Charismatic

Amazing isn’t it? Apparently the earthquake in Haiti was about the same intensity. Now where is our international aid? We are in desperate need of Italian furniture, German cars and French fashion. Please send all you can to us!

They need to get re-building again ASAP, what will really cost New Zealand money is lost profits if this situation drags on for weeks/months. Clear the rubble and get ready for a building boom over the summer . Good as new in no time.

saoghalbeag

Gawd i'm worried about the weather - been sunny all day altho slight wind so have been lured into feeling bit braver! Will put the bags back in the car and think i'll sleep better camping under the table fully clothed...again!! Did end up kicking my shoes off eventually last night but loosened the laces and sat them right next to my feet...have never been so terrified in all my life as during that first quake - i am so happy i grabbed my daughter - was a completly instinctive reaction as i don't recall any thoughts of her - just of panic and what the hell is happening??? but once i got up she was in my arms!!

fingers crossed for everyone tonight!

shirl

I think too that the psychological effect will be huge on those of us who have experienced this. I am having probs processing it and my 2grand-daughters would not sleep on their own last night understandably. Today they still want to stay with us so we can be all together and not go back with mum and dad to the house. Yesterday I was having trouble getting my head around it and it has taken the edge of living here for me personally. I would get on a plane tomorrow and head back home that is how it has made me feel really. Perhaps in a week or two when I have been over it and processed it and thought rationally about it I will feel different. I do hope so as it is not a nice feeling or a nice place to be in this moment. Take care people, you never know what the next second will bring! Stay safe.

Jan n Neil

Neil was called to work tonight, and the dogs are jumpy cos of the wind. I'm not very happy here on my own, it's not great.....

I too am processing it, though this week will be really busy getting work back up and running (Canterbury University). It hasn't put me off though: I drove to West Eyreton today and the countryside and mountains were so beautiful.

I'm sitting here with my torches, candles and phone charging up - and Top Gear seems like a different world just now.........

saoghalbeag

thanks for the reminder - phone now on charger!!! wind kicking off now...

sonlymewalter

Hope everyone is safe again tonight. it's a miracle there were no fatalities [thank goodness] given the extent of damage we've all seen in the photos'and film footage.

Your expat friends in Aus are thinking of you all and keeping everything crossed it all settles down and leaves you all to get on with life as normal again

Take care everyone - from all of us in Australia.

pricklykina

Apparently the UN has been in touch re support. Feels odd that.

Expat Kiwi

I hope they do rebuild and not just demolish buildings and leave the land vacant, it depends on whether a lot of the buildings were adequately insured (only private properties are covered by the EQC) and what condition the ground is in.

Prior to the quake many of the heritage buildings were supposed to have been strengthened but owners were saying they'd sooner vacate them and leave them standing empty than pay for the work to be done. I'm not an insurance assessor so don't quote me on this but if those people were aware of a problem, and they did nothing about it, their insurance may not even cover them for earthquakes.

I have a feeling a lot of the public money is going to get spent on repairing roads, drains, water pipes, pavements etc. so if you're in that line of work there could be opportunities out there for you.

j19fmm

Really hope you get some outside aid and rebuild help, we're (UK) quick to help certain other countries to the tune of 60k million +

Dustybin

bored of it all now.. come on earth you've had a laugh, lets just stop before someone gets hurt eh?....

pricklykina

NZ doesn't need aid. Thankfully it is well placed to manage this catastrophe.

Charismatic

I find it difficult to grasp scales sometimes when things are measured in billions but I think this puts it into perspective a little:

Bailing out South Canterbury Finance earlier this week: $1.3bn
Initial EQC damage estimate from earthquake on Christchurch city: $2bn

Suddenly earthquakes seem like a good deal . So around $425 per person in NZ which I think is very good value for money . Now local government in Chch stop appointing people and start getting quotes to fix everything, half now and half on completion with a 1 year deadline .

saoghalbeag

yup

Bo-Jangles

I agree with you there, I find it impossible to comprehend what a billion dollars would look or feel like and it certainly puts into perspective the amount of the South Canterbury bailout when you see a similar 'value' in terms of the destruction in Christchurch.

Here's a good visual of $1 Billion - in terms of pallets stacked with $100 Notes

http://www.dailycognition.com/index....html?cpage=100

A trillion dollars is quite mindblowing.

chocolate cake

Yep, considering the Earthquake Commission Insurance scheme was started some 60 years ago, it ought to have enough funds to cover the extensive damages from this recent quake. Unless these funds havce been misappropriated