A retrospective account of the impacts of the 1960 Valdivia, Chile, earthquake and tsunami and the lack of business continuity planning

This chapter examines retrospectively the impact on the businesses in the city of Valdivia, Chile, of the earthquake and tsunami on “El Día de Los Santos Inocentes” (April Fools Day), Sunday afternoon, May 22, 1960. The setting is Chile, a modern society justly proud of its many achievements. Almost all the observations made during field work are limited to the city of Valdivia. They also reflected conditions in 2007, and the situation may be different today. Still, it is useful to share with others the result of my observations.