Japan’s quake evokes memories of Northridge
By Ben Gilmore
Monday’s devastating quake didn’t just rock Kobe, Japan, but
also the UCLA community.
Despite striking hundreds of miles away, the 7.2 shaker brought
back many memories for UCLA students who experienced the Northridge
earthquake exactly one year ago.
"I can’t believe the irony," said Mike Fujimura, a fourth-year
biology student who has a grandmother in Japan. "It happened on the
same day (as the Northridge quake) at close to the same time."
Although the Japanese earthquake caused hundreds of deaths and
widespread damage, Fujimura’s grandmother remained unscathed.
"Thank God my grandmother wasn’t hurt," Fujimura said, who is
just one of many UCLA Japanese Americans concerned about friends
and family.
Jun Yoneyama, president of UCLA’s Japanese Students Association,
also expressed similar concern for family members.
"I was really worried about them," he said. "It’s good to know
they’re okay. But I still have to check on my friend at Osaka
University."
In addition to housing Yoneyama’s friend, the city of Osaka also
houses a number of UCLA students studying through the Education
Abroad Program.
Fortunately, several UCLA students studying at Osaka University
phoned in good reports on their well-being.
"So far we’ve recieved nothing but good news. The dorms the
students were staying at seem to have held up well. No one we
talked to was hurt and they were able to call out on the phones, "
said EAP Program Coordinator Jessica van der Valk.
However, other parts of Japan did not fare as well. News reports
from heavily damaged areas of the country painted a grim picture
for some people.
"When I saw all the buildings collapsed I knew a lot of people
had been killed. They still haven’t come close to finding all the
people," commented Fred Notehelfer, director of UCLA’s Center for
Japanese Studies.
Although Japan presently suffers huge losses, the situation
would have been worse if Japan did not have a long history of
preparing carefully for earthquakes, Notehelfer said.
"Steel codes are five times as strict in Japan as they are here.
All the new steel buildings were hardly damaged. It’s the old
buildings that collapsed," he said.
In addition, Japan’s long history of dealing with natural
disasters, including a 1923 quake which killed over 100,000 people,
will help it recover, Notehelfer said.
Although Californians have picked up the pieces of the
Northridge earthquake, many have been lax in preparing for future
ones, UCLA geologists said.
"We hope the Japanese quake, striking one year later, will raise
people’s consciousness," said Steve Salyards, adjunct assistant
professor of geophysics at UCLA’s Southern California Earthquake
Center.
"As we get farther from the Northridge quake, we can’t let its
lessons leave our minds," he said.
However, others feel the lessons have already left people’s
thoughts. "This is just a two-day TV event for most Californians,"
said Dave Potter, a graduate student in geophysics. "I don’t think
this will raise people’s awareness that much. The Northridge quake
had much more of an effect. There’s nothing like feeling a few
aftershocks to raise your consciousness."