Kiwi Earthquake

[mestiza letty]

Hopin' all are OK in Christchurch after a 6.3 shaker hit this afternoon.
Having grown up in earthquake country myself I know how "nerve rattlin'" they are..
Prayers up for all who need 'em
Letty

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Has there been any news from our Kiwi Pards?  I PMd "Dai S. Loe" on TOR but no response. (He's not been active recently, 'though.)

[maarty]

Has there been any news from our Kiwi Pards?  I PMd "Dai S. Loe" on TOR but no response. (He's not been active recently, 'though.)

I'm in New Zealand, Waikanae outside of Wellington to be exact.

There's a huge amount of damage down in Christchurch and it's going to be a long slow clean up and rebuild with a lot of history and beauty destroyed BUT the spirit of the people through out the country has not been damaged. Everyone in the country is offering support and help, we have offered accommodation and clothing etc to anyone down there who needs it.
Of course there are the scumbags who take advantage of any situation, looters etc and the stories of burglaries (One of 2 young kids waiting in tears by the CTV building where their mother was trapped and has died who had their home burgled) Six looters have been arrested including two guys who stole emergency back up generators. there's also been stories of people taking in evacuees who have been stung, one family took in a guy who turned out to be a convicted sex offender and only found out after questioning him about his behaviour round their kids.
Christchurch will never be the same. There's links on facebook to various sites showing photos etc, stories of heroism during and immediately after the quake, footage of a guy lifting huge blocks of concrete to get to one trapped person and things like that, one guy going back into the Pyne Gould Guiness building over and over with a desk top he was using as a stretcher to carry out victims.
We are waiting for phone calls to say someone is being dropped off here who needs a place to stay and have been told that we may end up with someone who has been injured and needs medical care due to my partners experience and training as an ambulance officer. She is also on stand by in case they need her in the next few days to relieve rescue crews and I have also offered to go down.
Our national airline was giving $50 flights to anywhere in the country for anyone wanting to leave the city, although I think they may have ended that now.

It's really hard  sitting here in normality while only a few hundred miles away there's scenes you'd normally associate with third world countries, everytime I go to the kitchen for a drink I feel a twinge of guilt because I know there's people down there living on one bottle of water a day and having to walk and wait in line to get that much.

If there's one thing Kiwis are it's resilient and resourceful so I know the country will rebuild the region and the people will come through this but as I said it will be a long slow process and the city will never be the same.


Maarty.

[mestiza letty]

Good to hear news of the "unsung heroes" who made a difference in a few lives.. and you are one of them
Have a couple friends from the north island ,(I had the pleasure of visiting in 2000). One of the girls has family in the south island, don't have any word from her yet if her family was affected. She is "state side" in California on a work Visa. Her parents were visiting Texas, (if I presume correctly) when the quake hit. Her maternal family is around Wellinton as well.
My father visited the whole NZ island and found Christchurch one of the favorite places he had been. Thugs will be thugs in any part of the world when disaster strikes, just sorry they are around. The thugs always get their due
The Kiwi folks were the best, and hoping their strength and resilency can prevail during the re-building process.
Thanks again for letting us in on the recovery efforts after such a mess.
Will continue the prayer vigil for those who need it.
Letty