Earthquake Hits Close to Home for UVa Student

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Updated: 11:33 PM Feb 28, 2010 Earthquake Hits Close to Home for UVa Student The devastation in Chile hits close to home for a UVa Law Student who is desperately trying to get in touch with her friends living in the South American nation. Diane Rish lived in Chile a year ago, and anxiously waits to hear the condition of her former home. Posted: 12:19 AM Feb 28, 2010

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February 27, 2010

Diane Rish received an email from her brother early Saturday morning informing her of an earthquake that hit Chile. The earthquake-prone country experiences tremors often, so Rish didn't think anything of it. However, when she saw photos of the devastation, she tried to get a hold of her friends but to no avail.

"I'm looking to hear from about 30 to 40 people," says Rish.

Rish lived in Chile a year ago in the city of Concepcion. Concepcion is about 200 miles South of Santiago and is one of the places hardest hit by the quake.

When Diane attempted to reach her friends, through Skype and email, she couldn't get through.

"I went for about 6 hours without hearing anything," Rish says. "Then I saw photos of apartment buildings that had collapsed, and that's when I got really concerned."

Finally, Rish received a Facebook message from one of her friends saying he was okay but that water and electricity have been cut off. Rish says it's heart-wrenching to see the places she visited completely destroyed, but it's the friends she still hasn't heard from that are haunting her.

Rish says she will continue to try and reach them, but assumes it will take days before she will be able to.

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