From 5, 242 miles away, the earthquake that struck Chile during the last weekend in February also hit close to home for the Blue Valley Recreation family. Longtime gymnastics coordinator Keno Rodriguez had a special interest in the aftermath of the quake.
The weekend of Feb. 26 started fairly normal for longtime Blue Valley Recreation gymnastics coordinator Keno Rodriguez. He had driven to Springfield, Mo. Friday night to judge a gymnastics competition. He checked into the hotel, handled a few last minute items and went to sleep. The alarm awoke him Saturday morning and he switched on the television to catch the news.
Rodriguez watched as news of the devastating earthquake that hit Chile flashed on the set. The epicenter of the quake, Concepcion, was 225 miles away from his hometown, Santiago. Relief poured through Rodriguez.
“That was a lot of miles from my hometown,” thought Rodriguez. “I was relieved for a short time.” Until a news story mentioned the quake was strong enough to reach Santiago. “Then I started to panic,” he said.
Rodriguez’ family still calls Santiago home. His parents, Alejandro, 90, and Isabel, 85, and brothers and sisters all live in the city of 6.2 million.
“I just hoped that one of my brothers or sisters stayed with my parents that night,” said Rodriguez. “One of them tries to stay in the house each night since our parents have trouble getting around.”
With communication lines jammed, Rodriguez relied on family members for updates. Two hours later, his daughter called from Argentina. She had reached a relative through Facebook and confirmed all family members in Santiago were safe. One cousin who lived in Concepcion was also found unharmed.
Rodriguez spoke with his parents Sunday evening. Turns out one of his brothers, Alejandro, stayed at the parents’ home. Alejandro, the eldest son, spoke of how the walls shook and how he couldn’t keep his balance when he tried to climb the stairs to his parents’ room.
“My brother told me when he finally reached our parents’ room; they were lying in bed, holding hands and looking at the ceiling,” said Rodriguez. “Their attitude was basically what will happen will happen.”
A native of Chile for 28 years, Rodriguez left for Germany in 1988 where he found work as a Visa Clerk at the American Consulate in Hamburg and a club gymnastics coach. He landed in Overland Park in 1991 and has remained here since. He traveled to Chile during the Holidays in December to visit with friends and family.
With the good news, Rodriguez and his family are turning their thoughts to the other residents of Santiago and Concepcion – looking to help wherever needed.
