CONSTITUCION/CONCEPCION, Chile (AlertNet) Â? When Sandra Alcaino scrambled out of her collapsing home minutes after the earthquake struck, she was already ankle deep in sea water.
During the early hours of Feb. 27 no sirens rung in the southern coastal town of Constitucion to warn residents of an approaching tsunami before it wiped out most of the townÂ?s historic centre and sea view homes.
But the rising water raging through the townÂ?s narrow streets was enough to prompt local residents to run for safety in the nearby hills.
Â?We ran out with the clothes we had on and nothing else,Â? said Alcaino. Â?People were crying and screaming. We waited in the hills until daylight before we came down and then we saw what the tsunami had done. It was terrible. WeÂ?ve never seen anything like it.Â?
In Constitucion the disaster claimed the lives of some hundred people, while the nationwide death toll from the 8.8 quake and tsunami stands at around 500 people.
Over the years, public awareness raising campaigns about what to do in the event of an earthquake and how to take precautions do appear to have paid off in Chile.
The level of awareness and preparedness among Chileans is high, experts say, which helped to keep the death toll down.
Chileans living in coastal communities who rushed to safety on higher ground did so out of a combination of instinct, common sense and acting on prior government advice.
Alcaino says she heard a talk given by public officials about five years ago in Constitucion about the precautions people should take when a quake strikes.
Â?They talked about the best thing to do which is to seek higher ground. They told us that because we live on the coast, thereÂ?s always a chance that a tsunami will follow an earthquake. ThatÂ?s why the water I felt around my ankles got me really worried,Â? she said.
Evacuation signs in the coastal town of Constitucion survived the quake. Photo taken March 11, 2010. ALERTNET/Anastasia Moloney
QUAKE-SAVVY CHILEANS
Sitting on the so-called Pacific Â?Rim of FireÂ?, Chile is a quake-prone country. It has experienced a series of powerful earthquakes, including the most severe earthquake on record, measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale in 1960. This means Chileans are generally aware, prepared and relatively used to quakes.
Â?Most Chileans know that they live in a seismic zone,Â? said medical student Ignacio Silva. Â?People here know what to do instinctively, itÂ?s common knowledge and part of our culture. And if you donÂ?t know what to do, thereÂ?s always someone close to you who does.Â?
Earthquake drills in schools are standard practice across Chile.
Â?Since I can remember, weÂ?ve been taught about what where to go and what to do in an earthquake,Â? said Silvia.
But many Chileans believe hundreds of lives could have been saved if the government had issued a nationwide tsunami warning.
The quake has exposed serious flaws in the countryÂ?s emergency response systems and a lack of coordination between various government agencies.
It is an issue that dominates the headlines in Chile, and two top officials have lost their jobs over the scandal.
Soon after the quake, a navy chief was fired for failing to provide a clear warning of the deadly tsunami. The head of Chile's emergency management agency (ONEMI) resigned earlier this week amid criticism that the agency was slow to respond.
A country with over 4,000 km of coastline, there is a growing consensus that tsunami warnings should be issued automatically when a strong earthquake is registered.
Â?When you have an earthquake of 8.5 magnitude and an epicentre near the coast, one should not doubt for a second in issuing a tsunami alert,Â? Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, who was sworn in on Thursday, said in a recent interview with ChileÂ?s ADN radio.
The Navy on Thursday issued a tsunami warning after a series of strong aftershocks. The tremors caused Â?significant damageÂ? in Rancagua, a city almost 100 km (62 miles) south of the capital Santiago.
PROBE INTO QUAKE RESPONSE
Earlier this week, ChileÂ?s congress voted to open an investigation into the governmentÂ?s emergency response following the quake and says it will hold officials responsible for mistakes made. Two commissions have been set up and are expected to submit their findings in 90 days.
Part of the governmentÂ?s investigation will also examine quake-resistant building codes and to what extent they are being regulated and enforced across Chile.
Over the decades, Chile has passed a series of strict building regulations to make buildings more robust and withstand the jolts of quakes.
Many residential and public buildings and shopping centres withstood the strong quake, saving untold lives. But some new buildings, hospitals and schools, suffered irreparable damage along with collapsed bridges.
This is particularly apparent in Concepcion, ChileÂ?s second biggest city, where questions are being raised about whether building codes were strictly adopted.
A 15-floor new apartment block, known as High River, toppled and killed eight people in the city. Nearby, the top floors of a new office tower collapsed.
Chileans want the government to hold construction companies accountable.
Â?This was a new building. It shouldnÂ?t have fallen the way it did,Â? said local resident Gladys Lopez, as she took photos of the wrecked apartment block.
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