2011 Christchurch Earthquake Day IX

A small quake hit Wellington last night. No bigger than we normally get a couple of times a year or more. But hell was my reaction different to normal. No staying put until it died down – I was heading for shelter instantly (and wondering whether being on the top floor of a ten story building was such a great idea after all).

Fortunately it was just a small one (and fortunately was a Wellington quake, not the remote impact of another Christchurch quake), but I was not alone in reacting very differently to in the past. And I can only imagine what it must be like in Canterbury with the constant afterquakes.

A reader in Christchurch e-mailed me the below, which he said I can blog:

I found out today, in the oddest of ways that goes back to the fact that Chch is a small city where ultimately everyone knows everyone else in some way, that my roof had at least partly collapsed. It make the possibility of going in and rescuing a few things more remote, which made me very sad.

Even though I had talked about losing everything, I obviously, in my heart of hearts, had thought that there was still a chance to get a few unique and sentimental things out. The notebooks of my deceased fiancee. The bone handled knife handmade for my grandfather, who used it to carve a large wooden spoon for my grandmother – they are in a kitchen drawer.

But life goes on. I am going to escape to Timaru for a couple of days and then Takaka for a few more. It is nice to know that I have many friends.

The loss of life is the worst aspect of the earthquake, but the loss of unique possessions would come a close second to me.