That injuries were so light in the wake of such strong earthquakes is a miracle in itself.
I've now managed to catch up with my relatives in Christchurch, or hear from third parties that they are all doing OK. However, the continual aftershocks and new quakes (new epicentres) are taking their toll, and on some more than others. My cousin runs a motel, and a house maid has fled Christchurch, not able to handle the aftershocks and lack of sleep. My cousin has had the majority of his bookings cancelled, but has filled them currently with out of town helpers and workers. Silver lining I guess.
I haven't been reading the news in detail, nor watched the news due to my current schedule. So I was surprised when he mentioned sulfurous smells being reported, hinting of volcanic activity perhaps? Wild speculation of course, it could be sewerage leaks and time will tell. On the bright side, a new thermal area in the south island could be a good tourist attraction :-)
Which reminds me of a great story in the paper. A family down south had to flee the wild winds, with huge trees around their home being toppled. One crashed through their house, thankfully away from the family. Said mum bravely at the end of the article "Well, we were running short of firewood, so that problem is solved"
Love the spirit!
That is the spirit needed for Christchurch right now, and we are seeing plenty of it. It will be important for Christchurch to find a whole lot of reasons over the next 12 months to keep tourists coming and business activity strong. It's one thing to rebuild what was there, it is quite another to fill empty homes, empty hotels, empty cafes once the building stops.
Kia Kaha Christchurch and God Bless.
I've now managed to catch up with my relatives in Christchurch, or hear from third parties that they are all doing OK. However, the continual aftershocks and new quakes (new epicentres) are taking their toll, and on some more than others. My cousin runs a motel, and a house maid has fled Christchurch, not able to handle the aftershocks and lack of sleep. My cousin has had the majority of his bookings cancelled, but has filled them currently with out of town helpers and workers. Silver lining I guess.
I haven't been reading the news in detail, nor watched the news due to my current schedule. So I was surprised when he mentioned sulfurous smells being reported, hinting of volcanic activity perhaps? Wild speculation of course, it could be sewerage leaks and time will tell. On the bright side, a new thermal area in the south island could be a good tourist attraction :-)
Which reminds me of a great story in the paper. A family down south had to flee the wild winds, with huge trees around their home being toppled. One crashed through their house, thankfully away from the family. Said mum bravely at the end of the article "Well, we were running short of firewood, so that problem is solved"
Love the spirit!
That is the spirit needed for Christchurch right now, and we are seeing plenty of it. It will be important for Christchurch to find a whole lot of reasons over the next 12 months to keep tourists coming and business activity strong. It's one thing to rebuild what was there, it is quite another to fill empty homes, empty hotels, empty cafes once the building stops.
Kia Kaha Christchurch and God Bless.
Oswald has the answer re the sulphurous smell. As a boy I lived in Sydenham, not that far from the gas works, and remember well what it smelled like. All of that ugly, dirty, proletarian part of Christchurch was eradicated during the last 30 years by commercial forces rather than earthquakes.
ReplyDelete