Phew... that was a shake up !!
Thank you all for your kind thoughts and best wishes. It was so good to receive a call from Fran and to know that you were thinking about us. As some of you know, we live out in the country and it's been quite a lonely experience. We were urged to not leave home if we didn't need to, so we have been here since the earthquake. DH has gone out today to help somebody . We have had power and water throughout and sustained very little damage.The earthquake woke us at 4.30am. , we ran downstairs and out onto the lawn. (which was frosty and very cold on bare feet !!) It was very noisy and the sound of things falling and breaking (just a few ornaments) as the house shook, was very strange. Eventually DH decided to get a car out of the garage. We sat in that, with the heater and the radio on, for the next hour or so, while the worst of the after-shocks continued. It was daybreak when we came into the house and inspected the place for damage. We were delighted to see that the house itself was intact.
We phoned neighbours and friends and nobody seemed to be too distressed . The TV. was on all day, reporting from Christchurch. There is a lot of damage there, mostly the older buildings, lots of chimneys down and shop frontages. They sealed off the city centre because of unsafe buildings. We are so fortunate that it happened when it did. Five hours earlier or later would have seen the city full of people with inevitable loss of life. As it is, we have only two people in hospital with related injuries, and no loss of life. As the day progressed it became evident that smaller rural towns had sustained considerable damage too. Torn tarmac, buckled railway lines, more chimneys down etc. Underground the sewer pipes are damaged and the water mains, there is concern about that and possible water contamination. Civil defence, council and government departments all seem to be working calmly and effectively. After-shocks are expected to continue for the rest of the week at least...
Nice to have the Internet back on again. Lots of emails coming through from UK wondering how we are. Spoke to my sister , daughter, son-in-law and two cousins yesterday. It was bizarre . There I was, sitting out in the sun, looking at my spring garden and talking to my "nearest and dearest" while, just a few miles down the road there were people in distress, sorting out their badly damaged homes...
We have been fortunate indeed..
Marion.
posted by Marion in NZ. @ 4:42 PM
4 Comments:
Marion-so glad to hear from you. In times like this being out in the "middle of nowhere" can be a blessing.
Sara in Fla.
Thanks for posting. We were all concerned but I figured you might be without power to let us know. It's a relief to read that you weathered the action.
Like you, I live in the middle of nowhere but flash floods can be a problem. That's why I live quite a way from the creek.
Jane in Nowhere, NC
As the days go by, more damage comes to light. A small rural community near here has suffered a lot of damage, houses sinking into the ground, huge cracks in the houses and across the land. It's going to take a long time to rebuild and repair. People are very tired. We had three large after-shocks last night , they were nearly as bad as the first one. Not many people have had much sleep since early Saturday morning. The authorities seem to be coping well and people are all looking out for each other.
Jane... is there really a place called Nowhere ??!? I don't think so !
Marion - So good to see you post. You were lucky while your neighbors were not so lucky. Nature is a force over which we have no control. No place is exempt from some sort of natural disaster.
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