In high magnitude earthquake-prone cities (recently Chile), are people equipped with knowledge, emergency kits, etc., if ever it happens?

I read a really great article earlier about this. I'm looking for it now but I'm having trouble finding it. It described the situation vs. the Haiti earthquake.

Chili has many earthquakes. They're also a reasonably well off country - they're by no means rich, but they're definitely not poor. Due to their history of earthquakes, they have building codes which ensure every building is decently prepared.

Haiti just doesn't have the money to do this. Everyone lives in poverty, and they design buildings that can protect them from the weather now. If everyone had to follow building codes, no one would have a place to live.In Chile, most of the buildings that collapsed were older buildings that were built before the building code existed, and they were described as "just crumbled into rubble" where as most buildings actually held up relatively well.

Earthquake monitors do often give some warning, in the form of small pre-shocks, but this happened at 3am. There would have been few people. Plus, how would you prepare for something like that?

There isn't much you could do, it wouldn't be precise enough to tell you where it's going to be, and you wouldn't have time to evacuate. They DID have warning of the tsunami.It's fairly common knowledge now that an earthquake will cause a tsunami, so people had time to move inland. 'So Chile prepared by proper building codes.

They've all been through small earthquakes before and can recover from one quickly. The Chilean prime minister has even stated they do NOT want aid, as they are more than equipped to handle the situation themselves, and the structural damage was not overly great. Of course, many people will still help, I'm sure, even if it's only in the form of monetary donation.

Haiti, on the other hand, just doesn't have the money to prepare, to warn people, to build properly, or to recover quickly. They need global help, and even then, it won't leave them prepared for the next one. Due to Chile's preparedness, yes, SOME buildings were destroyed, particularly old ones or those of the poor,and many people were left homeless.

But the death toll is still relatively low - early estimates that I saw were only around 200 at the time, so they are most likely still under 500. I still can't find the article I've sourced this from - but once I do I will update this.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.