Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photo
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton landed in Chile Tuesday to pledge material assistance in-person, three days after the country was struck by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake. Clinton arrived with critically important satellite communication equipment, while many more shipments of aid are due to follow. "That was the one thing we could get on the plane right away,” she said. Chile has asked for a field hospital and water purification systems and, according to U.S. officials, it will all be provided free. Some help has already come from Chile’s South American neighbors, who are sending everything from tents to ambulances. Clinton only planned to spend a few hours in the capital city of Santiago for a meeting with outgoing President Michelle Bachelet and President-elect Sebastian Pinera.