http://nyti.ms/1iktQfZ

AMERICAS

By PASCALE BONNEFOY and SIMON ROMERO SEPT. 17, 2015

SANTIAGO, Chile — Coastal cities in north-central Chile suffered extensive damage

from the powerful earthquake that struck the region Wednesday night, according to

aerial images released on Thursday by the police.

The authorities said Thursday afternoon that at least 11 people were known to

have died as a result of the magnitude 8.3 quake, which shook the ground for three

minutes and was felt in most of the country and beyond. More than one million

people were evacuated from coastal regions to escape the tsunami produced by the

quake, which was centered a few miles offshore.

In Coquimbo, a port 285 miles north of Santiago, fishing vessels and shipping

containers could be seen strewn around the city’s downtown area. Wrecked houses

and businesses were visible in images of other affected seaside towns and cities.

Significant flooding was also reported in Illapel, the town around 177 miles north of

Santiago that was closest to the epicenter.

Some officials expressed relief that the death toll was not higher, drawing

uneasy comparisons to a magnitude 8.8 earthquake in 2010 that left 525 people

dead, 81 of them after a tsunami struck with no public warning from the

government. Several officials are being prosecuted on charges that they failed to

properly assess the tsunami risk, and the government has adopted new security

procedures and strengthened its emergency response system.

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In Paihuano, another town in the Coquimbo region, the earthquake on

Wednesday “generated a lot of fright,” but was “fortunately not very harmful in this

sector,” the mayor, Lorenzo Torres, told reporters. He added that he expected

electricity to be restored to residents before Friday.

President Michelle Bachelet said on Thursday morning that about 100,000

families lacked electricity. She credited the country’s relatively stringent building

codes and coastal communities’ swift reaction to the earthquake with saving many

lives.

She declared a state of emergency in the Coquimbo region, where 70,000 homes

were still without power. The region will be under the control of Gen. Schafik Nazal,

commander in chief of the Army’s Second Motorized Division.

Even so, Some Chileans said that the government needed to do more to build

public trust and confidence in its response to earthquakes, which are common in the

country. Confusing and contradictory official statements after the 2010 earthquake

left many people in the danger zone when the tsunami struck, and four government

officials were later charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Ms. Bachelet visited the Coquimbo region on Thursday and said that emergency

response teams were assessing the damage.

In 2010, critics accused her of being too slow to impose a state of emergency

and deploy troops when looting broke out in the disaster zone, but this time there

have been no reports of disorder.

“People seek higher ground automatically, because the 2010 quake showed

them the government and institutions were not properly prepared,” said Marcelo

Lagos, director of the Tsunami Research Laboratory at the Catholic University in

Santiago. “After that experience, people no longer believe in the authorities. This is

an opportunity for Chile’s institutions and the president herself to validate

themselves in front of emergencies.”

Others see progress in Chile’s earthquake preparations. “This time the

government’s reaction was adequate, and better than in 2010,” said Michel De

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L’Herbe, an emergency management consultant.

Still, he said, there was more to do. He said that the national emergency

management bureau, known as Onemi, remained weak and needed greater powers.

“Communities have reacted well, but this spontaneous reaction must be

systematized,” Mr. De L’Herbe said.

Pascale Bonnefoy reported from Santiago, and Simon Romero from São Paulo, Brazil.

A version of this article appears in print on September 18, 2015, on page A10 of the New York edition withthe headline: Quake and Tsunami Cause Extensive Damage Along Chile’s Coast .

© 2015 The New York Times Company

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