Day 239: Earthquake Aftermath

Due to a closed day today, I was able to come into Christchurch with my friend Mel to go to church.  Afterwards we went to lunch at one of the family's houses and then Mel and I went on a mission to the mall to try and find a wedding present for my Auckland flatmate Alex.  Unfortunately, when we arrived the mall was crawling with construction workers and not open to the public.  There was a guy sitting at a table blocking the entrance and only letting authorized people inside.  Some giant light ball things had crashed down from the ceiling and you could see inside that things had been a bit shaken up and needed to be put back to rights.  Across the street the sidewalk was cordoned off in front of some shops where the windows had been broken in the shaking.  And next to that a pile of rubble indicated where a building had once stood.  The earthquake seems to have hit somewhat haphazardly: some buildings are fine and others are destroyed.  Christchurch was really fortunate in that the earthquake happened so early in the morning: people were at home with their families and not out and about on the roads or in the shops. Casualties would have been much higher if they had been. Except for the missing pieces of buildings and the holes covered with blue tarps and the chimneys on the ground instead of on the houses or the brick fences crumbling here and there, it's hard to tell that a massive earthquake occurred yesterday.  People are getting on with life as much as they can and as quickly as they can.  There is still a restricted zone in the center of the city, and the army is out patrolling to prevent looting, and a curfew is in effect, but otherwise life goes on.  Some neighborhoods are without power and water and officials are beginning building inspections to determine which buildings are safe to be in.  It will be a massive effort to get the city up and running again.

*Note: the earthquake from yesterday has officially been downgraded to a 7.1 magnitude.  We are still feeling aftershocks in Christchurch and also in Methven.  But, as I said, life goes on...