A professor and a graduate of Colorado College and a ColoradoSprings couple had intimate connections to Friday morning's disasterin Japan and the subsequent tsunami that rolled across the PacificOcean.
Rich and Pat Beiner's son Bryan Biener was in his 27th floorapartment when the ground began to shake in Tokyo.
Bill Kawashima was on the island of Oahu as the tsunami cameashore in the island state.
Colorado College Associate Professor of Economics Daniel Johnsonwas in Tokyo was at an international conference on trade, where hewas to present a paper.
Here's a taste of what they experienced:
Springs couple can't sleep as son experiences Tokyo earthquake
Pat Beiner felt uneasy trying to sleep Friday morning at herColorado Springs home.
A few hours earlier she'd learned that an 8.9-magnitudeearthquake had rocked Japan, and her 38-year-old son Bryan had justmoved to Tokyo on Wednesday.
"She got up early and got on the Internet and saw what washappening. Then she woke me up," said Rich Beiner, 67.
The Beiner couple, who have lived in the Springs for about 20years, received an email from their Bryan at about 6:30 a.m. Friday,describing his his experience from the 27th floor of his high-riseTokyo apartment building. Bryan said the building was "reallyrocking and creaking like crazy."
Bryan works for UBS Bank, Rich Beiner said.
"Not to be melodramatic," Bryan wrote in the email, "but I almostpicked up the phone to call and leave a message in case it was mylast chance."
After less than two minutes, Bryan and another American familybanded together and tried to get out of the building, which by thanhad no working elevators. They broke the seal on an emergency doorand managed to get to "a place that was considered safe," the emailsaid.
After the initial quake, they felt about 10 aftershocks.
Rich Beiner said the building was built in 2002 and at lastreport, Bryan was safe.
CC grad weathers the storm on Oahu
Bill Kawashima also didn't sleep well Thursday night into Fridaymorning.
The 1978 Colorado College graduate's insomnia was sparked byworry. Kawashima hung out in his condo outside of Honolulu about athird of a mile inland, wondering just how bad the tsunami rushingtoward Hawaii would be.
"It was a long night," Kawashima said. "I got about two hours ofsleep. You know the waves are coming, but it's hard to get any newsupdates."
Kawashima, a Hawaii native, moved back to Oahu in 1996. Hisdaughter, Noelani Kawashima, is a sophomore at his alma mater inColorado Springs.
Kawashima said the island of Oahu "survived fairly well." Thewave that came ashore was about 5 feet in the area of Waikiki Beach.He said the waters didn't reach most of the hotels, which hadevacuated the bottom three floors as a precaution.
The strongest waves hit the north shore of Oahu, Kawashimalearned from television news reports.
"There were fish washed up in the parking lots and floppingaround," Kawashima said.
While most areas around Honolulu, the state's capital, avoidedextensive damage. Kawashima said Keehi Lagoon near the airport andnot far from Pearl Harbor reported damage to boats and docks.
CC professor messages from Tokyo in Japan
This email was from Colorado College Associate Professor ofEconomics Daniel Johnson:
"Just got back to my hotel again, as it was evacuated again tocheck for structural damage as there were some superficial cracks inthe walls when I first returned."
An earlier email from Johnson to CC:
"I'm at a conference here in downtown Tokyo, due to present someresearch in international trade. Midway through someone else'spresentation, the room started to rumble more than shake. It wasn'theavy, but was noticeable as an earthquake. The speaker stopped towait for it, and it kept on and on, growing stronger and stronger.As the light fixtures started to swing, we all climbed under ourdesks, hoping that the worst would pass quickly. But for severalminutes that seemed like hours, it grew even stronger. The roomreally vibrated, and people grew genuinely terrified. I wasn'tscared yet, just amused, so I smiled and cracked jokes with mycolleagues to keep the mood light.
"During a lull in the shaking, we heard the public siren outsidecalling for building evacuations, along with instructions to reachhigh ground as a precaution against a tsunami coming ashore. That'sactually when I started to get scared. We filed out in orderlyfashion, and were thankfully already on a hilltop, so could watch asdozens of others streamed out of nearby buildings to join us in thehilltop courtyard between buildings. The trees were swaying, theornamental caps on one building were vibrating precipitously, sirenswere blaring, and people were starting to panic. Everyone had cellphones out, trying to call loved ones or get news.
"We remained outside for the better part of an hour, with theground still regularly trembling with aftershocks. Slowly wordtrickled in about the enormity of the quake, where it was centered,how big the tsunami wave would (and wouldn't) be, etc. Securityteams were remarkably calm and professional in checking buildingsfor gas leaks and fires and structural damage.
"We called off the remainder of the afternoon's conference, and Iwent back to my hotel, where elevators were of course not working.So I climbed the 13 flights to my room, passing cracks in the wallthat the bellhop asserted had definitely not been there thatmorning. Upstairs, my room was still frequently swaying andvibrating with aftershocks, so I changed into warmer clothers andwent back downstairs and outside to wait it out.
Looking around at the skyline, it would have been a majorhumanitarian disaster had the quake been centered here. Withmillions of people in the city, skyscrapers on every block, streetsclogged with cars and buses, construction cranes and industrialfacilities in close proximity, it could have been horrific. As itis, by 11 p.m. this evening, most subway and train lines have beenchecked and are back on limited service, stores are still stockingfood and water, restaurants are open to serve meals, and the city isa little subdued but not too much the worse for wear."
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