Am I the only person to feel that the local media coverage of this event , red banners and all, was overly sensational, and tended to increase a sense of panic, rather than the reverse?
Firstly the areas that were ostensibly at risk from a tsunami are sheltered behind the land mass of Tierra del Fuego; they were not exposed to direct wave impact. Punta Arenas, the area that received most coverage, has a long, occluded sea path from the epicentre.
Also, the media almost exclusively focused on the non-events in Punta Arenas. Only much later was information received from Puerto Williams.
As for Ushuaia, it was only mentioned in an aside, very much later.
Living in a region where seismic events occur almost weekly, I can only feel that reactions to this minor event were much overblown.
Good for covering over other current events probably in the socio-econo-politico sphere which the left supporting Chile MSM media wish stay buried if possible.
It is notable that this is the largest recorded for that area since record keeping began around 1900.
But I notice the media also goes nuts over a 5.0 in Santiago vs. the same in other parts of this long, thin country.
Hmm. Our last big one, was reported for just a couple of days, then nothing.
We still have cracks in some walls from that one.
Damage and casualties
One hundred and eighty houses collapsed and moderate damage occurred in almost 500 structures in the historic center of Coquimbo and La Serena.
And four years earlier we had an 8.4 with a tsunami.
And from yesterday…ho hum
You beat me to it.
The “all clear” didn’t come until the afternoon and the cost of the stupidity is in the millions in this region. Not to mention the hysteria, and how incompetent governments promote hysteria here. No, it was not an “abundance of caution” but an abundance of idiocy and ignorance.
In fact this event reminded us of the incompetence of Chilean governments at both extremes.
In the 2010 earthquake and tsunami , the government of that idiot Ballenet failed to sound the alarm for a very real and deadly known tsunami potential that resulted in the deaths of some 150 or so people (from just the tsunami effects). Then to make matters worse, she refused to send troops to stave off the inevitable looting.
In 2025 we had the opposite: crying wolf. The science of the matter, taking into account the magnitude and distance, and the geography of the population centers, would indicate almost zero tsunami effects in places like Punta Arenas.
The government’s creation of hysteria was even more mindless for the area around Puerto Natales. That area is so far from the open ocean, and entry into the bay near there is so restricted, that the energy of any tsunami is almost totally attenuated by the islands and obstructing landforms. The blue circle shows the only way that seawater gets into the maze of channels leading up to Puerto Natales.
Fail.
Another item in that article shown at the start of this topic shown how easily, and unquestioningly misinformation can be quickly spread worldwide:
It purports to show how coastal waters receded the morning of the non-event, as can occur prior to a tsunami arrival.
But the straits routinely has massive tides, and that pic was taken around low tide time, ie situation normal, there was no need to panic.
Just more sensationalist fear-mongering BS.
Exactly. Some local payaso went down to the beach on that day here in Punta Arenas and then uploaded a video of nothing but the low tide, but of course trying to communicate that a tsunami was coming.
So not only is the government to blame for such hysteria , but also the great masses of the chronically irresponsible.
And then a 5.1 earthquake centered in southwestern Argentina but close to (and felt in) Torres del Paine national park and Puerto Natales. May 12, 9:48 PM, Punta Arenas time.
Center shown as star on map
