European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 19, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 the stars and stripes California earthquake wednesday january 19,1994 earthquake damage of mondays quake which measured 6.6, was followed by hundreds of aftershocks one of which measured 5.3. It was entered in the san Fernando Vafier. Fireballs explode from ruptured Gas Mains destroying More than 40 Homes the tour level intersection of i rate states 5 and route 14 near Sylmar collapses. A a based upon preliminary reports i essay. Major structural damage a Sas by Effie Bathen staff writer american red Cross officials in military communities in Europe have consoled dozens of family members who could not reach loved ones in the Wake of monday s los Angeles earthquake. A it does t necessarily mean that the loved ones Homes have been destroyed. It just Means that the phone lines Are Down or All cluttered a said Shirley Hines station manager for the Mann Heim Germany regional station. In cases of natural disaster the Agency imposes a 48-hour moratorium before accepting requests to Send messages inquiring about a persons welfare. Callers trying to reach people in the earthquake area were advised tuesday to keep trying. Agency offices were closed monday in Observance of the Martin Luther King or. Holiday. Most callers reached answering machines. Steve Huffstuttor a station manager in the Stuttgart area said he had also received several Calls from people who called Back later to say that they had eventually reached their friends or family. A a the regular system of emergency notification in which military people Are reached overseas would be generally unaffected by the moratorium. In Case of a death or serious illness the information would be transmitted by a combination of electronic messages and through military san Francisco apr faster than a 9600-baud Modem the global computer network buzzed into action after the ground stopped shaking monday in Southern California. And the system held up even though the quake knocked out at least one main link. Within 20 minutes of the pre Dawn earthquake electronic messages flew on the internet As computer users in the quake area described the destruction and people elsewhere asked about the Fate of loved ones. One Man typed simply a it was a hell of a ride. A a plea from Tobias Koehler in Denmark went out shortly after the quake hit a Chi there. Is everything of in Ventura California my sister just went there she is in California for the first time a in an electronic version of a Ham radio network some computer users in various parts of the country offered to relay messages to people in their areas from relatives and friends who could not make Long distance phone Calls from the quake zone. Computer users connect to the internet at universities or their jobs or by subscribing to one of a growing number of commercial services that give Access to the network. Users can Send electronic mail be mail a Back and Forth or a a Chat with Large numbers of users at one time. As Many As 50 people at a time were logged into an International relay Chat Channel called a earthquake a set up by a user less than an hour after the Jolt. It works like a party line with each participants comments scrolling Down the screen. The earthquake Channel quickly became the designated news Channel. A secondary Chat was set up called a quake cd to for people to discuss what was happening. Some internet users set up a news group a a semipermanent bulletin Board for news items comments and firsthand accounts a within 20 minutes of the quake. The internet originally was built in the 1970s As a military communications network that could survive a nuclear attack. A. A. A a a a a. Editor s note a computer users with internet Access can connect to the International relay out by fogging on to the network and typing Quot inc Quot and then Quot earthquake a or Quot quake Nal Quot without the quotation Marks. The address Lor the earthquake news group is  again without me quotation Marks. In lines Hines said. Monetary donations for general disaster Relief May be accepted by any local red Cross office Hines said. The disaster Relief Agency accepts Only donated Money not goods because of transportation difficulties she said. Otherwise she explained a it would be a logistical  however monetary donations can go toward vouchers for clothing food Media Cine Eyell a use s or eve n Faise the e t  suggests berliners Send help to sister City Berlin apr mayor Eberhard Diepgen said tuesday that Berlin is seeking donations for los Angeles earthquake victims As a gesture of thanks for . Support during the cold War. Berlins City government set up a special Bank account for contributions to victims in los Angeles which is berlins sister City in the United states. A berliners will never forget How America helped our City and our country in the hour of greatest need a Diepgen said in a message to los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan. The United slates led the Berlin Airlift that kept the Western part of Berlin alive during the soviet blockade of 1948 and 1949. American troops stationed in West Berlin stood guard against the soviets during the tense years of the East West standoff. Dick Gene a Appeal for donations was broadcast on local radio and television stations tuesday and was expected to be published in the City a newspapers today. To Crews rolled soon after City rocked new York a in no a Bernard Shaw was reporting on the earthquake by cellular phone within eight minutes. Tom Brokaw flew in by private Jet and leaped on a motorcycle to reach the scene in time for no cd a evening news. Tvs first Day coverage from los Angeles was a first rate return to major earthquake reportage. The experience the networks gained during the 1989 san Francisco Bay area quake clearly showed. A when the earthquake hit people knew what to do without having to consult with the Home office in new York a said Bob Murphy Abc senior vice president for hard news. San Francisco a quake confounded initial coverage attempts striking just before dark during the world series. A this quake happened in the Early morning . Time Ana Daylight came quickly within an hour or two so the information was a lot better Quot Murphy said. In no a coverage began at 7 39 . Est after Shaw m los Angeles for the Ca Bleace awards called from his Beverly Hills hotel Abc Abc and lbs got it moments later. It was the first time since the persian Gulf War that each major network preempted its schedule for a big Story. President Clinton was engrossed in the breaking Story. A like All of you i was Able to watch it unfold on television Quot he said. A it was really  Abc however reported hundreds of phone Calls from viewers angry that their soap operas were preempted. And can was victimized by a phone hoaxer posing As a fire department spokesman. He got on the air with Shaw then gave an 800 number to order a video of Raunchy radio Host Howard Stern. Shaw apologized and called the hoax a not funny in fact  3