Christchurch Earthquake


This is off-topic for Clive's blog, but several people had asked about what's going on, so this is an easy way to communicate with you all, with Clive's permission.

I was in a confined space in our garage at the time the earthquake hit,working on our water pump, and I thought a cow had rammed the garage. On getting out to have a look, however, the ground was moving in waves, so I realised it was time to turn on the radio and see who had copped it this time.

It wasn't of damaging strength where we are. We've all learned a lot about earthquakes since the first one in September. What I, for one, never knew before was how many aftershocks there are- literally many thousands in Christchurch since September, though not felt here, about 150km. away. Some of these have done further damage, and it must be incredibly wearing on the nerves of people there. On the day of the February 22 quake, aftershocks were coming every 30-40 minutes, whilst people were trapped and the rescue process beginning.

I have been nothing short of awestruck and astonished at the quality of the response-rescue and early recovery efforts- both by organisations and by individuals, top to bottom. There are many stories of extraordinary acts by people helping others in the early hours after the quake, but equally as impressive is the response of the country in general. Ego and politics were nowhere to be seen during the first week, though Politics has just started to emerge as discussion begins as to how to pay for it all.

Apart from the expected work of organisations such as Red Cross and the Salvation Army, who set up the first welfare centres, organisations have sprung up spontaneously from ordinary people. In Rangiora, just north of Christchurch, someone got things going to have a collecting point for food at the racecourse, which
others then ferried in using vans and a local helicopter for the hot food. A student volunteer army, as they called themselves, organised to respond to calls for manpower from individuals, and students in Dunedin, 4 hours' drive away, started something they called 'Keep Them Going', which collected and ferried up packed lunches to keep the Christchurch students going. Federated Farmers, the farmers' association, put out a call for farmers to bring tractors with front-loaders, and anybody with a wheelbarrow and shovel, to help clear silt.

So I've had a day doing this, and will have more whenever I can get there. During the quake, due to a process called liquefaction, water rose up out of cracks in the ground and roads to a depth of two feet in many of the affected areas. It subsided after a couple of days, leaving silt behind, often contaminated with sewage from broken pipes, so it needs to be cleard, as a public health issue. So we turned up at the agricultural showground, groups of 20 formed, a supervisor chosen ("I'll do that, if you like", said somebody), a quick health and safety briefing, 4WD and barrow-pooling, then given a map and street name, and off. Many houses were empty, as still one-third of houses have no water supply, and no sewage. So it's all barrow work in back gardens, where machinery can't get, barrowing the silt out onto the road to be removed later. Somebody drives up in a small tracked digger, hops off and says, "If anybody knows how to drive it, feel free. I have to go and pull a chimney down". So somebody else hops on and starts working very comptetently.

Things never feel like someone else's problem in New Zealand. It's so small that you can't fail to have connections with affected people. A family in Geraldine lost a son in the quake.

It will take years to recover. Huge areas of roads and pavements completely rebuilt, houses and services repaired. At the moment, 50,000 people who normally work in the CBD have no work, either temporarily or permanently.

But it's going to happen. There are many tragic stories, and compassion for them, but you just don't hear negative attitudes. You just hear, "How can we help? What can we do?" My opinion of the human species has improved no end as a result of what's happened.

Rob