Christchurch a Living Disaster Movie

The whole of New Zealand seems to be in shock since the earthquake struck last Tuesday. I don't think it is possible today to imagine exactly the magnitude of the disaster and it has effected everyone as New Zealand has a small population.

Normally I do not write about my family but my daughter Chloe and her husband Spence and my granddaughter Alice have been caught in the thick of it. Spence was in the Central Business District in a 60's building next door to the CTV building that collapsed. He took the full shock. He said it was terrifying. He left and collected his daughter.

New Brighton, east of the city the area where they live  has been hard hit with liquefaction, a word of which I was unaware four days ago but has dreadful ramifications. The water and sewage systems have been destroyed. The ground becomes like a jelly and fowl smelling silt oozes out.With a one year old child and no water or sewage facilities in the immediate future, this is not a one day fix, there was nothing for it but to abandon their home for a couple of days. Fortunately they have a cousin who lives in Banks Peninsula but Chloe said the drive out of Christchurch was like being in a living disaster movie. The road was filled with others fleeing the mayhem. It is the only sensible thing to do as the less people for the infracstucture to cope with the better. Life depends on water. Without it life is impossible.

They are very brave and sensible and fortunate to escape to relative luxury. Chloe said she has one suitcase and her computer and the rest is only 'Things'. Sometimes I am very proud of my daughter.

Another dear friend has lost her beautiful Victorian Gate House home. The previous shock had meant that really only the wallpaper was holding it together but this time the chimney has fallen into her dining room. The house is a right off.

She had visited me in Auckland and was clearly traumatized. She said it was wonderful not having to cope with the after shocks. Evidently the whole of Christchurch has liquefaction that means the ground beneath is like a jelly with a crust. I thought she was being over dramatic. I was wrong!

Her house is destroyed. Another lovely old building bits the dust along with her life's possessions. She has two daughter's one of which has lost her house too but they are all alive. A tragedy.

So a dreadful week. One bright spot is the watching the amazing TV coverage which has followed the recovery. It has been inspiring and riveting to see the way NZ'ers have risen to the challenge  but this is one reality TV production we could all have done without.

Christchurch Earthquake 2010

Earthquake NZ Style

This morning the South Island of New Zealand experienced a major earthquake rated 7.1 on the Richter scale. That's a mighty big earthquake.

I first heard of it on the BBC World Service because TVNZ wasn't up and running till later. The shock's epicenter was at Darfield about 30 miles outside Christchurch which is the main city in the South Island.

My first thought was NZ doesn't do earthquakes of major proportions. That is silly because it does as NZ is on the Pacific Rim and the next was to wonder if my daughter who lives in Christchurch was OK.  She rang almost immediately to say she was.

Evidently it had happened at about 4 am when everyone was asleep. She had awoken to violent shaking which had lasted for about a minute and she and her daughter had sought safety in the door frames as we are taught to do. The wooden house it appears has stood up surprisingly well although she has lost glass and ornaments. Fortunately for her family she still has power but many do not. Water is another problem  but she has the water in the hot water tank.

The amazing thing is that there were no fatalities. If the quake had happened a bit later and Christchurch had been up and running it would have been different. While I was speaking to her at around 8 am Christchurch experienced a serious 5.1 after shock. 

I have been fortunate in never having been part of a major quake. The nearest I have come to it was while on stage playing 'Polly Brown' in 'The Boyfriend' in Johannesburg as city built on gold mines that collapse  thus triggering minor earthquakes from time to time. One of these happened  while I was alone on stage. There was a bit of a shake enough to make the light holders that hold the gells to jump out of their sockets. As they were about 50 ft above the stage they plummeted down like a shower of knives as I sat and watched as the crashed around me. It was over in seconds.

I took a deep breath and just continued as if nothing had happened and in truth I had no idea of the danger I had been in because these steel holders were like a hail of guillotines. The shake in Christchurch was considerably worse and I thought my daughter was very brave.

But I am proud of the way that New Zealand has coped with the devastation. The building codes although not perfect have stood the city in good stead and nobody was hurt although this is as bad an earthquake as it gets. I hate having to have the building inspector call when I did my renovations as they are very tough here and nothing gets past their beady eyes but now I realise it is a 'good thing'.

The power was down but will be back tonight for most. People are well educated and know what to do. There was no panic. The hospital is up and running and the civil defense and police worked well.

We have civil defense information on the back of our telephone directories. 

A 'big' problem is the cows who have to be milked. The milking sheds have been kocked off their foundations. New Zealand has a lot of cows.

This is a big, destructive event but  a relief  that there is no loss of life and NZ is well organized. We have been lucky and at least like the BOy Scouts motto we were well prepared.