At 4.35am, on the 4th September 2010, the city of Christchurch in New Zealand’s South Island was hit by an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale.
It’s epicentre was close to the township of Darfield, 40 km (25 miles) west of Christchurch. There was widespread damage and power outages, two people were seriously injured and one person died from a heart-attack during the quake.
Originally I wrote here: anyone who lives along the Pacific Ring of Fire might have thought, “that could have been us.” 90% of all the world’s earthquakes and 80% of all major earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire, which extends from New Zealand through Indonesia and the Phillipines, through Japan along the Aleutian Islands and along the west coast of the Americas.
Then, on the 11th of March just off the coast of Japan a huge (8.9 )earthquake hit. The tsunami it triggered killed at least ten thousand people, and injured many more. It caused massive damage to the northeastern coast of the country. Perhaps more than anyone else in the world, people in Christchurch understood and empathised.
Christchurch was rebuilding after the September earthquake. Yes, the city and surrounding countryside was a mess, but most buildings were reinforced with steel and people were simply thankful that so few had been seriously hurt. Then the earthquake on 22nd February struck.
Although it was considered an after-shock, registering only (!) 6.3 on the Richter Scale, it was shallow and close to the city centre. The beautiful Victorian buildings crumbled. People died. Liquefaction – the bizarre effect of shaken (predominantly) sandy soil turning into soup – loosened buildings from their piles and appeared in back-yards and on the streets, covering everything in its wake. (300 – 500% more than in September)
As often happens after dramatic events, stories of courage and bravery emerged. Like the Australian doctor who amputated a trapped man’s legs using only a hacksaw and a Leatherman multi-purpose tool, in order to save his life. Or the loyal labrador-retriever cross that led his, almost completely blind, owner through the falling masonry, the carnage and the rubble – to safety.
Sometimes it’s the get-on-with-it grit that we notice, like the students from Christchurch’s Canterbury University who turned out to dig up the results of liquefaction for days on end. Or, the wry smile which might have appeared on our faces, when we heard about the students from Dunedin’s Otago University. a five-hour car journey away, organising and sending lunches into Christchurch for their contemporaries who were digging.
The horrible side of human nature also appears at times of great stress. Looting I can dismiss as the idiocy of greedy opportunists. But what I cannot begin to understand, what makes me feel physically ill to think about, is the increase in rates of domestic violence. As soon as two days after the February earthquake, a spike in violence against women and children was reported. Likewise, after the September quake.
Suicide rates also rose after the September quake. The stress for some was simply too much. For some, the unpredictability of after-shocks was overwhelming. Yet, people are generally resilient, and I believe Christchurch will rebuild. Hopefully, Sendai will too, though it’s early days as I write this.
They will come back stronger and better prepared. History tells us it will be so. Many of New Zealand’s current housing laws (e.g. reinforced steel, standardised building regulations, and an engineering code of practice) came about because of the 1931 (7.8) earthquake and subsequent rebuild in my home town, Napier.
A rebuild we had been celebrating just days before the second Christchurch earthquake. A rebuild that had been based on the movements of Art Deco and Art Nouveau: looking forward not back, celebrating all the optimism and energy of the roaring twenties, and the idealism and escapism of the depression years.
No-one wants to experience a disaster. They take lives. They ruin lives. They change people forever. And yet, most often, like their cities, people who have survived disasters re-emerge stronger and with greater understanding of the need to celebrate the art of living each and every day.
Have you ever been involved in a natural disaster? Have you changed because you had that experience? We’d love to hear your stories.
This is an original post to World Moms Blog by Karyn Van Der Zwet of Napier, New Zealand. Karyn can also be found on her blog, kloppenmum.
This photo, of The Spirit of Napier, is attributed to Karyn Van Der Zwet.
References: Wikipedia; stuff.co.nz; and nzhearald.co.nz.
Karyn, I watched the media coverage of the Christchurch and Japan earthquakes with horror. I don’t think any of us can truly image how traumatic something like this is. My family and I have been extremely fortunate to escape anything this frightening.
I do agree that people emerge stronger from events like this and suddenly appreciate the smaller things in life. It’s a shame that it takes a tragedy for some people to live each day to its fullest.
Thank you for sharing
I watched on in horror too, Fiona. What a terrible experience for people to live through. I see these events with a mother’s eyes nowadays and try to imagine how I would help our kids to get through the event and the after-math.I guess like everything else with parenting: it’s doing the best we can with the resources we have to hand. Thanks for commenting.
I can’t imagine what people went through (and still do) – and luckily my family have never been near anything like this. Seeing it on the news it seems almost unreal, reading your article reminds me again that it is real… Very scary!
I can’t imagine living through a major disaster either, Asta – scary indeed.
Thank you for sharing your story. I couldn’t imagine living through these disasters but try to envision what I would do. Living in San Francisco, CA, earthquakes, too, are part of our lives. I have a earthquake kit, a hand crank radio, and a plan with my husband of where to meet should a large earthquake hit while we are separated. I hope to never need to use these things but feel better knowing that I am a little prepared. These recent disasters always make us rethink our plan and wonder if we are really ready.
We’re the same. I updated all our bottled water supplies and went through the emergency plan with our older kids – again. The boys were worried it would happen here immediately after Christchurch II and really appreciated seeing our preparations. In the end all we can do is the best we can – at the time.
Karyn,
This is the first Mon-Thurs. post that wasn’t on the topic of motherhood. But, when I read it, it was so powerful that I added a “humanity” category to the blog and scheduled it. It was a very powerful piece. I think it’s ok to throw these types of posts in every once in a while to switch things up a little.
I’ve never been involved in a natural disaster. The closest thing I have experienced to a disaster situation was that I was working in Washington, D.C. during the September 11th attacks. And, I witnessed how people can come together afterwards with strength to move forward.
Thank you for writing about this very relevant topic. It gives us all something to think about.
Veronica 🙂
I’ve never been through a natural disaster, but I have been through some man-made ones. I was in the World Trade Center when the 2 passenger planes flew into the Twin Towers on Sept 11th. I’ve never been so frightened… I had such a feeling of helplessness, and confusion… but I made it (thanks to my guardian angel), but I had friends who were not quite as fortunate! Am I a better person now because of? I’m not sure, but it did change me. I can’t see a low flying plane in the air without my heart skipping a beat or three. I didn’t have children yet, in fact I wasn’t even married yet, but I think because of I may let my children “break” more rules than not (like going to bed a little late, in order to finish watching a movie). Life is too short, and we should all enjoy it to it’s fullest, because you never know when or how disaster will strike!
Isabelle, I seem to have missed your comment – I’m so sorry.
I was 5 months pregnant with our eldest son and can still remember the emotions of watching the 9/11 footage. How awful for you to have lived that experience. Life is short and there are many ways to live it to it’s fullest. And you are right: disaster can strike anyone at anytime.
Veronica – I didn’t even think about it not being a ‘mothering’ post when I submitted it! Thanks for your support and lovely comment. 🙂 Since I’ve become a mother I go through this whole thing (when disasters happen) where I imagine myself and my kids in the situation and then work out what I would do. I was five months pregnant with our eldest son when 9/11 happened – I think my awareness began then. I am always impressed with how people do find the strength to move forward afterwards.
My heart goes out to all those who have dealt with the earthquakes and the aftermath it brings. I have been through more hurricanes than I can remember. The worst was when we were flooded before the hurricane was even there and it was coming straight for us. We left and the only reason we were able to get out was because we had a truck. It took us a week to get back home because the rivers were cresting and there was just no way back into town. We bounced around that week with our pets. We got kicked out of one hotel for having them. Then we went to a friend’s home a few more hours away because there were no hotels available and most shelters do not accept pets. We did this for a week until we found our narrow window to make it home. Once home, we were greeted by flooded cars, water lines at least 3 feet high on people’s homes, no electricity, questionable water, mold, lots of downed trees and debris everywhere. That when I truly understood what a flood was and the power of a hurricane. Before this time, we all had hurricane parties and spent our money on beer. As I matured and gained more experience with hurricanes, I knew what my limit would be, as far as which ones I would ride out and for which ones I would leave. Now that I have kids, I have no intention on staying around for most of them. Cold showers, intense humidity and heat, no electricity, curfews because of the danger of fallen lines and debris, flooded homes and cars, damaged property, loss of life, spoiled food in your freezer and fridge, ice melting all over and figuring out where the next water truck will be is too much when I can have the option to leave and keep my family safe. I have wisened up!
I agree that having children changes our perspective on all sorts of things, especially dangerous situations like disasters. It has certainly made me update all of our emergency stuff and to run through the plan again with the older children. Floods and hurricanes have not been a part of our lives (touch wood) but I am constantly aware of escape routes etc. Thanks for your comment Maggie, I love hearing other people’s stories.