New Zealand contingent, check in, please
 

Those of you in central New Zealand, please let us know if you're alright after the quake near Christchurch.

I am alright
 

Hi,
Thankyour for your concern. There have been no reported deaths. We are very lucky here in that regard however lots of people have lost their homes, pipes are broken, sewage is contaminating water supply, and we have a storm on the way that could cause more flooding and contamination of water, not to mention gale force winds which could further blow buildings over.
We have had at least 21 aftershocks since and they seem to keep coming. they sort of die out for a while and you think, oh phew---it must be subsiding, then one sneaks up on you and rattles your nerves again.
I am one of the lucky ones, my house is safe to be in still, with very little damage however I'm having to boil water for everything.
It happened in the early hours of the morning, so most people were asleep and few people were in the city at the particular buildings that were totaled. Noone was in their cars when they were swallowed up by the roads cracking open. Our civil defense organisations are very organized and working very well but it looks as if we may have a while before things get back to normal.
We had liquification of soil in some areas.

I'm so so grateful that I am one of the lucky few, but also still scared. I've never experienced anything like it. I mean I've been in an earthquake before, but this one was over the top. At first it was like, okay this is a bad earthquake, I can breathe and push through this. But it just seemed to keep coming and coming and it was like, 'okay, I can cope with this, I can cope with this'...then it got worse and more intense, the ground felt like it was bubbling up and rolling underneath, you're kind of bouncing on it, clinging to the side of the bed but that's shaking too, it was like the air itself was shaking and the NOISE...and then it was like 'okay, no this is enough i can't take anymore...not coping..not coping..' and then it finally stopped. Five minutes later another one happened again. Again I'm lucky and grateful but man do I feel like my insides are jello. They say we can expect aftershocks for the next few days, and that they could be up to a magnitude of 6.

But my beautiful kitty and I are okay.

Delias

Delias, I'm glad you're okay (and Kitty, too). The chance of a strong aftershock will diminish as days pass. You'll probably have aftershocks for years, but they'll become small rather quickly (Southern Californian speaking, here).

I don't know what else to say other than the worst is past and now you rebuild. Given the seismic history of the country, I would think emergency services are relatively well-prepared--that's a plus. The quake did not affect the entire coutry, so you have help relatively close by--another plus.

Good thing it was so early--and you will see lots of improvement as the days go by. I'm glad you're all right.

Thanks
 

Hey,
Thanks again. Things are a bit better today. The city and civil defense and engineers, power people, etc, etc, have been working around the clock every since it happened so now most of us have power and water back in the city.

They arleady have four centres now all set up for people who can't or aren't ready to go back to their homes.

Boiling water and sanitizing water for every little use requires a lot more thought. I was so shaken and desperately wanted the security of a bath since I haven't used nearly 1/10th of the amount of water I normally use, and every bit I have used I've had to boil. So I had a thought---
If they say it is safe to bath in a swimming pool in an emergency, why not make one in my bathtub? LOL
So I read that you can use bleach to sanitize the water---even in small quantities for drinking if it is only a few drops and you let it sit for a while, but I think I'll stick to boiling for drinking water.
I found emergency water information that said 1/2 tsp. of bleach per 10 liters of water, so just did the math (and was maybe a little generous to err on the side of caution) and made myself a bath, put in a few tsp. of bleach, swirled it round, let it sit for 30 minutes, then washed. Not much different to being in a spa really, so it was okay. And I felt a bit safer about the water I was washing in. Over tiem I might not feel the need to do that but right now when they still aren't sure how contaminated things are, I'd rather be safe and smell like a swimming pool that get sick.

I was thinking---for those that play with the thought that the earth is a living organism similar to us, and has it's own sort of 'Gaia' consciousness, it's own heartbeat and processes, etc., I wonder what 'earthquakes' are in that perspective?

I live in Christchurch, although fortunately for me I wasn't there when the quake struck. I was at my mum's house for the weekend 200 miles north of Chch.

It sounded really horrible.

My mum is driving down tomorrow to see if there is any damage to my apartment, inside or out. I am on tenterhooks. I have only been living in Christchurch for three months and I am still really gutted about what has happened to this city and not sure whether to stay here or move on when my lease ends in three months.

I have been working in a language school in the city centre because I need a permanent contract in order to get residency here but not sure now if I will get the contract I need to stay here, now that this has happened and the work might not be there. I might have to move on again after so long moving around. I am tired of it and ready to settle in one place. Hoping that the students will come even if it does look like a war zone.

Feeling a lot of uncertainty right now.

Please send some good vibes and prayers our way (and my way!) I could certainly use some.

I'm in Wellington, I felt the quake lying in my bed, it was quite fun but I had no idea it was a major earthquake in Christchurch..

Hope you guys take good care down south

Hi Anna,
I will send some good vibes and prayers your way. Maybe it is an opportunity to find an even better contract.

It was terrifying. I'm still in shock I think---I'm actually coping less well than I was the day of the quake which is bizarre. WhenI try to 'get back into life' or try to resume a normal routine or any activity that I was doing before my mind goes blank and I can't focus.

Yes initally after the big one there were some small aftershocks and I tried to assume the same perspective on them...just kind of fun. But it seems to be harder to do now, any tiem we have one I just start shaking for minutes on end. My sleep is totally off too. Maybe once water is back to normal things will feel better.

Sorry to hear man, I hope you take care. I can't imagine how it must be like to be woken up to such a quake.

Do you know if there's anywhere i can make a donation towards the cause?

Million dollar donation, support for Christchurch | Scoop News

that article says where you can donate. I think you just go into a warehouse store & somewhere there you can donate