The Christchurch Earthquake

Based on the amount of emails I have received enquiring if Bree and I are ok I decided I should really post some information about the earthquake on the blog. The quake hit Christchurch at 12:51pm on Tues (Feb 22) and although it was smaller in magnitude than the September one it was shallow and so the damage caused was much more severe. The quake in September had caused damage but no fatalities – unfortunately it is a different story with this one. At current count I believe 72 people are confirmed dead and many still are missing. The central business district (CBD) was the hardest hit and entire buildings have been reduced to piles of rubble. As it happened in the middle of the working day this area was full of people.

Christchurch is on the South Island and so here in Palmerston North (North Island) we did not feel anything. I was at a conference at the time of the quake and they made the announcement to the audience just during the start of the afternoon session. Many people at the conference were from the Christchurch area and so people were trying to get hold of friends and family. Phone contact was difficult but slowly a picture of the devastation became clear.

Many people here in Palmerston have friends or family in Christchurch. At Bree’s school they held an assembly on the Wednesday to talk about the earthquake. This has made a huge impression on Bree who has been asking non-stop questions about earthquakes. Their school is collecting food today and by this afternoon a plane full of food will be going to Christchurch. We went to the store and bought a variety of canned foods and Bree insisted on also getting pet food as she is worried about all the cats and dogs. I hope that this small contribution helps. Bree has also decided to give her allowance this week to the Red Cross who is administering these funds to help aid in the rescue and relief efforts in Christchurch. Being located here in New Zealand has made us feel so much closer to this event and it is having a larger impact on us.

Here in Palmy it is business as usual and the school term is just starting at Massey. The town is slowly being flooded by students and orientation week is now underway. The weather is beautiful and life goes on. It is hard to imagine the current devastation in Christchurch but as I watch the news my heart goes out to everyone there and we will continue to do what we can to help.