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Chile earthquake: Not without suffering, Santiago counts its blessings

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Along Jasmin Street in this capital’s middle-class Villa Olimpica neighborhood, residents were packing up their belongings in trucks Sunday, hauling out furniture, clothing and keepsakes from damaged and unlivable apartments.

Deep cracks and crooked balconies marred the 1960s-era three-story residential buildings along the quiet street, testament to the damage from the massive earthquake that struck Chile early Saturday, stunning the nation.

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‘It’s a lot to deal with, but at least we’re all safe,’ said Carolina Jimenez, 32, a mother of two who was forced to flee her apartment as the quake struck, collapsing a wall and sending furniture flying, slightly injuring her 11-year-old daughter. ‘It could be a lot worse, like what happened to the poor people in the south.’

Most had by now seen television footage of the extreme damage about 125 miles to the south, where the quake and a tsunami killed hundreds of people and left tens of thousands more homeless.

Continue reading Santiago counts its blessings by Patrick J. McDonnell from Santiago, Chile.

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