The aftershocks of Chile's earthquake, which experts say was at least 600 to 800 times stronger than the one in Haiti, are almost impossible to count.
A few days ago there was a particularly strong one at 6:20 in the morning that sent journalists staying at a small hotel in downtown Concepcion running out the door in their underwear.
I was better dressed for the occasion.
As a Chilean, I know the golden rule: after an earthquake, always sleep with your clothes on and always leave the doors open.
Earthquakes and aftershocks can jam doors, making it impossible to get out.
Two hours later there were two more, very long and strong aftershocks, 6.2 and 6.6 in magnitude.
Again, we flew out the door.
We could hear an eerie, deep roar coming not from a building but from deep in the ground, as though a monster would emerge from underneath.
We all wondered if there had been another earthquake, and if it would provoke another tsunami.
No matter how many aftershocks you feel, and in Chile there have been hundreds, each one puts your senses on alert and makes your heart race, especially at night, when you think you are asleep and are suddenly shaken awake.
We were lucky to eventually find a place to stay that seems to have weathered the original 8.8 quake pretty well.
Some colleagues are so nervous about the aftershocks that they have chosen to stay in tents outside their satellite trucks.
They have company.
Thousands of Concepcion residents whose homes collapsed or suffered structural damage are sleeping outdoors too, in tents or on mattresses or anything else they can find.
Until yesterday electricity had not yet been restored to many poor neighbourhoods, where people light bonfires at night to ward off possible looters and to keep warm.
The aftershocks are expected to last for weeks, but for Concepcion residents, finding a permanent, safe roof over their heads again could take months, or years.
Content on this website is for general information purposes only. Your comments are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct or indirect liability. You hereby provide us with an irrevocable, unlimited, and global license for no consideration to use, reuse, delete or publish comments, in accordance with Community Rules & Guidelines and Terms and Conditions.
![[QODLink]](http://english.aljazeera.net/mritems/Images/2012/5/11/2012511172447168734_16.jpg "Gaddafi clung to a fading reality")
