fegarex
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Just got another e-mail from Andrew so I thought I would post it to give another update.
Here it is...
Hi Rex
Well, it’s been nearly two weeks since the second big earthquake. Things are slowly starting to get better for some and not for others. The search and rescue phase is now over and moved into a recovery operation. The people that do this kind of grizzly work have my full admiration. It would have to be the most unpleasant experience you can ever imagine. Each day an updated list of the dead are announced in the newspaper and their stories. It is quite heartbreaking to read as these were people just going about their daily lives when mother nature struck her fatal blow.
We are still getting severe aftershocks which is a bit disconcerting. Sleep patterns are still all over the place and there is still a sense of shock. Many are realistic about what we have been through and many are not. The politicians are already beginning to squabble so that is probably a good sign that things are returning to normal. The rest of us are just faced with the reality of the fact that there will be a new definition of the word “normal†in Christchurch city for many years to come.
Our power finally came on late yesterday afternoon which is great.. It is very unstable but over the next few weeks they will make the repairs more permanent. We can finally have a hot shower at home instead of feeling like refugees in our own city. We are lucky as there are still about 25,000 without power and water and living in terrible conditions. The local authorities are doing a wonderful job but are simply swamped as the work ahead of us is overwhelming. It is a strange feeling as the city is really cut in two. One side, including the central city, is totally devastated and the other side functioning as normal. It’s all very surreal. But as each week goes by it will get better and the authorities are gradually opening bridges and roads and basic infrastructure.
We still have to boil all drinking water and the phone lines are down with internet access still coming from our daughter on the other side of town every few days. So communication is very limited and quite hard. But that is only a mere inconvenience compared to some other poor souls. They are still finding pockets of people, mainly the elderly, that are too scared to leave their homes in the worse affected areas.
On a personal note I would like to say a very heartfelt thank you to everyone that has tried to phone us and left messages on our answering machine (I only managed to retrieve them yesterday) or e-mailed us with messages of support and offers of help. I simply can’t contact you all as it would take too long. It has been truly humbling and uplifting to both Mary and I that we have so many friends from all over the world. Your kindness and support will always be remembered with gratitude and a great deal of fondness.
Here it is...
Hi Rex
Well, it’s been nearly two weeks since the second big earthquake. Things are slowly starting to get better for some and not for others. The search and rescue phase is now over and moved into a recovery operation. The people that do this kind of grizzly work have my full admiration. It would have to be the most unpleasant experience you can ever imagine. Each day an updated list of the dead are announced in the newspaper and their stories. It is quite heartbreaking to read as these were people just going about their daily lives when mother nature struck her fatal blow.
We are still getting severe aftershocks which is a bit disconcerting. Sleep patterns are still all over the place and there is still a sense of shock. Many are realistic about what we have been through and many are not. The politicians are already beginning to squabble so that is probably a good sign that things are returning to normal. The rest of us are just faced with the reality of the fact that there will be a new definition of the word “normal†in Christchurch city for many years to come.
Our power finally came on late yesterday afternoon which is great.. It is very unstable but over the next few weeks they will make the repairs more permanent. We can finally have a hot shower at home instead of feeling like refugees in our own city. We are lucky as there are still about 25,000 without power and water and living in terrible conditions. The local authorities are doing a wonderful job but are simply swamped as the work ahead of us is overwhelming. It is a strange feeling as the city is really cut in two. One side, including the central city, is totally devastated and the other side functioning as normal. It’s all very surreal. But as each week goes by it will get better and the authorities are gradually opening bridges and roads and basic infrastructure.
We still have to boil all drinking water and the phone lines are down with internet access still coming from our daughter on the other side of town every few days. So communication is very limited and quite hard. But that is only a mere inconvenience compared to some other poor souls. They are still finding pockets of people, mainly the elderly, that are too scared to leave their homes in the worse affected areas.
On a personal note I would like to say a very heartfelt thank you to everyone that has tried to phone us and left messages on our answering machine (I only managed to retrieve them yesterday) or e-mailed us with messages of support and offers of help. I simply can’t contact you all as it would take too long. It has been truly humbling and uplifting to both Mary and I that we have so many friends from all over the world. Your kindness and support will always be remembered with gratitude and a great deal of fondness.
