michelle bachelet. a lot of people are still missing. 2 million people have been displaced by this 8.8 magnitude earthquake. what are we doing here in the international desk area? take a look. we are keeping a very close eye on cnn chile because that's where we are getting a lot of our information. one of our partner networks and hearing and keeping our eye on conception which is 70 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake you mentioned. fred, one of the big stories today, 36 or so hours after the quake hit, is sadly the looting angle. have you the people so desperate just for water, for food, blankets. then you have the other part of the appropriatelation who simply is taking advantage of though situation and stealing for the sake of stealing. and we see some of the police just out trying to quell the crowds. they have gotten out tear gas, water cannons. it is evidently -- you hear these people that -- the desperation is palpable. >> translator: it is going to keep happening because it has been two f

we expect to hear from president michelle bachelet within this hour at any moment. her statement as soon as it comes in. >> ralitsa, thank you very much. appreciate that. while they continue to pick up the pieces, try to assess the damage, try to reach those injured or in trouble there in chile, in hawaii they are simply waiting. they're waiting for the results of what that earthquake triggered. we're talking about tsunami. already there have been a couple of waves that have hit the big island. but nothing significant thus far and that's what people are most concerned about. sfx: coin drop sfx: can shaking when you own a business, nothing beats the sound of saving time and money. and it's never been simpler to save - with regions lifegreen checkg and savings for business. you'll enjoy free online and mobile banking. and with regions quick deposit, you can deposit checks right from your desk. drop by and get started with a business financial review through a regions cashcor analysis. it's how business gets into the rhym of saving. regions it's time to expect more. >>

president obama is close to president bachelet. they had a conversation today. we would like to do whatever we can to help wherever possible. >> larry: ambassador paul simons. in atlanta carolina escobar. she went to school in concepcion. your family is there, we understand. have you heard from them? >> reporter: larry, yes. my family is in santiago. i have dear friends still in concepcion. i went to school in university in that city. i have heard from my parents, my brothers, my sisters, they are all fine. there are dear, dear friends i haven't been able to locate yet but i'm hoping they are fine. >> do you think the experience your country has had is help something. >> reporter: well, larry. yes. we know there are several earthquakes you will live throughout your life. you cannot be prepared for an 8.8 earthquake. that will get you in the surprise. in the middle of the night sleeping and the light is out. yes. we all know what an earthquake means, what you should be doing, what you should do. >> thank you, carolinaa. we will check with you later as well. 214 a

michelle bachelet urged her people to be strong facing adversity. >> i have flown over the areas, and had meetings with the local authorities to learn on site and to coordinate the actions necessary to help the affected population, the forces of nature have hurt our country greatly, and we are now having to faced a versity and having to stand again, and we are taking all necessary measures to normalize little by little the function of all of the basic services and utilities in the country, but there is a great task ahead of us. i have been in six main regions that have been affected, and we will make available help to the people that have been affected. the ministers have to do a detailed count of the disaster in each one of their areas. we will delay the start of classes until the 8th of march to protect the safety of the children, and to open shelters for people that are requiring them. >> the president bachelet is nearing her term, and the president-elect told reporters he is making disaster relief a priority in his new administration. >> translator: i would like to say to everyone

president bachelet saying there was nothing we could do. we are dealing with an earthquake, a disaster situation. we are going to try to take control of the situation as soon as we can. right now, the priority is rescuing people who are still alive and trapped under the rubble, try to rescue as many people alive as they can. >> indeed, rafael. that is the key thing here. how many people may still be trapped under that rubble. >> exactly. it's difficult to determine. just in santiago alone, there are 5 million people, just to give you an idea. there is absolutely no indication as to how many people remain trapped at this hour. just by the shear number of population, you can get a good idea. in places like the town of concepcion, about 670,000 people, dozens of believed to still be trapped. we are going to get a better idea how many people have been trapped and the death toll you already mentioned, it stands at 147 right now, 147 people killed as a result of this earthquake. >> rafael, i know you're on top of this story and we'll continue to

according to white house officials michelle bachelet thanked obama but stopped shorting requesting aid. they have a organized emergency response. they were the first to send teams to haiti. nevertheless, today's, president obama says the u.s. stands ready to help after this devastating 8.8 earthquake. and from washington throughout the day, president obama and his national security team kept a close eye on chile as well as the state of hawaii and the tsunami warning across the pacific region. here is the president earlier today. >> we can't control nature but we can and must be prepared for disaster when it strikes. in the hours ahead we will continue to take every step possible to prepare our shores and protect our citizens and stand with the people of chile as they recover from this terrible tragedy. >> the u.s. reaching out immediately to chile. there are no reports american citizens were killed in the early morning earthquake today. ten thousand americans live in chile. the u.s. embassy set up a command center to make sure those americans stay safe. >> geraldo: any word, i know the

chilean president michelle bachelet says there is no water, no electricity and very little gasoline.led it a state of catastphe. >> the united states plems to assist in rescue and recovery and we have resources to deploy should the chileanovernment ask for our help. >> reporter: it is a region where the world's tectonic plates bump against one other. >> the plate is going against south america very quickly, we get these huge earthquakes along that margin. >> reporter: there have been at least 50 aftershocks. >> you don't know when it's going to stop. you don't know if it is going to get any bigger or stronger, it is going to hit us again. you only hope and pray it is going to stop soon. >> meanwhile, as one expert put it, hawaii dodged a bullet. the earthquake sent tsunami-force waves barreling across the pacific. there were fears hawaii could be hit with eight-foot waves. by the tim the tsunami arrived, the waves were much smaller than expected. however, japan is still preparing for the possible arrival of large waves there. >>> seaworld reopening following this week's deadly killer

i reached out to president bachelet to let her know we will be there for her should the chilean people need assistance, and our hearts go out to the families who may have lost loved ones. >> so far chile's leaders have not asked for american aid. at this point several hundred aftershocks have been reported since the quake hit. the chilean ambassador to the united states talked to news4 this afternoon. he was in chile as a child when a larger earthquake struck. >> event is going to have consequences for many years because it's not only the reconstruction of the infrastructure that is important, indeed it is, but especially the shock that you can imagine that the children, many people there. >> the ambassador says chile's police and government forces have been trained for these kinds of situations. >>> that deadly quake prompted tsunami warnings throughout the pacific. in hawaii, folks moved to higher ground and braced for impact. >> reporter: 6:00 saturday morning, residents awoke to the sound of sirens alerting them to a tsunami. first waves were expected to hit after 11:00 a.m. hawaii

. >> i have reached tout to president bachelet, to let her know that we will be there for her, should the chilean people need assistance. >> earthquake triggered systems, some aimed at the hawaiian i'lls. hawaiian officials sounded sirens. the deadliest hawaiian tsunami back in 1946 was triggered by an 8.6 earthquake centered near alaska. >> i think people are very astute and careful now and i don't think people are afraid. i think they pay attention to the rules. >> reporter: many residents and tourists watched the waves roll in from high above safe hillsides, a close call according to scientists s at center. >>. >>> meanwhile back here in maryland tonight a deadly plane crash near lee airport in edgewater. it happened just feet away from two houses. wjz live on this story and we have more on the investigation. >> reporter: this was so massive that eyewitnesses could see large plumes of black smoke from miles away, but now officials have no idea why it happened. a single-engine plane shaters into pieces in edgewater. the pilot is killed. >> a heard a large crash like, a big boat hitt

. >> chile is a close friend and partner of the u.s., and i have reached out to president bachelet to let her know we will be there for her should the chilean people need assistance. >> the earthquake triggered tsunami warnings across the pacific rim. tony capt. constant contact with his brother over the phone. -- kept in constant contact. the answer to that some said was an answer to their prayers. the waves were smaller than originally predicted. >> i think that we dodged a bullet. in fact, it is almost the best sort of tsunami you can possibly have. one that is big enough for everyone to see something happen, but not big enough to have caused damage. >> the tsunami warning has been lifted from hawaii. in the meantime in nearly three-foot tsunami entered parts of japan. japan has been on full alert. officials have devised more than 5000 households to evacuate to higher ground. there is more of the earthquake and its effect across the pacific on our website. for pictures of damage and video of the moment that earthquake hit code to wbaltv.com on the homepage. >> back here in the mary

the chilean president michelle bachelet said there's no water, no electricity and very little gasoline. at the white house president obama pledged to help out. >> the united states stands ready to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts and we have resources that are positioned to deploy should the chilean government ask for our help. >> reporter: this is the strongest quake to hit chile in 50 years. it's a region where the earth's tectonic plates bump against one another. >> the plates are gng under either south america very quickly. we get these huge earthquakes along that margin. >> reporter: there have been dozens of aftershocks following the initial magnitude 8.8 earthquake, but the ground is still moving this morning. authorities are warning people to stay away from damaged, unstable structures. for "today," george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. >> cecilia lagos who was there joins us via skype. we're happy you're able to join us this morning. can you tell us about the severity and the number of aftershocks that you are experiencing? >> well, we are still having lots of aftersho

she will be meeting with president bachelet. the secretary has a relationship with the president. this will be her last week in office. they will attend an event, one of the signal events that -- or projects that the president bachelet has to address issues of social inclusion, which has been one of the earmarks of her government. and then there will be a bilateral meeting with president-elect with sebastian pinera, who takes office on the 11th of march. from chile, the signature will travel to brazil. she will of meetings with president lula with the foreign minister amorim in brasilia, and then travel to solve all -- sao paulo, where she will be visiting certain activities in sao paulo particularly in afro-american -- and afro brazillian university in brazil. then from there, the secretary travels to costa rica for the pathways for prosperity meeting which is a ministerial meeting of a hemispheric ministers come and will be discussing many of the themes that i outlined at the top. pathways is one of the secretary's signature initiatives. she has expand this initiative that began