UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 18, Page 1
February 2, 1995
Winter Session students home safe from Kobe

     Mark Miller, assistant professor of languages and literatures who
teaches Japanese, thought a Winter Session trip to Kobe, Japan, would
be a wonderful opportunity for everyone involved.
     Not only would the 13 UD students who signed up gain special
insights into the culture and language of the country, but Miller
would be able to return to the land of his childhood, first seen when
he and the rest of the family accompanied their father on an overseas
assignment for Scott Paper. Moreover, his wife, Erika, who is from
Japan and also teaches Japanese part-time at the University, would be
able to return to her homeland as well.
     Having grown up there, Mark and Erika Miller are no strangers to
earthquakes, but none of their past experiences prepared them for the
event that struck just before dawn on Tuesday, Jan. 17, as they slept
in Shoin University's Japanese Study Center.
     "The earthquakes I had experienced growing up were around 5 on
the Richter scale, not 7.2. Nothing of this magnitude," Miller said.
     Furniture careened around the room; a small appliance fell; the
refrigerator slid across the room and its contents spilled out onto
the floor. "I only hoped the building was not going to collapse after
such a jolt," Miller recalled.
     After the earthquake, Miller said he ran upstairs to check on the
students, a few of whom were on their way down to check on him and his
wife. The UD group then gathered together in the hall.
     "The students did very well," Miller said. "I have nothing but
praise for them. They remained calm and didn't panic."
     In the darkness, all they could see were fires in the distance,
but as dawn broke, they ventured outside and saw the extent of the
devastation, which Miller termed "truly astounding."
     While some of the concrete and steel buildings surrounding the
campus survived the tremor, the older, wooden houses-built to
withstand typhoons-collapsed. The houses have top-heavy, tiled roofs,
and, when the walls of the houses swayed, the wooden beams snapped and
the houses collapsed into rubble, Miller said.
     One cement office building near the campus still stood, but its
midsection bulged out, looking as if it might fall at any time. They
also could see collapsed train lines and derailed trains.
     Concerned about the dangers of gas leaks, downed power lines and
fires, Miller asked the UD students to return to their building. The
lobby there, which is large, had become a refuge for victims of the
earthquake, Miller said, with people bringing with them whatever could
be salvaged, mainly food and blankets.
     By some miracle, one telephone still functioned, but only for
incoming calls, including one which came, after several attempts, from
William W. McNabb, director of overseas studies in the Office of
International Programs and Special Sessions. After talking to members
of the group, McNabb was able to call and reassure anxious parents in
the United States that their students were safe.
     The Japanese Study Center, without power for 35 hours after the
quake, was cold. There was no running water, but the group had sodas
and food to eat, some of it brought by concerned Kobe residents. "We
tried having a few classes," Miller said, "but no one was in the
mood."
     A decision was made to return to the States early, and Miller was
finally able to make reservations for the group to fly out of Osaka to
Tokyo, and from there to the United States. He also managed to arrange
for a bus and driver for the trip to Osaka, one that would take them
via country roads up into the mountains north of the city and then
descending from the mountains into Osaka. The usual 40-minute trip
took 2-1/2 hours.
     "We could not have left Kobe any earlier than we did. Anyone who
had a car tried to leave the area after the quake, and there was
massive paralysis. One of the reasons there were so many fires was
that emergency equipment could not get through the blocked streets.
Finally, martial law was declared, forbidding private vehicles on the
roads in Kobe," Miller said.
     When the Delaware group arrived in Osaka, they found a city that
had not been hit hard by the quake, where life was fairly normal.
     The Millers and the students checked into a hotel and then each
of them reportedly took incredibly long showers. The group arrived
home on Monday, Jan. 23.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure