nearly six months ago there was an earthquake. it struck at 4 ish am. in another island i felt it. it was 7.1. while it was a shock it happened (and 7.1 is a beauty), it was a new fault and never meant to happen where it did (as you can see by the blase-ness and only passing mention of my post), we were all thankful there was only damage to buildings which are replacable and no loss of life apart from a lemur.
flash forward to 22/02/11 at 12.51 pm. a 6.3. in the same city. smaller but shallower and closer. 113 dead and counting. 228 missing presumed dead. the greatest tragedy on nz soil since napier 1931 (ironically at about this time).
my people are safe (my uncle and the people i know and the family of the people i know). three of the guys who were working on the organ in the durham st methodist church damaged in the sept 4 quake (2 days after my birthday so that's why i remember it) also worked on the organ in my church when someone set fire to it. they didn't survive the quake. i did not know them. i knew of them in passing. but i feel for their people. my ex vicar's church is gone. new zealand is such a village (six degrees of separation be damned...down here it's two) that everybody knows somebody who was affected by this thing.
christchurch was not meant to get this. wellington was...and the most endearing and poignant image i see (for me) is of the cathedral. it is a beautiful building. but is just a building.
i said to my students yesterday that the christchurch they know is not the christchurch that their children will know. that got me too.
here are some pics that i found while trawling through trademe. my favourite (for wont of a better word) is #39. but #40 and #43 get me too...
christchurch. our thoughts are with you. there but for the grace of god go the people of wellington. we will learn from you and we mourn your people. all my people are safe...i hate being helpless but you will be back...
