Another big quake in Christchurch
This afternoon around 1pm Canterbury, NZ was rocked by another devastating earthquake. I think it was around 6.3 in magnitude, shallow and much much worse than the 7.1 quake of last September. In central Christchurch many buildings have collapsed with people trapped inside and it seems at least 65 people are so far confirmed dead.
After yesterday’s entry I’m feeling horrified to see pictures of The Press building in the Square. It’s being described as ‘collapsed’ but hard to tell how bad the damage really is. I’m particularly anxious for all the lovely people at Avenues magazine who have been so great to work with in recent months. I can’t raise the editor by email or cellphone. I’m just hoping there will be some positive news out of there soon.
ChristChurch Cathedral has lost its tower and is looking in extremely bad shape; the beautiful old provincial buildings are a sad sight too. Not that buildings matter. It’s the people that give a city it’s heart.
My husband’s workplace in the central city is a write-off but at least he’s in one piece though still not home. It’ll be an anxious wait for him to return while the after-shocks continue.
This region has been through so much already; it seems like a real kick in the teeth to get something so horrendous five months after ‘the big one’. I wonder how many more ‘big ones’ we may have to endure.
The Government is making the right noises about helping Canterbury. Let’s just hope it materialises into genuine and timely help for the many who will be needing it.
