On May 22, 1960 the largest earthquake ever recorded hit the coast of Chile . This earthquake measured in at 9.5 on the Richter scale. The Richter scale is based on numbers from 1-10. 10 is the highest possible earthquake. After the dust cleared, more than 2,000 people had died and more than 3,000 people were injured. Buildings were destroyed and death hung in the air. 2 million people were left wandering the streets homeless. In a country where poverty already fills the streets and many go to bed hungry every night. $550 million dollars of damage is unimaginable.
The tsunami that was caused by the earthquake swept over Hawaii , where it caused $75 million dollars of damage. In Japan 138 people died and $50 million dollars was lost. 32 people were found to be dead and missing in the Philippines and $500,000 worth of damage was caused to the West Coast of the United States of America . Everyone world wide will remember May 22, 1960 , the day that the largest earthquake that ever hit our world occurred.
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