TALCAHUANO, Chile (AP) -- Hundreds of survivors of Chile's devastating earthquake have organized neighborhood watch groups, arming themselves and barricading streets to protect their damaged homes from looters. The groups have stepped in as police were overwhelmed by looting and soldiers were slow to restore order after an earthquake and tsunami.
"We take care of ourselves here," said 51-year-old Maria Cortes. She stood watch in Poblacion Libertad -- "Freedom Community" -- a gritty collection of small duplexes along an industrial road in the port town of Talcahuano. About 2,000 people live here around a common area three football fields long.
Most of Talcahuano was destroyed by Saturday's magnitude-8.8 quake and tsunami, which ravaged a 700-kilometer (435-mile) stretch of Chile's Pacific coast. Downed bridges and damaged or debris-strewn highways made transit difficult if not impossible in many areas. The official death toll reached 799 on Wednesday. (23 images)
"We take care of ourselves here," said 51-year-old Maria Cortes. She stood watch in Poblacion Libertad -- "Freedom Community" -- a gritty collection of small duplexes along an industrial road in the port town of Talcahuano. About 2,000 people live here around a common area three football fields long.
Most of Talcahuano was destroyed by Saturday's magnitude-8.8 quake and tsunami, which ravaged a 700-kilometer (435-mile) stretch of Chile's Pacific coast. Downed bridges and damaged or debris-strewn highways made transit difficult if not impossible in many areas. The official death toll reached 799 on Wednesday. (23 images)
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Music teacher Claudia Vergara reacts over her damaged piano at her destroyed house in Constitucion, Chile, Tuesday. The 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck central Chile early Saturday, Feb. 27, killed hundreds of people and caused widespread damage. AP / Luis Hidalgo
The view of the Maule River on Tuesday, March 2, from where Saturday's tsunami entered the town in Constitucion, Chile. AFP / Getty Images / Martin Bernetti
Vehicles sit submerged in water on Tuesday, March 2, in Tirua, Chile, a coastal town that was swamped by a tsunami after Saturday's earthquake. New York Times / Lalo De Almeida
Firefighters search for victims on Tuesday, March 2, amid the debris of a house destroyed by the tsunami that ensued the Saturday's earthquake, in Curanipe, 330 km south of Santiago. AFP / Getty Images / Martin Bernetti
A car sits amid earthquake debris in Constitucion, Chile, Tuesday, March 2. AP / Roberto Candia
Members of the Sepulveda family try to recover issues from their damaged house in Constitucion, Chile, Tuesday, March 2. AP / Roberto Candia
Residents rescue items from destroyed homes in Los Pellines , Chile, Tuesday, March 2. AP / Fernando Vergara
Residents rescue items from destroyed homes in Los Pellines , Chile, Tuesday, March 2. AP / Fernando Vergara
A boy sits on a mattress as soldiers remove rubble from a destroyed house searching for earthquake victims in Pelluhue, Chile, Tuesday, March 2. AP / Fernando Vergara
A woman stands in front of a truck carrying empty coffins outside the hospital in Constitucion, Chile, Tuesday, March 2. AP / Roberto Candia
At a cemetery outside Constitucion, Chile, a family buries a 2-year-old child and a 4-month-old baby on Tuesday, March 2. Los Angeles Times / Michael Robinson Chavez
A woman washes her hands at a makeshift shelter in Constitucion, Chile, Tuesday. AP / Fernando Vergara
A military helicopter takes of after delivering aid in Dichato, Chile, Wednesday, March 3. The government deployed thousands of army and navy troops throughout the country's central coastal region. AP / Ricardo Mazalan
Volunteers help load relief supplies into boxes at the airport in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday. AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
People wait in line for a water distribution on the outskirts of Hualpen, Chile, Tuesday, March 2. AP / Natacha Pisarenko
A man receives an empty bottle to fill it with water from a damaged water main in Concepcion, Chile, Tuesday, March 2. AP / Ricardo Mazalan
Residents collect drinkable water at a dispensing station in Constitucion, Chile on Wednesday, March 3. AFP/ Getty Images / Martin Bernetti
A soldier speaks to riders in Constitucion, Chile, Tuesday, March 2. AP / Luis Hidalgo
Soldiers apprehend a man who was suspected of looting a pharmacy in the city center in Concepcion, Chile. The city is the second largest metropolis in Chile and suffered heavy earthquake damage. It has been the scene of widespread looting. Los Angeles Times / Michael Robinson Chavez
A police officer aims a gun at people who were suspected of looting goods from a store damaged during the magnitude-8.8 earthquake in Talcahuano, Chile. AP / Ricardo Mazalan
Residents guard their block from looters in Concepcion, Chile on Tuesday, March 2. AP / Natacha Pisarenko
Marlene Elizabeth Franco of Concepcion, Chile, weeps as she recounts having use a knife to defend her home from looters on Tuesday, March 2. Her husband, she said had slept only four hours since the weekend earthquake. "It is like a war zone," she said. Los Angeles Times / Michael Robinson Chavez
Men guard their street from looters in Concepcion, Chile on Tuesday, March 2. The government sent soldiers and ordered a nighttime curfew to quell looting. AP / Natacha Pisarenko
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