Student caught in ’quake disaster rallies celebrity help
A student caught up in the Chilean earthquake this March has asked celebrity chef Jamie Oliver to help with the country’s recovery - by promoting the country’s food and drink.
Carolina Leonardini Aris, who’s studying for a PhD related to cultural beliefs and health on Easter Island, has written to Jamie asking him to back a “Buy Chilean” campaign. Carolina attends the Lancaster campus, and is due to return to the town in the summer with her two children. She’s financing the trip back to the UK by selling her car.
She was in Chile when the earthquake—measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale—struck. Since then, she’s been in contact with Professor Gill Marshall, Research Development Lead for the Faculty of Health, Medical Science and Social Care at the University of Cumbria.
Carolina said: “People in Chile grow up fearing earthquakes. The world’s biggest earthquake happened here, measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale. When I was six-months old the 1971 earthquake broke a massive window, sending shards of glass towards my crib. Luckily my heroic dad got to me seconds before, probably saving my life. Fourteen years later in 1985 another big earthquake devastated the country. The same window broke again. But this time I was aware and waited in a safe place until it was over.”
The damage caused by this month’s ‘quake is estimated to be in the region of $30,000 million - and Carolina says the Chilean economy needs as much help as possible. Carolina said: “We need long-term aid to allow people to recover with dignity. You know how good Chilean wines are. We also export delicious fruit and fish. You can find the best Chilean avocados, peppers, grapes, salmon and mussels in every UK supermaket. I would ask everyone in Britain to prefer them more than ever! I have written to Jamie Oliver to tell him about the problems, and how fishermen, fruit and wine producers, etc have been affected. I’d like to see if we could get a campaign going to promote food from Chile.”
The University of Cumbria and Carolina are also exploring the possibility of carrying out research and development projects in Chile studying the impact earthquakes have on health and wellbeing, and potentially providing training for medical staff.
When the latest ‘quake struck in the early hours of the morning, Carolina woke to find her bed shaking. Carolina said: “When we thought it was over, a killer wave covered
the town and country in the Southern region, around the city of Concepción. The tsunami added hundreds of deaths and missing people to the ‘quake disaster. We are still in shock. The noise and fear appear every time a new tremor moves our country. Chile is devastated and people need help. My cousin, who is a doctor and was on duty in the main disaster zone, told me the trauma is so big that we need to generate a long- term project to help them. For some, the noise and wetness of the killer wave remains in their minds.”
Dr Robin Talbot, Dean of the Faculty of Health at the University of Cumbria, said: “The faculty is committed to supporting global issues in whatever way we can, be it through voluntary donations or support for health care staff/training in Latin America. It is timely to support the Chilean earthquake; Carolina’s story is one of many that we know about. In addition to the immediate help, we are also keen to help with the long-term difficulties and mental distress caused by such catastrophes.”
Dr Robin Talbot, Dean of the Faculty of Health
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