find quicker solutions like purifying water with wood charcoal. More to come.....

I sent my own letter to Paypal. It reads as follows:

I am writing this in regard to your stance in letting us send money to Charles Spencer, Spencer global, for use in releif efforts in assisting the peopkle of Chile. We all under stand that the money is being sent to someone whom is not a "certified" charitable organization. We also also know Charles through his efforts to provide free services and information about southern Chile.

I trust Charles and feel that his efforts will put 100% of the funds to immediate relief for people affected by the recent earthquake in Chile. I also know that donating to "official" 501(c)3 organizations will result in far less of the money being used for anything productive,

It is my sincere hope that you reconsider allowing funds to be sent to this and other grass roots efforts to overcome problems in the world. If you come up with a mechanism informing the donors that you are not responsible for the eventual use of the funds, and will assume no liability for such, then impromptu efforts can be facilitated without you becoming involved.

Finally, I am very disappointed in your stance in regard to this issue. It is impeding emergency work which may save lives, and assist in releiving the suffering from this event.

Please respond as to the reasons that you will not let the individual donate in the way they request.

Sincerely,
Gene Gindling


I will send mine when I know how. maybe by mail if nothing else.
Gene

Excellent letter Gene, although I suspect they are more callous than we think.

I am in awe when I realize how much has been done every morning when I wake up on the other side of the globe. I'm waiting for instructions on how to re-donate Charles.

A

We did it!!

Sorry, I went out to the airport just to have a look at what the logistical situation was and greet them landing. The plane arrived with the doctor. Next thing I know we are on our first trip out. We delivered a plane load of bottled water to a town on the coast, the doctor got a chance to talk to a pregnant woman at the airport about the medical situation.

I will be back with more details, and photos soon.

But it worked. We really did it. In such a short while, from concept to aid delivered. We are just getting started.

We are currently scrambling to put together water purification kits and instructions. Everyone was flying in water, but you can't do that forever.

Atlantis wrote:Excellent letter Gene, although I suspect they are more callous than we think.

I am in awe when I realize how much has been done every morning when I wake up on the other side of the globe. I'm waiting for instructions on how to re-donate Charles.

A

Thanks, but I am sorry I didn't proof read it. Typos..

Gene

Thanks, but I am sorry I didn't proof read it. Typos..

Nobady kares about typs in forems, spescialy the wones related to emergensees lik this one.

Atlantis wrote:

Thanks, but I am sorry I didn't proof read it. Typos..

Nobady kares about typs in forems, spescialy the wones related to emergensees lik this one.

It just really torques me off that all of these nitwits get in the way of progress. A pox on them all!

We are in the process of planning for tomorrow. We have been asked by the airclub to check out several airstrips that have not been inspected near concepcion. We are also going to an island off the coast called Isla mocha that no one can get to other than by plane. Fuel and medical supplies are the priority there.

There are issues about people getting desperate, and the other pilots have been warning us about. People are frustrated that more aid is not getting in.

I have great fotos, I just got to get them processed.

We ran 80, 1 gallon jugs (not exact, we filled the plane) of bottled water out today. We were limited by time, as curfew was at 6 pm. We managed to get a waver from the police, but still kind of thing you don't want to have any misunderstandings about.

Tomorrow we will get the recon flights sorted out and the logistics. Zandra and I will be on the flight tomorrow with the doctors. we want to get everything established with contacts in the towns, and we are likly going to fall back to handling the coordination in Temuco to let more aid fill the planes. We might do more flights as they need us, but if we can take another set of seats out of the plane that would be preferred.

There is about6-8 planes running relief flights right now. The pilots are pissed at everyone. They had nothing out there. I pulled the white board even out of our office. Things were being coordinated on the back of napkin.

At this late hour after a loooooong day, I can only make my brain process a few photos. We have another long day ahead of us. Poor vince was falling over, and you don't want your pilot falling over. Him and the doctors just headed to his Hotel room, but even after we landed all kept on working until about 10:30.

I will start with the most important thing, supplies got on the ground today even if it was a small contribution of bottled water to the town of tirua.

We had a late flight, mostly to recon the area, and we only had about 15 mins on the ground before the fog would role in and keep us there all night. It was a harry landing under a fog bank to get in. A plane crashed the day before with two doctors.

So when we left Temuco we just loaded what was at hand and needed to go. We learned however something important that wells and water sources have been contaiminated as much 12 or even 20 km upstream of the ocean, and people are resorting to drinking out of the rivers. We are working on a plan to cheaply fix this problem with printed survival pamphlets.

Click to enlarge
Water. Ours was the smaller plane, with four people on board. The other supplies was brought by the Chilean air force.


Zandra and Charles Whiting gathering info about what they need, and what the medical status is. I missed a great photo of him talking to a pregnet woman about how they have doctors, but the doctors have no supplies. Charles left water purification tables for 25 liters, with the pregnant woman because she said she and her kids where having problems because of the contaminated water. We are going to get charles in to the field hospitals, and talking to the doctors about what they need also.


Dr. Charles Whiting and Vince calculating YOUR fuel.

Temuco staging hanger. Planes pull up next to it all day and load up. The flying club has been running none stop since it started with no support.


We got big plans for the morning. need sleep. But we did what we said we were going to do. All of us. It is really incredible.

The pilots at the air field were pissed. Pissed at the government. Pissed at the aid agencies. Pissed at the military (they were there though today). All the aid organizations, even inside Chile keep saying they are coming, they are coming, but the pilots are saying "where are they"?

The air force is putting patches on the situation, but that is about all you can do from an airplane. Unless you have a lot of them. Well this is what we have to work with now. This field was empty when we started this afternoon. Everyone of these planes was in the air, plus about another 6 not pictured. We are going to get them the support they need.