The devastating 2010 Chile earthquake and tsunami that destroyed 370,000 homes

This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by Chris Mei from The Weather Network, featuring stories about people, communities and events and how weather impacted them.

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On Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, at 3:34 a.m., an 8.8-magnitude earthquake shook Chile for three minutes.

Collapsed Vespucio Norte Express Highway in Santiago. Courtesy of Esteban Maldonado/Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 2.0

The earthquake was felt strongly in six Chilean regions, in which 80 per cent (more than 13 million people) of the population resides.

The earthquake triggered a tsunami that destroyed coastal towns across south-central Chile. The tsunami wave even impacted areas in California and Japan.

House that was uprooted into the streets of Pelluhue after the tsunami. Courtesy of Wikipedia

The earthquake caused a blackout for 93 per cent of Chileans. President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" as the army was deployed to assist affected areas.

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In Chile, 370,000 homes and many other buildings were damaged, as a fire broke out in the country's capital city, Santiago.

Fire at a plastics plant, Santiago, Chile. Courtesy of Plinio Correa/Wikipedia/CC BY 2.0

The earthquake also caused more than 1,000 landslides in the Maule region of Chile (a major wine-producing area).

The earthquake and the subsequent events killed a total of 525 people and about 9 per cent of the affected population lost their homes.

The Chilean quake cost between $4-$7 billion.

To learn more about this 2010 Chilean earthquake, listen to today's episode of "This Day In Weather History."

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Thumbnail: Collapsed Alto Rio apartment in Concepcion. Courtesy of NOAA