Chile is a long narrow country with approximately 4,000 miles from north to south and only 300 miles from east to west. It lies in the Southern Hemisphere bordering Peru in the north, the Andes Mountains Range in the east, Antarctica in the south, and the Pacific Ocean in the West.
The first weekend of February marked the deadliest days of its history. More than 3,000 acres of land burnt down to ashes with terrifying wildfires. The tragedy has taken 150 casualties so far and destroyed about 15,000 homes, and still, there is an unknown amount of missing people.
The Chilean government had no other choice, but to declare an emergency curfew to control chaos and ease the rescue efforts by the police, the military, and firefighters.
Several international governments offered immediate assistance, including President Biden, who sent his deepest condolences to Chile and its victims. The US embassy in Chile already created a call to action and made its first donation.
What Can We Do?
On March 23rd, just one day before Palm Sunday, we will be accepting donations at St.Eulalia Catholic Church in Coudersport, from 10 am to 5 pm. As usual in these tragic events, victims need everything, but due to the distance and shipping costs, we will accept monetary support and only the following items:
-Canned food
-Diapers for adults and children
-Toiletry products
-Toothpaste and toothbrushes
-Socks and underwear
To Think About
Let us remember that we live in northern Pennsylvania surrounded by national parks. This Winter has been very unusual with a shortage of rain and snow. Before we say, “I don’t like snow or rain,” let’s think before complaining about the weather.
It is not about us, it is about our nature. We need to fight against climate change and prevent wildfires in our areas.
When burning garbage, please, do it in an open location, far from flammables, and NOT on a windy day or when it is restricted. Check weather and drought conditions. If you go camping, hunting, or just on a day trip to the parks, take your garbage.
Douse your campfires until they turn totally cold. You may do so by just using a bucket or two of water.
Keep your vehicles off dry grass. Remember that your exhaust can reach temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees!
Keep sparks away from dry vegetation.
If you see any suspicious activity involving arson, call 911 immediately or report this to the park rangers.
We need to protect our nature and ourselves. Otherwise, we could be the next victims.