Canterbury-Christchurch earthquake, some personal thoughts

Not entirely sure what to say here but as an event of such historical significance at the very least it should be acknowledged.

As a blog we have been adding personal thoughts and observations so it would be wise to stick to this approach.

Where were we when?  Without television we were a little behind in terms of catching on and luckily spared the tragic scenes of the disaster. I became aware of the situation while at work, we have a television in our waiting room and after lunch all became eerily quiet as the staff were transfixed to the images just coming in from Christchurch and getting the first vague details of what had occurred. In turn those with family and friends in the affected area were on the phone trying to get thru but most of the lines were busy and the tension was palpable. No panic mind you but worry until...thank goodness, by the end of the afternoon contact was made and relief was the emotion as our work day ended.

A little closer to home...Ken, Lori, Griffin and Gavin (our fellow Americans here in town) were off vacationing with friends and were to be in Christchurch at some point.  Mary our head nurse and general looker after-er spoke to Ken and made sure they were safe and sound...in fact they had been in Christchurch, 24 hrs prior to the quake and even have a picture of their boys in front of the now destroyed cathedral spire posted on their Facebook page.

So what has this meant for us?...we received an outpouring of concern as emails and Facebook posts were sent asking if we were ok.  Shelley and I reflect upon what we would have done had we gone to Darfield. Our initial choice of placement was Darfield, a small town about 1 hour outside of Christchurch however they ended up not needing me so we were offered Opunake next. It is a discussion which in some ways summarizes the situation in a general sense. In the face of natural disaster what should people do? Why do we stay? Why do we rebuild? Is it courage or is it a refusal to face reality? Until faced with such a choice I cannot say what I would do or how I would feel but it is thought provoking. We are currently in the shadow of a dormant volcano, Mt Taranaki, and we marvel at it everyday in its ever changing moods...so, what would we do if its mood turned a hot fiery red?