Jenn and I were supposed to go over to Christchurch for my Dad's 70th birthday celebrations on 25th February this year. However on Tuesday 22nd February, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck, causing widespread damage across the city with almost 200 fatalities.
My parents were ok, although their property has sustained some damage - the subsequent aftershocks have caused them considerable distress but luckily at time of writing, most of their amenities are back.
We postponed the trip but went over late March instead. On a fine Saturday, my parents, Jenn and I drove across to Lyttelton (adjacent port town), plus visited the suburb of Sumner - both were hit quite hard. We also went to other spots around the city - the CBD has been badly affected and currently there is an army block off around the city so no-one unauthorised can go in.
Here is a sample of photos which gives just a small idea of how bad it was. Note: click on images to enlarge.
Below: Old building in Lyttelton
Below: An example of the various cracks and damage to the pavements and roads
Below: Completely buried car underneath rubble
Below: This property, in Sumner, was featured on the news a few times
Below: An RSA building in Sumner - a huge boulder flattened it
Below: The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrement building - substantial damage to this and the dome will be removed. Note that this was the closest we could get to it due to it being co-ordined off
No comments:
Post a Comment