Quake rescuers use tiny cameras

Press, 24 October 1989, Page 9

Quake rescuers use tiny cameras

NZPA-Reuter Oakland Searchers yesterday poked fibre optic cameras through holes cut in huge slabs of concrete toppled by the California earthquake, hoping to detect signs of life in any motorists who might still be trapped there.

“We know there are more vehicles and more victims,” said a California Highway Patrol Captain, Mike Garver, after the spirits of hundreds of searchers were lifted with the discovery of Buck Helm alive. Helm, aged 57, a clerk for a dockworkers’ union, was freed 89 hours after a strong earthquake on Wednesday dropped the upper tier of the doubledecker Nimitz Freeway on to the lower roadway. Mr Helm was reported in critical but stable condition at Oakland’s Highland Hospital. Doctors said his lung function had improved but his kidneys still required the help of a dialysis machine to remove impurities from his blood. Captain Garver said authorities did not know how many cars remained in inaccessible portions of the 2.5 km section of freeway. The fibre optic cameras consist of thin strands of cable with tiny 10cm long cameras attached and are capable of collecting images in dimly lit or dark conditions. They were used in December to help rescue some of the thousands buried beneath collapsed buildings in the earthquake in Soviet Armenia. In spite of five days of tedious round-the-clock work, weary rescuers in Oakland said their morale remained high. “There’s still a hopeful spirit that pervades this whole area. I think hopes are high,” said a spokesman for California’s transportation authority, Kyle Nelson.

Mr Nelson said workmen were punching holes through the thick concrete slabs, each measuring 25m in length and weighing 500 tonnes, in areas where it was impossible to peer between the two sandwiched roadbeds. “They are still penetrating their way through to the lower decks to see what exists,” he said. Steve Whipple, aged 29, the state engineer who discovered Mr Helm, described how surprised he was when he first saw him still trapped in his crushed car. “There was not much visibility,” Mr Whipple said, describing how he peered through a small opening in the concrete. “I could see the back of the gentleman’s head ... The gentleman waved to me.” • Mr Whipple said a few minutes later Mr Helm appeared to turn his head toward his torch. “At that point, I was confident he was alive. It stopped my heart,” said Mr Whipple, who said he was 10m to 13m from the trapped Mr Helm when he spotted him. He said Mr Helm was conscious enough to acknowledge his presence. “A hand came up, it moved past the window. I was a bit shaky when I called on the radio and told them we have a live person.” The toll at the highway site rose yesterday to 38, bringing the number of people killed in the earthquake to 59. Authorities at first estimated as many as 250 people may have been killed in the highway collapse.