EARTHQUAKE / THE LONG ROAD BACK : Many Find Comfort and Help On-Line : Aftermath: For some, computer services have been an essential means of communication. Forays into cyberspace provide solace and even elicit assistance in tracking down relatives.

In the grim aftermath of the earthquake, computer-linked bulletin boards hummed furiously as people searched for lost relatives (“Can’t reach Mom and Dad--Please help!!”) or just solace (“Does anybody there feel as frightened as me?”)

Using their home computers, many of those who still had electric power sought ways to negotiate quake-damaged roads. (“Need suggestions for the best way to get from Santa Monica to L.A. County Hospital.”) They swapped pet stories. (“The night before the earthquake my cat began to tear around the house in a mad frenzy.”) And they shared feelings of isolation. (“This is the only link I have to civilization right now.”)

As soon as the ground stopped shaking, residents began sending electronic notes, trying to determine the hardest-hit areas. Later, people who live outside Southern California sent desperate pleas for help in contacting relatives. As the week progressed, bulletin-board users continued to flood the system with messages.

The electronic communication still has not abated.

Many now inquire about the best shortcuts through the San Fernando Valley. Others sign on following aftershocks and guess the magnitude. And some just while away the tense hours at home until a repairman from the building department or gas company arrives.

Computer services provided assistance during the Malibu fire and other recent disasters. But the electronic response to the Northridge earthquake, computer experts say, was unprecedented for its speed, scope and sustained interest.

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After freeways buckled, buildings collapsed and phones were cut off, personal computers linked to on-line message centers often were the only means of obtaining critical information. Prodigy and CompuServe, the nation’s largest computer-linked systems, set up earthquake bulletin boards and immediately were deluged with messages. Prodigy’s users logged on more than 800,000 times during the 24 hours after the quake.

By now, many Los Angeles residents have grown weary of swapping earthquake yarns. But not the techno-junkies. All week, the earthquake has been the No. 1 topic of discussion. Several dozen people who signed on to America Online recently engaged in an electronic discussion group:

“Did you just feel an aftershock?”

“Just felt it.”

“Aftershocks are the worst. Even trucks on the street make my nerves rattle.”

“You know it’s a good one when the car alarms go off!”

“I’m starting to feel depressed. My own emotional aftershock. Anybody else?”

“Take care of yourself. The emotional stuff is treacherous.”

“How is the 405?”

“Slow on the northbound side approaching the Devonshire closure.”

“Clear through the Sepulveda Pass.”

“I live in Santa Cruz and went through this in ’89. I feel for you guys.”

“I’m in San Jose. This brings back lots of memories. . . . Hang in there!”

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When Gary Bogumil awoke in Atlanta Monday morning and learned about the severity of the earthquake, he immediately tried to contact a close friend, Richard Mann, who had recently moved to the West San Fernando Valley. He tried Mann’s home telephone. He tried Mann’s work phone. He tried his fax machine. He tried his beeper. He tried his cellular phone. With each call that would not go through, he grew more concerned. He talked to Mann’s mother in Atlanta, who was frantic.

Finally, Bogumil recalled that a friend had access to the Prodigy bulletin board. They sent out this message, and Mann’s name and phone number: “Have friend in West Hills. Have not heard a word from him. . . . Mother would like to know if OK. Help!”

While long-distance phone calls into the area were blocked, a neighbor of Mann who saw the message was able to reach him. She messaged back on the bulletin board that Mann had “lost some china and crystal, but he is OK.”

“We were all so worried,” said Bogumil, “because all we could see on TV were burning buildings, flooding and injured people. We didn’t know if he was hurt, if he was homeless. . . . We didn’t know anything. And the not knowing is what’s so worrisome.”

Many of those who share their fears and their secrets over the computer know little about the people who respond to them. Scattered throughout the country, they are connected only by the need to talk--electronically. They hunker down over their computer screens and study the disembodied messages from people known only by handles such as “I Play Chess” and “Tea Pot Dome.”

All day and night Monday and Tuesday frantic people around the country sent messages asking for help in locating family members. And all day and night, good Samaritans who live near the quake area signed on to the earthquake bulletin boards and went to work.

“I’m looking for a person by the name of Danie. . . . I’m very worried about her,” one man inquired Monday afternoon via Prodigy. “I can’t call.”

Eight minutes later this message, from some unidentified corner of cyberspace, flashed: “I called Danie for you. She answered the phone. She says thanks for being concerned. She is fine.”

“Anyone out here who is willing to check on my aunt, who lives in Northridge and is 80 years old and has heart trouble?” inquired one woman from Whittier on Wednesday afternoon. “Please contact me.”

One minute later a woman messaged the niece: “She has a lot of damage to her home and furnishings. But she is fine.”

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The bulletin boards have proven to be sturdy electronic communicators. While long-distance phone lines were tied up in the aftermath of the quake, the bulletin boards--connected by private lines leased by the computer networks--stayed open. Prodigy, which has 2 million subscribers in the United States, offered free use of the earthquake message board for the week.

The state Office of Emergency Services used Internet, a huge network of computer systems, to distribute information about power outages, fires, road closures and fatalities. Internet was developed by the Department of Defense during the 1970s, state officials say, and an earthquake will not interrupt its service. The system was designed to withstand a nuclear attack.

While many logged on to computer networks to get earthquake information, a number of people, afraid to leave their damaged houses, just wanted some human contact--even if it was only through a computer screen. Headings people listed above their messages included: “A Sleepless Night,” “Abandon California” and “Help Me!!!”

The latter wrote: “All my uncle’s collectibles broke. He’s been crying all day.” Within a few hours she had received 29 replies ranging from cheery words of encouragement to religious proselytizing.

One person compiled a list of earthquake jokes (“What did one earthquake say to the other? It’s not my fault.”) and another placed the heading “Sex” above his earthquake musings.

For others, the earthquake sparked philosophical debates and precipitated epiphanies.

“I am from Ohio and I would like to say that after seeing all the trouble in California, I have re-evaluated what is important to me,” one man messaged.

“You can say that again,” a woman responded. “My husband and I have been working hard to . . . ‘compete’ with other members of our family. But after all of this I think we will just be happy for what we have and the love we can share with our families.”

Electronic Dialogue

Right after the quake, residents sent notes by computer trying to find out where the hardest-hit areas were. Later, relatives outside Southern California sent desperate pleas for help in contacting relatives. Even after phone service and power were restored, quake-related messages continued to flood the system.

TUESDAY

* “If anyone in the quake area needs to get a message to friends or relatives in Germany, please E-mail and I will pass along. I was from Arleta in the Valley; I feel with you. I still remember the 1971 earthquake.”

* “Anyone out there who is willing to check on someone, my aunt lives in Northridge and is 80 years old with heart trouble; please contact me. . . . Just mention Julieann to her. Thanks!”

WEDNESDAY

* “Well, I’m going to attempt it, tomorrow, so what I’d like to know is:

--Is the 101 the only (best) route in from the north?

--Is the traffic terrible? Should I travel at night?

Feel free to E-mail me or post.”