
Barry Keller is a hydrogeophysicst who has a home in Pichilemu, a beach town in central Chile known as a surfer's paradise.
He shares this FirstPerson report:
We were at home during the quake at 3:34 a.m. local time. There were very strong motions for about a minute. Our house in Pichilemu is a four-story (counting the roof deck) structure of poured concrete and blocks, with lots of rebar, anchored by meter cube concrete blocks into the bedrock. It is strong! Being tall, the house DOES move – a natural analog seismometer.Â

The night of the quake, 3:34 a.m. local time, was clear and calm. The bright full moon may have helped evacuations. We live on a hill and the roundabout below our driveway was filled with 20 to 30 cars within minutes. We quickly had a lot of company. At the next hill over, the one authorities told people to evacuate to, there were about 300 cars. By the next night, people were camping in both spots.
Our home's window latches rattled with every aftershock but the damage was definitely minimal compared to what was suffered about
100 kilometers southeast.
Mostly, there was spillage and broken glass but the only thing structural broken at our home was a door frame that was bent and hammered back into place. The damage I saw was to older adobe structures, like this funeral parlor.


In Punta de Lobos, a surf spot south of Pichilemu, several buildings were completely washed away. I heard campers drowned. Â


Escuela de Surf, which included bathrooms and a residence, was totally washed away. The beach got reshaped.
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At Playa Hermosa, between Punta de Lobos and Pichilemu, a number of cabañas were either washed away or upended. Â

The cove (caleta) of downtown Pichilemu got flooded, but the water was apparently not too powerful. It was reported as 0.8 meters deep, but this area is above sea level.Â

Overall, Pichilemu didn't get hit as hard as areas to both north (the surf spot Puertecillo wiped out) and south (Iloca, about 30 km south, where a wave was reported at 20 meters above sea level), but we may have to wait for a complete study. Â
