Barrick Beyond Borders - May 2012 - Barrick Gold Corporation

A BARRICK GOLD REPORT ON RESPONSIBLE MINING | BEYOND BORDERSDON RITZ, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, SAFETY AND LEADERSHIP, AND BARRICKCEO AARON REGENT SURVEY DAMAGE FROM EARTHQUAKE DURING 2010 VISIT.THE LICEO NUEVO HORIZONTE SCHOOL IN AQUELARRE, CHILE, ONE OFTHREE SCHOOLS THAT BARRICK HELPED REBUILD.LEFT: FILOMENA CORREA. ABOVE: FILOMENA’SHOUSE DURING RECONSTRUCTION.In the early-morning hours of February 27, 2010, not long beforea massive earthquake leveled much of south-central Chile,Filomena Correa had a premonition that something awful wasabout to happen.“I tried to tell my husband, but he was sleeping and didn’thear me,” says Correa, who lives in Vichuquén, Chile, about300 kilometers southwest of Santiago.Minutes later, the ground began to shake violently. Correa,who is 67, and her husband Jose bolted from their bed andliterally ran for their lives. “We got out as fast as we could withwhatever we had on,” she says. “It was terrible.”The 8.8-magnitude earthquake was one of the worst inrecorded history. It lasted 180 interminable seconds and triggereda tsunami that wreaked further havoc along the Chileancoast. All told, the earthquake killed 525 people in Chile andcaused an estimated $30 billion in damage.While, fortunately, no one was killed in Vichuquén, the townwas gutted. “It looked like a war zone,” says Raul González, aBarrick Project Engineer who relocated to Vichuquén shortly afterthe earthquake to help the town rebuild.In the aftermath of the earthquake, 250 Barrick volunteersconverged on Vichuquén and other towns in Chile’s coastal regionof Maule to help build emergency homes. Barrick also donated8,000 liters of water, mattresses, pillows and blankets to localresidents, many of whom lost their homes.It was the first phase of Barrick’s involvement in a long-termreconstruction plan that encompassed Vichuquén and the townsof Aquelarre and Boyeruca. Overall, Barrick contributed$5 million and played an active role in the reconstruction project,which included the rebuilding of three schools: one in Vichuquén,one in Aquelarre and one that was recently completed andunveiled in a ceremony in Boyeruca.“This school is a testament to the spirit and resilience of thiscommunity,” said Igor Gonzales, Barrick’s Regional President forSouth America, who attended the ceremony. “This town didn’tsuccumb to despair when it would have been so easy to in the faceof such devastation. Instead, you began to rebuild and the resultsare evident today.”In addition to the reconstruction of the schools, Barrickis helping rebuild 24 houses in Vichuquén that were severelydamaged in the earthquake. One of those homes belonged toCorrea. “I am infinitely grateful for the assistance and supportwe received from Barrick,” says Correa, who has lived in anemergency home built by Barrick since that fateful February day.Correa’s old house was made of adobe brick and may havebeen as much as 200 years old. It was a designated historic site,as was the entire town of Vichuquén, a popular tourist destina-6May 2012