September 4th now seems like a dress rehearsal for the main event on February 22. With the first quake I didn't lose power and only lost water for a couple of days. There was damage to the house with the foundations being the major problem, but it all seemed so fixable then. My family did all end up here in the early hours of morning, but were able to return to their homes that day. Some didn't have power or water for a few days, but coped well. The shake itself was scary, but didn't compare to the one we felt in February. I remember the curiousity about the damage in our area and going for a long walk the following day to have a look. There were many aftershocks and I do remember feeling as if I was on a boat that was constantly moving. It was a few days before we could return to work, but not weeks. My workplace moved, but not as a result of the quake. We had been about to move anyway. Careful planning had been done to organise a move over a 2 week period, but problems with our landlord resulted in move that took about 17 hours. The silver lining - our new workplace meant our feet were firmly on the ground.
The months that followed were not too disruptive to our lives and as we moved into summer life pretty much returned to normal. Then came the main event in February. We were all prepared for another large aftershock and all had become experts in the magnitude and depths of the aftershocks. What we didn't anticipate was how close to the city February's quake would be. In our heads we were all thinking it would occur along the original Greendale Fault. Big mistake.
Personally I coped well after September, but February was a different story. Suddenly I was the one needing support and that was hard, especially when it didn't seem to be there. My team leader was in a hurry to get us back to work, but I was in no hurry to go back. I wanted my family around me where I could keep an eye on them. The power came on within a few days, but water was another story. Luckily we had been prepared for both events by having a disaster kit. By February this kit was improved as my clever sister made sure we all received extra items as Christmas gifts. Late January I had refreshed our water supplies, so we had a good supply to get us through the days before the water tanks were dispersed around the badly affected suburbs.
A long drop was dug down the back of our property and showering became a thing of the past. Water had to be boiled and hand washing clothes was suddenly back in. Eventually we got our water back on after a couple of weeks, but then it was turned off while we waited for emergency repairs to our cylinder and mains. My first shower came courtesy of my daughter and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Eventually we stopped sleeping, fully dressed, on our mattress in the lounge and moved back to our bedroom, but not alone. Our daughter came with us.
The house has severe structural damage and the foundations have blown, particularly in the front of the house. A wall in my daughter's room has been braced to keep it in place, but we do not use those rooms at the front of the house anymore.
Thinking about February 22nd is hard and I tend to become emotional when talking about it. People died that day. I thought I was going to die. I am lucky. I still have my family. We are all shattered in some way, but we are alive. My youngest sister and her husband were made redundant as a result of the quake, but they are alive. My twin sister and her husband have lost their business (landlords need to make sure they are fully covered), but they are alive. My husband now works in Kaiapoi, but he is alive. My eldest daughter is now unemployed, but she is alive. My youngest daughter now has to catch 3 buses to get to her job in Heathcote, but she is alive. My mother had to live with one of my sisters for nearly 3 months, but she is alive. Yes, I am lucky.
Life is not normal anymore, but a new normal is developing. I don't much like it, but I have no choice and need to come to terms with it. My broken house lies in a broken city and it makes me very sad. I hurt. I hurt for the life I once had, I hurt for the people that no longer have their homes, I hurt for the families that lost loved ones, I hurt for my city which was once so beautiful. I hurt so much for this city of mine and wish I could turn back time for everyone.
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