Japan quake hits close to home for one family on The Murfreesboro Post

Sidebar Ads

Japan quake hits close to home for one family

Related Articles

Restaurant founder got start in movie biz

Alive Hospice offers grief support

Locals organize Japanese relief opportunities

Bill Taylor to take Japan relief donations

Demos’ celebrates 20TH b-day with 1989 pricing

By: SARAH FRYAR, sfryar@murfreesboropost.com

Posted: Sunday, March 20, 2011 5:35 am

Japan quake hits close to home for one family | Japan, Jim Demos, Felicia Demos

The 8.9-magnatude earthquake that struck off Japan’s northeast coast Friday, March 11, caused an 11-foot tsunami, nuclear crisis and put Jim Demos, of Demos’ Restaurant, into a panic. Jim’s daughter Felicia was on a cruise of Asia when the quake hit

When a catastrophic event hits halfway around the world, as concerned and tuned-in as we may be, it rarely hits close to home.

But as local restaurant owner Jim Demos woke up on the morning of Saturday, March 11, fear immediately sank in.

Daughter, Felicia Demos, was on a two-week vacation cruise through Japan when the massive 8.9-magnatude earthquake struck some 200 miles northeast of Tokyo.

“I didn’t know anything about it until we got back on board,” Felicia said. “The captain announced that we were leaving early because there had been an earthquake.”

“It was very disconcerting to say the least,” Jim said. “We woke her up in the middle of her morning. I told Peter (Demos), I didn’t care if I woke her up or if had to do it again, I wanted to hear that voice let me know she was okay.”

And Felicia was OK. She comforted her father and brother, Peter, by saying that the effects from the earthquake and tsunami had occurred in northern Japan and she was actually in the south.

“It always bothers me when I think someone is worrying about me especially if I know I’m OK. As soon as I found out about it, I was worried about three things, the earthquake and tsunami because we were in the water… and the nuclear reactors. So I sent a text out to both Peter and Daddy letting them know what the captain had said,” Felicia said.

The cruise line had informed the guests that tsunamis don’t usually travel far out into open sea, so the captain was going to take the ship further out to avoid being affected.

Although he was comforted by Felicia’s safety and well-being, the whole situation still had Jim on edge.

“It created a lot of worry, so much so that when she gets back home I’m going to kill her. I’m ready to ring her neck,” Jim said jokingly. “I may even go to the airport before she even gets back to Murfreesboro and ring her neck right there.”

All nervous joking aside though, the events struck a deep chord in Felicia.

“It was shocking, mainly because I had just been there with these people prior to that … it was my first time being in Japan and the people were so accommodating and kind … I think that added a bit more feeling to it for me,” Felicia explained. “It’s always sad and tragic when you see real life people suffering and looking for loved ones but when you know them it’s really touching. We spent a lot of time looking at it on TV but had to eventually pull ourselves away.”

This wasn’t the first time tragedy struck while Felicia was overseas.

She was busy touring Turkey and Greece during the terrorist attacks of Sep. 11, 2001.

“She put us through more concern there, but we were able to get in touch with her,” Jim said. “She didn’t have any trouble getting back home and was able to finish her tour at that time.”

“(Felicia) was in a few cities after 9/11 where people would come up and ask her if she was American and would reach around and hug her to console her, which I thought was pretty touching,” Jim said.

However, having his daughter back home will be more moving to Jim than anything. A world-traveler, Felicia has now been to more countries than her father can keep count.

“When she goes with a group I don’t mind as much, but what concerns me about her going by herself is even when she’s in downtown Nashville she doesn’t know east from west. Think how that makes me feel,” Jim said with a chuckle.

Much to his relief, Felicia was on more than a 15-hour flight back to the states as of Thursday night.

She was able to board a plane from Shanghais to Chicago and eventually Chicago to Nashville.

Though Felicia may have experienced some minor discomforts, she insisted she still enjoyed her cruise around China, Japan and South Korea.

Jim added she is always on the good side of a bad situation.

As for Felicia’s passion of seeing the world, her father just doesn’t quite get it.

“I don’t know where she gets the desire to [travel]. My idea of going out of the country is from here to Smyrna,” he said. MP

Tagged under Felicia Demos, Japan, Jim Demos

Member Opinions:

By: canalou on 3/21/11
Interesing local angle on an internattionally-tragic story and a local Dad's concern for wayward child...