Hi there Harold,
Thanks for your concern.
No, we're not affected in Auckland, nor was Wellington, the capital, which has always been known here as 'earthquake city'.
So strange that Christchurch has been so badly affected.
Although the fault line runs in a north-south direction through the middle of the country, it was never expected that a quake would emerge in a horizontal direction so it caught everyone by surprise on 4 September, which was when they had their very first quake ever, 7.1 at 4.35am. Since then they have had about 10,000 aftershocks so something was always going to happen. It was a question of when, not if.
God has been most gracious.
There were three naval vessels in Lyttelton harbour,
Chch's port, and personnel have come ashore and are assisting where they can in the town of Lyttelton, a very old (by NZ standards) and historic, quaint town.
At the same time there were at least three medical conferences under way in Christchurch itself and attendees raced into the streets grabbing first-aid kits from those shops and offices still standing and headed off to join up with St John Ambulance teams.
Also at the same time, the army was just out of Chch at Burnham Military Camp for exercises so they had a real, live situation to deal with.
Were able to bring in their 6-wheel drive army ambulances which could negotiate the roads that are now impassable to ordinary traffic.
My cousin was in Riccarton Mall when the quake struck and he went like a bullet out of a gun, his wife tells me, jumped in his car and took all the back roads home.
They live halfway between the city and the Southern Alps, about a 30 minute drive.
Their house had been badly affected in the first quake as they were in the epicentre, although he was upset about his grand piano as he composes, plays and teaches.
He reckons it's a write-off. Not surprising - the quake picked it up and hurled it through the adjacent plateglass window, then brought it back in again on its side.
Another cousin's husband was yesterday in a meeting on the fifth floor of a building that wasn't destroyed, but the window glass shattered all over those in the meeting causing numerous cuts.
But all are at home and all is well with them.
We just ask for prayers for those who have been bereaved or are still waiting to be told that their family members or friends are safely rescued.
Thanks again, Harold.
Shalom
JXXXXXXXXXXXXX
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