Christchurch Earthquake 2011 - the Emotions and Fears

At 12:51pm on the 1^st March, the whole of New Zealand fell silent for two minutes. People gathered in stores, on street corners, outside banks, by parked cars as they reflected on the events of the last week. With the confirmed death toll standing at 154 and much of the city ruined it was a sombre moment.

Although I have only lived in Christchurch for five years, my heart has broken for the city I have come to love as home. Images on TV and in the streets have been carved indelibly into my soul. I think of homes that are now heaps of rubble; of malls that have lost their facades, leaving them open like a doll house; of gas stations whose tanks were forced upward, lifting the entire forecourt with them; of streets ravaged by liquefaction and silt; of a landscape split and scarred.

I think also of people whose emotions resemble the ravaged cityscape. Security has been stripped away and ongoing fear is a reality as aftershocks continue to rattle the city. I feel some of these strongly in our double-storey home. Some are sharp quick jolts while others are gentle as though the house is balanced on a bowl of jelly. They are all frightening, especially when they wake me up during the night.

In spite of this, there is a resilience among the people. Mayor Bob Parker has vowed to rebuild Christchurch Cathedral, the icon of the city, and although almost one third of the CBD faces demolition, the new buildings will be safer, lower and stronger. Certain heritage buildings may be saved but others have already been flattened.

With 45% of the city still without water, the CBD closed indefinitely, roads almost impassable in places, businesses flattened to the ground and ongoing aftershocks rattling the region, recovery is going to be a long slow process. Acting Economic Development Minister Dave Carter says that it will take more than 10 years to rebuild the city. In spite of that, people are optimistic and community spirit is fantastic as people reach out and help those who have been badly affected by the earthquake. A volunteer army of university students has worked tirelessly shovelling the 220,000 tons of silt into piles for collection. Other people have organised ute loads of drinking water. Other efforts include volunteering at welfare centres, dropping off fresh baked goodies and offering washing machines for use.

The people in Christchurch cannot change what has happened but they will work through it and emerge stronger, more compassionate and full of hope.