Jenny's story, part 2. February 22nd, 2011
The second part of my story is not really my story; many others had dramatic escapes, or were critically injured. And this time, 185 people died. Bad time for an earthquake; lunchtime during the week. The force at 6.3 magnitude was less that six months earlier.
The Provincial Council Chambers, already in the throes of repair from September 2010
|
But this time the epicentre was right beneath the city, in the Port Hills. Worse, the peak ground acceleration in central Christchurch exceeded 1.8g with the highest recording 2.2g, in Heathcote Valley below the hills so the city behaved as if it were a massive trampoline. It was also only 5km deep, and with the simultaneous vertical and horizontal ground movement it was "almost impossible" for buildings to survive intact. Buildings and infrastructure had been considerably weakened by the earlier main quake in September, and the thousands of smaller ones since that time.
Tales of the heroism, the suffering, the ingenuity of people surviving are already so well documented and I can't hope to cover them all or repeat them; please follow the links on the Earthquakes page or simply google Christchurch Earthquake to read all these truly amazing stories. |
This second part is here really to introduce the long, drawn-out process of securing the organ in the hall, and so that visitors to this page and those who have followed the organ from its first days out of the crates in 1997, will know how it has survived and what the future is for it. But first, a little personal viewpoint of that horrible day.
We were so very lucky; English relatives had been farewelled after a few days together, which had included visiting the floral carpet in the Anglican cathedral as part of the Summer Floral Festival. I had already been into the city shopping and returned to have a quick soup at my computer before sitting down to some solid graphics work; Martin was lecturing at the University for the second day of the term. I had finished writing an email to some friends mentioning with some relief that the aftershocks from 5 months earlier appeared to be slowing.
Then I heard it: that familiar rumble, which was bigger than normal, then more noise of the house readying itself, and suddenly the room lifted up with a huge thwump, my monitor attacked me and books and music scores hurtled out of the shelves opposite the desk towards me. That this one was different was obvious. Against all good instructions about dropping, covering and holding, I tried to get out of the office and towards the stairs to get outside at all costs. This must be instinctive.
Trapped
Getting down the stairs was easier said than done as the steps were either higher or lower than expected as they kept bouncing and in the end I moreorless threw myself the rest of the way. Next obstacle, as I stepped past the crockery broken in the hallway, was that the wooden exit door to the verandah had warped and jammed shut and I couldn't budge it. The back door was the same. Wooden-framed windows had the same results and wouldn't open so I was stuck fast - until the next aftershock which I knew from past experience would flick them back into shape - I hoped. No sign of the cats who had been sleeping on the living room chair. I later discovered them cowering INSIDE the 3-seater sofa.
This aftershock was shorter although more violently up and down than the 7.1 September shake. Created same mess, with books and furniture and cupboards spewed everywhere. My heavy cast-iron frame piano had jumped in the air and moved forward about 11 cm, and strange items moved while others remained stock still. Always something of a mystery, that. Some became projectiles and I was thankful that none had so far hit. The office was a mess: all computers over on their sides, monitors tipped over, keyboards dangling, drawers open, books and paper everywhere. But that would be typical of every office space in Christchurch. And every home had variations on exactly the same theme. No one escaped damage. This is one fact that most people don't grasp. They ask" Where you affected?" Fact: EVERYONE, but EVERYONE could not avoid being affected. It is not like fire, wind, water. Earthquakes literally move everyone.
Getting down the stairs was easier said than done as the steps were either higher or lower than expected as they kept bouncing and in the end I moreorless threw myself the rest of the way. Next obstacle, as I stepped past the crockery broken in the hallway, was that the wooden exit door to the verandah had warped and jammed shut and I couldn't budge it. The back door was the same. Wooden-framed windows had the same results and wouldn't open so I was stuck fast - until the next aftershock which I knew from past experience would flick them back into shape - I hoped. No sign of the cats who had been sleeping on the living room chair. I later discovered them cowering INSIDE the 3-seater sofa.
This aftershock was shorter although more violently up and down than the 7.1 September shake. Created same mess, with books and furniture and cupboards spewed everywhere. My heavy cast-iron frame piano had jumped in the air and moved forward about 11 cm, and strange items moved while others remained stock still. Always something of a mystery, that. Some became projectiles and I was thankful that none had so far hit. The office was a mess: all computers over on their sides, monitors tipped over, keyboards dangling, drawers open, books and paper everywhere. But that would be typical of every office space in Christchurch. And every home had variations on exactly the same theme. No one escaped damage. This is one fact that most people don't grasp. They ask" Where you affected?" Fact: EVERYONE, but EVERYONE could not avoid being affected. It is not like fire, wind, water. Earthquakes literally move everyone.
Chaos
Electricity was cut completely, so the usual procedure of filling buckets and bowls of water started while I tried to get some news on the transistor radio. Little was coming through and although I heard my cell phone ringing once I couldn't find it under the mess. It didn't ring for a long time after that. I'm ashamed to admit that for the first half hour or so, all I could do was walk around the house, wailing, and trying to take pictures as the helicopters and sirens throbbed and that wretched burglar alarm jangled incessantly. Martin arrived home sometime later having walked home from the university - road traffic was gridlocked as people tried to get home. The aftershocks continued (still do do so, as we have passed our 14,000th since that September morning) for a long, long time. The earth was trembling and shivering like someone who has a chill. The cost in deaths, injuries and trauma carries on as people are still struggling to get homes and lives rebuilt. It's hard to describe in terms that don't sound trite - after all, these have been the headlines for us for the past 4 - nearly 5 years and you do get inured to them. It becomes a way of life.
Electricity was cut completely, so the usual procedure of filling buckets and bowls of water started while I tried to get some news on the transistor radio. Little was coming through and although I heard my cell phone ringing once I couldn't find it under the mess. It didn't ring for a long time after that. I'm ashamed to admit that for the first half hour or so, all I could do was walk around the house, wailing, and trying to take pictures as the helicopters and sirens throbbed and that wretched burglar alarm jangled incessantly. Martin arrived home sometime later having walked home from the university - road traffic was gridlocked as people tried to get home. The aftershocks continued (still do do so, as we have passed our 14,000th since that September morning) for a long, long time. The earth was trembling and shivering like someone who has a chill. The cost in deaths, injuries and trauma carries on as people are still struggling to get homes and lives rebuilt. It's hard to describe in terms that don't sound trite - after all, these have been the headlines for us for the past 4 - nearly 5 years and you do get inured to them. It becomes a way of life.
More consoling ear-sucking for Kate and Bobby
|
BUT let's fast forward through that to the organ. Confined to barracks as requested by the army and police, and without power, we somehow heard of the awful fate of Durham Street Methodist Church, which collapsed completely, killing three workers for the South Island Organ Building Company and injuring another seriously as they were in the final stages of removing the pipe organ damaged during the September quake. The Rieger workers, Gerhard Pohl and Marianne Kort whom we had last seen three days earlier, were also in the final stages of voicing the new additions to the organ. There was no word from them, nor could we get through on the phone. Disobeying instructions for non-emergency workers to keep off the roads, we drove as far as we could to see if we could find them in their hotel or at the town hall but the area was cordoned off by the army and no one knew anything.
|
The city was mess; we could see smoke from the CTV fire and liquefaction was everywhere. We even envied the army their tanks. It was later revealed that the Gerhard and Marianne had gone to one of the squares where people collected with the injured to see if they could help. We didn't hear from them after that as they were able to get out of Christchurch once flights resumed but we remained in the dark about their fate. Details are sketchy but we are hoping to catch up with them one day and thank them. So the Red Cross, bless them, were the next port of call. For days after we tried to trace them and then once alerted by Rieger through friends in Australia ( this is where the jungle drums really do work!) that they were back home, we had to call off the search here.
In the end it wasn't until May, after protracted requests that we were finally given permission to access the hall to check on the organ.
For the subsequent events leading up to the re-opening of the organ in the town hall plus news of other organs in the Christchurch area, go to the website for the Christchurch town hall organ here
In the end it wasn't until May, after protracted requests that we were finally given permission to access the hall to check on the organ.
For the subsequent events leading up to the re-opening of the organ in the town hall plus news of other organs in the Christchurch area, go to the website for the Christchurch town hall organ here
What does an earthquake look like? Here are two examples from Feb 22nd:
|
|
|
Thanks to Adxnz, who lives not far from us near the university, and who uploaded this amazing footage (left) he took on that day.
