Economic aftershocks from February's devastating earthquake in Chile are now rippling across Douglas County following the destruction of many Chilean sawmills and plywood plants.

Roseburg Forest Products has hired dozens of full-time workers in recent weeks to fill a gap in the supply of sanded plywood panels previously produced in the South American country and shipped to the U.S., a company official said Wednesday.

While no one is rejoicing at the devastation created by the magnitude 8.8 earthquake that rocked Chile on Feb. 27, it has created an opportunity for 84 new permanent full-time workers in Douglas County and another 23 in Coos County.

"Our intention is to keep them," Hank Snow, vice president of human resources for RFP, said of the new workers. "No one really knows how long Chile will be out of the market - it could be six months, it could be the end of the year."