Chile Update: Aftershocks continued to rumble through central Chile on March 5, nearly a week after a devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake shook the central coast of Chile in the early morning hours of February 27, 2010.  Chilean officials report that the confirmed death toll exceeds 400 and that millions more have been displaced.   A tsunami caused by the initial earthquake and over 100 aftershock tremors have complicated emergency response efforts as well as attempts to fully assess recovery needs.  Chilean officials have announced that they will accept aid in the form of temporary field hospitals, bridges, water purification systems and other resources to rebuild critical infrastructure that has been disrupted by the quake.  Doctors Without Borders , UNICEF, and Project HOPE have begun to coordinate response efforts and collect relief funds.   Below is a concise list of resources to obtain information on the Chile earthquake and inform international disaster relief efforts.

Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Cultural Information:

• CIA World Factbook: Chile
• U.S. Department of State: Chile

Translated Materials and Guidance:

• University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health: Public Health Ethics in Disasters
• Refugee Health Information Network: Translated Spanish Health Information
• Hesperian Foundation: Where There is No Doctor (Spanish), Sanitation and Cleanliness booklet (Spanish), Where Women Have No Doctor (Spanish)
• American Psychological Association: Managing Your Distress About the Earthquake from Afar

Toolkits, Online Training, and Guides:

• Johns Hopkins Center for Refugee and Disaster Response: Training in Qualitative Research Methods for PVOs and NGOs
• World Health Organization: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies
• SAMHSA: The Role of Culture in Helping Children Recover from a Disaster
• University of South Florida: Assuring Cultural Competence in Disaster Response
• National Library of Medicine: Chile Earthquake

Peer-Reviewed Articles:

• Health Care Volunteers and Disaster Response — First, Be Prepared
• Ethnocultural Considerations in Disasters: An Overview of Research, Issues, and Directions
• Communicating Across Cultures: Improving Translation to Improve Complex Emergency Program Effectiveness