Latest reports suggest the magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile early Saturday morning has resulted in more than 700 fatalities and the death toll is expected to rise as rescuers access the most damaged areas. It comes just weeks after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti in January leaving up to 230,000 dead per Haitian government estimates. How could two such damaging earthquakes result in such different death tolls? According to catastrophe modeler AIR Worldwide, the epicenter in the Chile earthquake fortunately was located in a region with relatively low population density. By comparison, the recent Haiti earthquake struck close to Port-au-Prince, a city of more than 3 million people. AIR Worldwide also notes that Chile’s long history of damaging quakes has resulted in strict building codes, making the building stock considerably less vulnerable than Haiti’s. Still, the loss in Chile is likely to be severe not only in […]

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