Three weeks
Today marks three weeks since the devastating quake. Where are we now?
Let’s see if I can make this brief.
Many fled Christchurch after the quake out of need (house lost or situation unlivable) or out of fear and the stress the situation brought. Some have returned, some actually moved the week after the quake. The photo above is a section of Avonside that was known to be a really ideal little area to live along the river. After the September quake, about a fourth of the homes were too damaged to live in. After the February quake, almost all the homes are unlivable. It has become a ghost town. This is the area I ran along weekly. To see this beautiful area turn into a ghost town overnight is very erie.
There are still areas of town without water or power. Most has been restored at this point, but not all.
Hundreds of thousands of homes are awaiting full (head-to-toe) inspection for safety and insurance claims for interior and exterior damages (we are still waiting).
It is common to see houses and businesses completely tilted and off center, if not flattened. It is common to see every brick house have at least one wall down, exposing the interior. It is common to see destruction, military vehicles, helicopters, construction crews, dust, people with masks, and tears.
Our particular area waited one week for power to return and two weeks for water to return. Though our neighborhood now has water, we personally do not because our pipes actually broke under the house.
We were blessed by a natural spring that bubbled up to the surface of the lawn. A missions agency came and tapped it, so we route that water into our house for washing dishes, collecting water for a sponge bath, and for boiling water for drinking.
Our damages that need repair (still waiting for inspection and quotes): Pipe damages. Broken water heater. Brick wall in front that collapsed. Chimney that fell down. Back room cracks along fireplace and ceiling, sunken floor. Cracks along other room ceilings. Garage structural damage (another big quake might bring our garage crashing down). Carport damage. Most doors inside and outside don’t shut properly. Etc…
Thousands of businesses have been lost. This might be hard to understand—the weight of what that means—but your livelihood and the livelihood of all your employees come to a halt. You property is lost and there is nothing to do to rebuild/move to a new place because the whole city is in the same situation. People are fearing the city will never be the same… Not only because of the economic hit but because fear is driving people to leave.
People predict that the face of Christchurch will drastically change because no one wants to build in the city centre after what happened. It’s predicted business will want to move to the suburbs and the outskirts of town.
The main city centre (2 miles from our house) is under tight control with military and police on every intersection. A week ago, they opened it up for a short while for people to recover their cars from the day of the quake (if they were sitting out and not crushed).
Most schools reopened yesterday. Some kids were out of school for three weeks. Those who had jobs up and running last week did not have childcare to take their kids to. Many schools have been lost. There has been “school sharing” going on, where two different schools share a building (half days for each).
Roads over the entire city are a disaster. Filled with liquefaction, huge cracks, sink holes, and bumps (like waves). Almost every street has damage in need of repair. Our car is getting a beating from driving on roads.
With businesses down, “community” has happened. Instead of entertainment, people look to be with people. That is a great thing that has come out of this.
This weekend a quake has been predicted for this region again. Many have again fled the city. Noah and I are staying here but in the event of another quake and potential tsunami, we plan to head inland. We have emergency bags ready by the door. (Just to be safe!)
Watching what has happened in Japan from this side of destruction, from the experiences we just had, makes it much more real to us. It doesn’t become a statistic in our mind. It becomes quite personal. We just went through what most of Japan just experienced in regards to sudden disaster, everything is stopped, you have no idea what to do, people are lost, communications are down, power/water off, destruction everywhere, etc. The coast of Japan obviously has lost everything and it is unfathomable what it will take for one to recover from that. The loss of life, family, your entire property and possessions. Unthinkable. Our hearts are with those people and deeply empathize in this time of great tragedy.
The hope for Japan, as we have witnessed here in New Zealand, is that through this, people will come together, lean on one another, open up their lives, share, console, die to self, sacrifice for one another… that the church of Japan and of the world would reach out at this time.. as they pick up the pieces… and spread the love of our one true and lasting foundation, the God who shakes US ALL from our complacency and self-capability.
