Evening star., 1960-06-05
Chilean Disaster Appraisal Drops,
Aid by u. S. Held Gain in Prestige
BY HAYNES JOHNSON
star stan Writer


crafty when the earth trem-
bled.
That was two weeks ago
today. The earthquakes came
in rolling waves from east TO
west. The shocks passed into
the Pacific and the ocean rose
and battered the coast.
Now, as you fly along the
Chilean coastline, sand and
silt cover what once were small
farms. Fallen trees are strewn
over a wide area. Many Of
those still standing are burned
and stripped of leaves.
Today the state of emergency
is believed to be over, although
there still is fear of epidemics
and flood. The United States is
planning to bring back the per-
sonnel it sent on what is off,
cially described as the largest
disaster airlift in history.
And now officials here are
beginning to appraise the re-
suits of their efforts-not only
from a humanitarian aspect,
but from a political and mill
tary point as well.
Early Assessment Difficult
One thing already is clear:
In a natural disaster it is vir-
tually impossible to assess the
damage and determine the need
in the first hours of panic; and
that is the time when the de-
ciSionS must be made.
In the chaos which followed
the first quakes, wild stories
of death, terror and destruction
began to filter back to the
Chilean capital of Santiago,
hundreds of miles to the north.
At first. with communica-
tions virtually knocked out, the
only reports were those sent
by radio hams in the interior.
The Chilean government re-
sponded by appealing for aid.
Until then the villages and
cities of Puerto Montt, Valid
ivia, Chloe, Ancud, Conception
were known outside-if at all
only for their lumber, copper,
nitrate and beef. Soon they
were known the world over as
disaster areas.
Then the Americans came,
some 700 of them-doctors,
nurses, medical corpsmen, air.
men-traveling into the in
terror by plane, rail and truck.
Reconstruction Needed
They found the situation had
been somewhat exaggerated.
The two 400-bed Army hos
pitals which were established
at Puerto Montt and Valdivia
reported to be among the
worst-hit cities-were able to
handle the injured without
trouble.
In fact, Chilean doctors said
they did not need all of the
equipment flown in by the
United States. Medical sup
plies generally were sufficient,
the doctors said. What was
needed most was reconstruc-
ton aid.
Initially, the United States
planned to send three mobile
field hospitals to Chile, and it
had two others standing by
ready to go. When a more &C
curate estimate Of need was
made, the decision was made
to stop with the first two.
1t would not be accurate to
minimize the human suffering
in Chile. Nor would it be fair
to criticize the United States
for sending more supplies than
was needed.
The fact that the situation
had been exaggerated, however,
is a part of the story Of the
Chilean earthquakes and the
United States mercy mission.
Decision was Vital
eve were in a damned if we
do and damned if we don't po-
sition a State Department
spokesman said yesterday. "We
found out that we could have
got along with something less
than we sent, all right, but if
we hadn't sent enough, some
ones neck would have been in
the moose"
The spokesman explained
what happened this way:
Because of bad communi-
cations and chaos in the dis
aster areas south of Santiago.
the reports of the amount of
dead, injured and homeless
were highly exaggerated.
For instance, I think at first
they were saying more than
5000 dead and 2 million home
less. Now they're saying maybe
$500 dead or missing and be-
tween 10000 and 100000
homeless"
That count, of course, may
rise again, for at this time
United States Army helicopters
are flying in patients from off,
shore islands and previously
inaccessible inland villages.
And what of the property
destruction? One view from one
town gives the picture.
Poor Hardest Hit
The home of Sergio w. VERDI
ago, a school teacher, is situ-
ated on top of a ridge in the
coastal city of Puerto Montt.
1t is late afternoon few days
after the quakes and the sun
shines on the houses clustered
in the valley below and the
high hills beyond.
Along the hills, the homes
are intact. To the right. on
a slope, a new section of ranch
house style buildings is not
damaged. Just below that
section, where the ground be-
gins to slope toward the hills.
is a Catholic cemetery dotted
with white crosses. The quake