Be the change

Senior Sophia Cooper

San Francisco Bay: home of the Hyphy movement, Silicon Valley and fault lines threatening massive earthquakes every day.

Since kindergarten, we’ve learned how to duck under a table and cover our heads if the ground starts shaking. We know where to meet our families in case of an emergency and what should be in our emergency-aid kit (canned foods, water bottles and first aid in case you’re slacking).

One area where we can still improve, though, is our response to others’ earthquakes. We jumped into action when the Haitian earthquake hit, dedicating profits from Sadies to the cause and donating our own money to the American Red Cross. News flew fast as aid flew faster to help the victims.
But what about Chile?

When the South American country was rocked by a quake on Feb. 27, relief efforts were still concentrated in Haiti and many were unable to transfer the aid south. That 8.8 magnitude earthquake is the fifth largest in recorded history.

Then over 50 aftershocks hit within the next 24 hours, wreaking more havoc across the small nation than anyone can imagine. Over 200 were dead and 2 million missing after one fateful day. The quake legitimately moved several cities, including Conception at least 10 feet to the west. Even looters have given back their taken goods, feeling remorse for their actions and doing anything possible to help find their neighbors.

Two of my friends who I have known for over 12 years were adopted from Chile. The agency that facilitated their adoptions no longer exists. Many of their friends and family are still unaccounted for, bringing a dreading sense of worry to their Saratoga home. A family at my church immigrated from Chile, and while their relatives are thankfully doing fine, the fear they experience waiting for any news is unimaginable.

It easily could have been our own Bay Area that got hit by these recent earthquakes. There goes the Golden Gate Bridge, Villa Montalvo, the Oakland Coliseum. There goes our lives.

Whether it’s through awareness, monetary donations, or sending supplies, Chile needs our help. If it’s possible for us to create a worldwide telethon with celebrities for the Haitian relief, we can do the same thing for Chilean aid.

You can help by visiting www.habitat.org, www.redcross.org, www.savethechildren.org or www.worldvision.org to make monetary donations.

It’s time for us to make a difference.