Well this diary entry is done with a lot of sadness and a heart full of love and admiration for all my friends and family who have had to endure the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand…
I live in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand…and it is known that we live over a fault line and could experience an earthquake at any time…but apparently Christchurch never knew they had one before all these quakes started.
My sister who just returned to NZ after several years overseas settled in Christchurch with her husband just a week before the disaster struck. Along with my other family members there, they endured a 6.3 earthquake on February 22. Today the death toll has risen to 163 and search and rescue teams are still tirelessly working to help find loved ones.
When the earthquake hit my cousin Courtney, 17, was all alone. She tried texting and phoning her family but phone lines were not working…in a desperate attempt to find someone, she thought she’d try and make her way to her dad’s work. She walked miles through aftershocks, debris, and desperate people everywhere until she got to the CDB of Christchurch. When she got there she found her dad helping people. He was working furiously to save peoples lives, he’s a doctor. Courtney stayed and helped her dad…holding on to people that were dying and telling them “just stay with me” every time they were falling asleep. The room started to full up with more and more dead bodies, and she continued to be a champion for Christchurch…being there for people in their last moments.
Many people, like Courtney, stayed in dangerous places to help others… know that we are right behind you, from here, from afar, know that you are not alone. We love you and will do everything we can to support you through this hard time.
Along with other Volunteer organisations the Salvation Army has been working day and night, providing food, shelter and support for the victims of the Christchurch quake. If you would like to donate to help them continue their very noble efforts, the details are in the web link below.
Stay strong in faith and love…
Love and respect,
Anita xx
