DAD'S NARRATIVE OF RILEY'S 8.8 EARTHQUAKE ORDEAL

Following are some of Riley's earthquake experiences in Talcahuano, Chile that Tom recorded after talking to Riley on Friday. According to our memory of our phone conversation with Riley, the following is accurate; however, we make no promises. We are looking forward to actually being able to read Riley's own account in his own words once we receive them. I am sure they will be more accurate and include more of his thoughts and feelings.

3/7/10

We finally got to talk to Riley yesterday. It was so great to hear his voice and be assured that he is safe. Riley is currently in the town of San Pedro staying in a chapel there with approximately 40 missionaries and a handful of refugee families. He sounded healthy and happy and expressed many times over his thankfulness for Heavenly Father’s protective hand.

As soon as Riley has access to the internet he promised to write us a detailed letter explaining what he experienced from the moment the 8.8 earthquake hit at around 3:45 am on Saturday, February 27th until 5 days later, Thursday, March 4th, when they were rescued by the the mission president and his wife and taken to safety in San Pedro.

We asked him about what it was like going through one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded. He said that he was awakened by jolting of the quake and sat up on his bed as things in the room were crashing down around him. He could see the floor moving up and down and the walls waving in and out. He kept waiting for it to end but it just kept going, lasting as long as two minutes while increasing in power. He did not hear anyone in his apartment of 4 missionaries yell out during the quake, nor did he. “I think we were all just too afraid or in shock to even speak while the quake was going on.” Riley told us that what was going through his mind was that he was sure the building would collapse and that their fourth floor apartment would come crashing down. He pictured in his mind that they would be buried in rubble. He expressed that he feared for his life and during the height of the shaking, his worst fears seemed inevitable. He said of the initial 8.8 quake that it was the longest most horrifying 2 minutes of his life.

After the apartment stopped shaking one of the Elders in the other room yelled out, asking if everyone was OK? They all replied yes and agreed that they had to get out of the apartment NOW! Riley was wearing PJs and quickly slipped on slippers, grabbed a flashlight and joined his companions as they exited the building.

They spent the rest of that first night out on the streets with the locals from their apartment complex and nearby neighborhood. With large after shocks going off every few minutes it just wasn’t safe to go back inside. Riley told us that, “people were screaming and yelling, some were throwing up, and there was mass hysteria everywhere.”

At first light they went to check on members living nearby. All power was out and phone lines were down. Even cell phone service was disrupted but they were miraculously able to reach the other missionaries in their sector by cell phone, before they lost power, and arranged to meet in a safe place other than the location that their emergency plan had previously called for. The emergency plan location they decided was not in as safe a place because of the threat of a major tsunami, so higher ground seemed to be the better call.

Riley told us that as terrifying as going through an 8.8 earthquake was, that the 48 hours to follow is where he feared for his life the most. He talked about the civil unrest that they experienced, the blatant crime that they witnessed on property and humanity.

Night two and three after the quake, Riley, along with 7 other missionaries, slept away from any building structures in the nearby hills. They borrowed tents from some of the members and stayed amongst other locals and members in makeshift tent cities. He told us how they armed themselves with homemade weapons and clubs made from sticks and pieces of steel pipe, whatever they could find. Lawlessness was rampant and getting worse by the hour. There were gangs of criminals forming, organizing and systematically working their way through neighborhoods, looting and stealing anything they could find. The missionaries, along with many of the neighborhood locals, used pieces of broken fencing, debris from damaged buildings, and anything they could find to barricade off sections of the neighborhood to keep the bandits out. These bands of thieves were different from many of the desperate people that were looting grocery stores in desperation for food to feed their families. These gangs were stealing electronics and high end goods. They would threaten the lives of anyone that got in their way. There were reports of gangs working their way through neighborhoods, kicking in doors and stealing peoples things.

Aftershock quakes were constant and continued to rock the peninsula of Talcahuano and surrounding areas. Hundreds of quakes daily, many still above 6.0, leaving everyone frightened and on edge. Although Talcahuano reported some of the worst damage done by the tsunami that shortly followed the 8.8 quake, it could have been far worse and for the first few days most of the locals still feared that a much bigger tsunami would strike.

Riley told us about going down into the “Centro” or center of the town to look for food and supplies to help members and people in need. He saw people breaking into stores and stealing everything on the shelves. He saw people light and burn down stores after nothing else could be found. A man approached Riley and his companion on the street and tried to steal the camera out of his companion’s hands. After a short confrontation, they fled from the bandit.

One of the more frightening moments was when they were down along the beach front looking at all the destruction when the tsunami warnings started going off. He said people started running in total hysteria screaming that the water was coming, the tsunami was coming. Riley and his companions ran for their lives. He said that pictures in his mind were of some of the devastating tsunamis that he remembered seeing on the news in recent years.

The eight missionaries from the sector, Riley included, stayed the last two nights at a member’s home up in the hills. With the threat of gangs of thieves closing in on them, all eight missionaries took turns with an around-the-clock guard duty. The member had a shot gun and an old military helmet. Riley told us that they would all take a shift, through the night, standing guard with the gun and wearing the helmet. He said they wore a piece of cloth around their arm, as did everyone in that neighborhood, so as to be identified as belonging in that neighborhood. This enabled them to move in and out of the area without suspicion.

This member had a diesel pickup truck. Gas was impossible to find but diesel was more accessible. They were able to go on some food finding runs further out of the city. On one particular run they were able to load up on canned fish from a fish cannery the member knew of. They were able to get enough to sustain many members for several days.

Riley said that on the third day they started to see improvements in the control of the lawless. The military moved in to establish order and were shooting anyone that was committing crimes and not yielding to their warnings. Riley said they were shooting first and asking questions later. He said “the military was not messing around.” He was glad to see them take over. Gun shots were a frequent sound throughout the day and night.

On Thursday, March 4th, the eight missionaries had a meeting and decided that they needed to leave Talcahuano and try to connect with more members of their mission. They decided that they would start walking to Concepcion, to the mission office, and try to hitch hike along the way. As they were packing up some daypacks with a few items that they could carry, President Swensen and his wife pulled up in a pickup truck. Riley said that when Sister Swenson saw the eight missionaries and the condition that they were in, she cried and gave them all a big hug. All eight crammed into the truck with what little they could carry and headed out to a chapel in San Pedro where now 40 missionaries and a handful of refugee families are staying.

Riley said that when he saw the President and his wife that he felt that they had been rescued. Riley reports that they have plenty of food and water at the chapel and that they feel completely safe. With a curfew that only allows them to be out from 12 noon to 6p.m. Riley says that their biggest battle now is boredom. They are able to go out during that time and perform as much service as they can, helping members in that area clean up, off loading supply trucks, restocking grocery stores and any other humanitarian aid that they can offer. Riley said he is anxious to go back to his area and get back to work in any capacity that they are needed. They still have to keep a 24 hour watch on the building they are staying in but he made no mention of having to be armed for that duty.

Some of the many miracles that Riley has shared with us are that just a few months before the quake they had a mission meeting on emergency preparedness and President Swenson outlined an emergency plan which included where missionaries should meet up in the event of an emergency. He instructed them specifically as to what to do in the event of an earthquake. Riley also said that they got an unusual Christmas gift sent to all the missionaries in his mission from the first presidency of the church. They all received water bottles with a built in water filtration system and water filtering tablets. He said that when they got them he wasn’t sure why they got them saying that, “the water in Chile is fine and totally safe.” Since the earthquake and the total disruption of running water, water has been scarce. Riley said the water bottles are a life saver and all the missionaries are using them.

It is not very common for the first presidency to purchase a personal item like that for so many missionaries. What a blessing it is to have inspired leaders.

We are so thankful for all the love and concern shown to us over this past week. We have received many calls and emails from family and friends expressing their love and concern for Riley. We know that this experience he has gone through will change him forever and we can see that he has grown and will continue to grow because of it. The scope of his mission in Chile has changed now and he will be serving in new ways.

Riley expressed how thankful he was for being a missionary. He loves the people of Chile and feels it a blessing to serve them. His testimony has grown so much and we are so proud of the man he is becoming.

Tom Harper

Riley’s Dad