A Northern Illinois University professor will learn in the next couple of days whether he can stay in Nepal after the earthquake, or if it’s time to go back to Naperville.
Mark Rosenbaum is a marketing professor at NIU. He is teaching in Kathmandu as a Fulbright scholar.
Rosenbaum told WGN in a Skype interview his apartment was not completely leveled after the 7.8-magnitude quake, but it was severely damaged.
“What you’re seeing on television are the structures that were not reinforced -- just the brick structures," Rosenbaum said. "Those have all collapsed.”
Rosenbaum and other program participants were warned of an earthquake potential back in January. When he felt the ground shake in his apartment, he grabbed his flash drive and computer and he ran.
“To describe the emotions of watching a home fall apart is something that I’ve never experienced before," Rosenbaum said. "No one should ever experience this.”
Fortunately, the department that oversees Rosenbaum’s international educational exchange program quickly found him new nearby accommodations. Water supply is a big concern in even the most modern parts of Nepal, though, and the hotel he’s staying in only has a three-day supply.
Rosenbaum will have an answer of whether he should go or stay in the next 48 hours. He originally was not supposed to return to the U.S. until June.
