Students Tell of Quake Damages and Survival

Harvard students with families in Los Angeles bemoaned collapsed chimneys, overturned china cabinets and shattered picture frames as consequences of the 6.6 Richter scale earthquake that struck Los Angeles Monday.

However, students interviewed yesterday reported moderate damage and no loss of life.

Communication was more of a problem. Some long distance lines to Los Angeles were inoperative until Monday evening, causing students to worry about their Southern Californian families and friends. Some homes may still be without phone service.

"The most frustrating thing is being so far away from home and having no way to reach them and no way of knowing if they're okay," said Daniel B. Lee '95 of West Los Angeles and Winthrop House.

Students may still have cause to be concerned, as Los Angeles is still suffering from aftershocks, some as great as 5 on the Richter scale, according to the Associated Press.

The earthquake has left 34 people dead, 2,600 injured and 95,000 without power and water, reported the Associated Press.

"My dad told me that this was the worst [quake] he has experienced since he has been [in Los Angeles], and he's lived there for 25 years," said Eugene E. Kim '96, who comes from Arcadia.

"Our chimney fell down," said Nina A. Mitchell '97 of Santa Monica. "I have friends whose houses collapsed."

A resident of Northridge, the epicenter of the earthquake, described the aftermath in his neighborhood.

"Both my parents are fine, although there was internal damage to the house," said Robert Riviello '95. "Our block was without lights, power, gas and telephone all [Monday]."

Harvard's Wireless Club, WIAF, is doing its best to help those Harvard students who have not yet contacted their families.

Tonight at 7:30--as it did last night--the club is "volunteering to forward free Amateur Radio Emergency and/or Health & Welfare messages," according to a flyer released yesterday.

Students can come into the club's Linden Street office and give workers messages, which will be forwarded to independent ham radio operators in the Los Angeles area, according to Joseph H. Shelton '95, president of the club.

Operators will then try to locate the persons listed in the students' messages and let the students know how they are.

Some students, including Kim, used the Interneton Monday to find out about their relatives andfriends.

"The way I got most of my news was over thenetwork," Kim said. "A lot of people couldn'tcontact family in Northridge, so they would poste-mail saying such-and-such's phone number is thisand can you call them and see if they're allright."

The Internet newsgroup address for news aboutthe quake is alt.current-events.la-quake,according to a Science Center user assistant

Some students, including Kim, used the Interneton Monday to find out about their relatives andfriends.

"The way I got most of my news was over thenetwork," Kim said. "A lot of people couldn'tcontact family in Northridge, so they would poste-mail saying such-and-such's phone number is thisand can you call them and see if they're allright."

The Internet newsgroup address for news aboutthe quake is alt.current-events.la-quake,according to a Science Center user assistant