Viña del Mar and Valparaiso

February 3rd, 2024

On Friday, February 2nd, a state of emergency was declared in Valparaíso due to wildfires in the region. Chilean emergency services have been mobilized to battle the fatal fires, which have resulted in smoky conditions in the cities of Viña del Mar and Valparaiso. Local authorities have instituted a curfew on Saturday, February 3rd, until 12 p.m. (local time) to allow emergency services to move easily throughout the region. After this time, citizens are still advised to remain at home for the remainder of the day.

All ISA students in Viña del Mar and Valparaíso are confirmed safe. The ISA Chile resident staff have informed all students about the situation and advised them to avoid affected areas, watch local news for updates, follow the directives of local authorities and to check in with the families back home. At this time, ISA does not anticipate changes to the academic schedule. ISA will continue to monitor the situation and advise students accordingly. 

Tokyo

January 1st, 2024

In the early evening of January 1st (local time), a series of earthquakes (ranging from 5.7 to 7.6 magnitude) occurred off the west coast of Japan in Ishiwaka prefecture. The tremors were centered approximately 250 miles from Tokyo. Damage to buildings, power outages, and disruption to public transportation have been reported throughout the country. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings for the prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama, but authorities indicate the threat has largely passed.

TEAN resident staff in Tokyo confirmed the earthquakes caused no immediate damage in the city. Currently, there are no active TEAN programs in Japan and we do not anticipate any impact on our Spring 2024 programs in Tokyo. WorldStrides will continue to monitor the situation and update this Worldwide Alert accordingly.