As with any earthquake on such a scale, building collapses were not an uncommon result of the recent earthquake in Chile.

Immediately following the magnitude 8.8 earthquake which struck on February 27, 2010 just off the coast of Chile near the city of Concepción, the U.K.-based nonprofit humanitarian organization, Oxfam International was among the first to step up to the obligation for assistance.  Despite being a developed country with more than its share of past experience with earthquakes—including the largest currently on record at 9.5 which struck in May of 1960—the scale of the earthquake that struck Chile was one for which little could be done to prevent the massive amounts of damage and devastation suffered by much of the population.

In addition to contacting partner organizations in Chile following the earthquake, Oxfam International sent a number of staff members from its locations in Mexico and Colombia—including logisticians and water engineers as well as humanitarian staff—to the disaster zone to help assess the situation and to determine what will be necessary assistance for planning and repairs of essential infrastructure, and humanitarian aid to the many thousands affected.

Before the earthquake in Chile, Oxfam International—a non-government nonprofit organization—was been one of the most instrumental in its swift response to the disaster relief effort in Haiti, raising $33,000 toward the cause through Facebook alone.

You can become involved in the earthquake relief effort in Chile by making a secure online donation through the Oxfam International website.  Oxfam additionally accepts fundraiser donations, and provides volunteer opportunities on the local level through its Oxfam Action Corps program and offers student internship opportunities to those who qualify.