Google on Saturday activated an online “person finder” tool to help relatives and friends to find loved ones following the huge earthquake in Chile.

The “Person Finder: Chile Earthquake” from the California-based Internet giant is located at Chilepersonfinder.appspot.com and offers users the choice of using it in English and Spanish.

It asks users “What is your situation?” and gives them the choice between “I’m looking for someone” and “I have information about someone.”

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Surveillance cameras captured images of Chile as it shook violently as the nation was hammered by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake Saturday morning.

Raw Video: Quake-Stricken Chile in Ruins

History of Chile’s Earthquakes
The largest earthquake ever recorded struck the same area of Chile on May 22, 1960. The magnitude-9.5 quake killed 1,655 people and left 2 million homeless. The tsunami that it caused killed people in Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines and caused damage to the west coast of the United States.

Saturday’s quake matched a 1906 temblor off the Ecuadorean coast as the seventh-strongest ever recorded in the world.

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The first wave is expected to arrive by 11:19 a.m. local time, 4:19 p.m. ET.

‘State of catastrophe’ declared as massive magnitude-8.8 earthquake topples buildings, kills dozens in Chile and subsequent tsunami warnings trigger Hawaii coastal evacuations.

Hawaiians Stock Up on Food, Gas as Waves Prepare to Hit at 11:19 a.m. Local Time.

Civil defense sirens blared in each county of Hawaii starting at 6:00 a.m. Hawaiian time as residents and tourists calmly began leaving their coastline homes and resorts and moving to higher ground.

Grocery stores faced a crush of residents eager to stock up on food, water and batteries. Long lines of cars snaked through many islands’ streets near gas stations as drivers filled their tanks.

Source – ABC News

Pacific Tsunami Warning Center

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The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck 56 miles northeast of the city of Concepcion at a depth of 22 miles at 3:34 a.m. (1:34 a.m. EST).

The capital Santiago, about 200 miles north of the epicenter, was also badly hit. The international airport was forced to close as the quake destroyed passenger walkways and shook glass out of doors and windows,

The full extent of the damage was not yet known, although there were reports of collapsed buildings and hundreds of people in the streets.

CNN
USGS

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Fatalities and multiple injuries were reported Sunday after a massive explosion at a Connecticut power plant

Reports now say 5 dead and at least a dozen injured. Reported by Mayor Sebastian Giuliano

The explosion occurred just before 11:30 a.m. local time at the Kleen Energy plany on River Road in Middletown, Conn., according to authorities.

About 50 people were working at the plant during the time of the explosion.

Dozens of ambulances and fire trucks were on the scene and witnesses said black smoke could be seen for miles.
Police are advising everyone to stay away from the area.

Homeowners more than 10 miles away and mistook for an earth quake, blew up a power plant being built on the Connecticut River in the southern section of Middletown.

The power plant was reportedly undergoing construction at the time of the explosion, though authorities said they do not know what caused it.

FOX News

Coverage from a local station (WTNH) on their YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/WTNH

Pictures: Middletown Plant Explosion

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