FRANKENMUTH -- “My wife and I are very relieved,” said State Representative Ken Horn of Frankenmuth. This after his son, Delta College graduate Kevin Horn told his family he was safe following the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile.
“They ran out to a hail of concrete and stone and just kind of milled around in the streets,” he said. This quake was 500 times more powerful than the one in Haiti.
“They still had visions of Haiti in their heads. They were looking at entire buildings collapsing, so they weren’t worried about standing in doorways at that point, which is probably the safest thing to do in an earthquake,” he said.
Kevin Horn left for Chile January 31st for a seven month international studies trip. He was in Santiago with the quake struck. Communication was almost impossible as hours went by until finally making contact.
“Parents, when they try to call in, lines are just jammed. That’s the frustrating part; the frightening part for most parents,” he said.
“There’s no Facebook communication, no Internet, no telephone. “
Kevin Horn got out of the city by bus. The international studies program put him up in the mountains for safety as two powerful aftershocks rocked the region. Ken Horn said he won’t forget that phone once he got it.
“He sounded tired and calm. He was looking forward to a good night’s sleep.”
Kevin Horn will be in Chile until August. He is interested in applying to U-M Flint once he returns.
