On February 27, 2010 at 03:34, the Chilean coast between Conception and Constitution was hit by one of the strongest earthquakes in history. 21 minutes later the first of four Tsunami waves destroyed the lower parts of coastal towns. The quake had a magnitude of 8.8 on the Richter Scale and ranks as the 5th worst for the entire world since 1900. By comparison, the Haiti earthquake of January 12, 2010 had a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale. This loosely knit photo essay (12 images total) depicts the situation in the region and was created in the towns of Constitution, Pellehue, Dichato, Tomé, Coronel, Lota and Conception. The first three were severely hit by the Tsunami, it wiped out the lower parts of these towns completely. All photographs were taken between March 14, 2010 and March 28, 2010, 29 days after the disaster. By the end of this period, the region was going from a state of emergency into the first state of reconstruction. Military rule and curfew had been lifted.
