On 11th March, there was another quite strong aftershock of a magnitude of 6.9. This hit 100km northwest of Curico with several tremors afterwards. It has affected the infrastructure and houses in the whole area, but no fatalities have been reported.
Apicoop
No members of staff at the honey plant and main offices or their closest family have been injured. The honey plant does not have any major damage and the honey they had in storage is ok.
Contact has now been made with all the producers in the affected areas and fortunately no one has been injured or died. However, it is known that many beekeepers have lost beehives and some bees have escaped. This is a concern as this is the most important moment of the collection process and many beekeepers will need to establish new hives. The blueberry plot is unaffected.
Chino Henriques of Apicoop, which supplies our honey and blueberries, was in the UK for Fairtrade Fortnight events. He has now arrived safely back to Chile and is with his family.
Vinos Lautaro
Our wine producers, Vinos Lautaro, are based in the town of Curico, which has been badly damaged, and many of the farmers live and farm close by.
One member of the organisation has lost eight members of his family when the house fell down during the earthquake; he was the only survivor.
Four members' houses have been completely destroyed and there has been damage to the roofs of several other houses.
Although they do not have the complete picture of the situation, Lautaro estimates that it has lost approximately 100,000 litres of wine from previous harvests.
Besides the wine lost and problems with the stainless steel vats, another big problem is the irrigation system at each farm. This is a problem they need to deal with urgently to save part of the current harvest, but it is also vital for the next harvest.
Fundacion Solidaridad
Fundacion Solidaridad are based in Santiago and we are pleased to hear that no members of staff have been injured. They have contacted all the producers they work with and fortunately there have been no fatalities. However, several people have had problems with their houses and workshops.
The main office has survived but it has sustained some damage. It has been inspected by an engineer and the damage is not structural, although it will need repairs.
MiFruta
MiFruta, which is located north of the city, is unaffected and everyone is OK.
Covica
There aren't any fatalities but houses have suffered lots of damage. The winery has suffered minor damage, but no stock of wine from previous harvest was lost.
Only small number of farmers have access to irrigation in this region, so destruction of this system is manageable.
How to help
There are a number of ways you can support our producers:
Support the groups affecting by buying their products
As people rebuild their lives, future orders are vital. Sales through Traidcraft enable us to order more from these producers. You can see all products from Chile on our online shop.
Pray
Traidcraft's fortnightly prayer call focuses on the situation in Chile. Please pray for people's safety and for support as they struggle to rebuild lives and livelihoods.
