Season 5 "American Idol" runner-up Elliott Yamin was in Chile this week to perform at Competencia Internacional (South America's largest music festival), and he was still in the country--about 90 miles from the epicenter--when a devastating 8.8 earthquake hit Saturday morning. It was one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded.
Elliott is a type 1 diabetic, and only has enough insulin on him to last through the weekend. And with the chaotic situation at Chilean airports right now, it's unlikely he will able to return to the States before his diabetic supplies run out. However, overall Elliott is safe--much safer than many other people in Chile. He is one of the lucky ones.
This has put Elliott in the unexpected position of becoming a sort of eyewitness reporter on what's currently going on in Chile. He started posting on Twitter in a panic immediately after the earthquake, tweets like: "Complete and utter choas on the streets...no power...my heart is beatin outta my chest!....tsunami warnin...I am only a mile inland!" And this caught the attention of news producers at networks like NBC and CNN, to whom Elliott is now granting on-the-scene reports.
Reality Rocks sends prayers and well-wishes to Elliott and everyone in Chile right now. Watch two of Elliott's interviews about the Chile situation below, and please go to www.RedCross.org to donate to Chilean earthquake relief.