Has anyone here got friends/family our there? If so let's send prayers and good vibes that they are ok. My son set off travelling last November with 2 friends. One of them went on to New Zealand and is in Christchurch- we are still waiting for any news. My son and the other guy decided to go to Australia before NZ and arrived in Melbourne on Sunday. I'm trying not to think what might have been if they had kept to their original plan. :'(
Yes quite a lot it's where i come from.....so far everyone seems to be ok but my sister in law and niece live in Lyttleton and they couldn't get home and reports suggest that most of lyttleton has been flattened so i guess i have yet another family member homeless. My nephews wife has been on fb and says the house is a mess but to what extent i don't know.
My friends father was in the cathedral but got out safely and her husband is in charge of USAR in Christchurch so he has a very dangerous job.
Apparently there was so much damage because the buildings were weakened by last septembers `quake. Let`s just hope there are no more fatalities.
One of my Great Nephews is safe he lives a few miles from Christchurch. We are still waiting (on facebook) if another great nephew is safe, He has been on a six month travel with his girlfriend and we know he is in NZ but nor sure where. Haven't seen any posts or pics from him for couple of days. My thoughts are with all the people who have lost family members and for those who are now homeless.
Good news for my family. Great Nephew James and his girlfriend are safe.
...as is my friend Nola, whose email I've just received. :)
Such a shame, New Zealanders are very friendly helpful people, our part of the world has had a lot of bad luck this last few months. A friend knows Christchurch well and always said it was a magnificent city. A great pity...
They're also resilient.
The death and damage is shocking, I've been there on holiday too and it's shocking to see the state it's been left in.
I've emailed my mate in Christchurch and I'm waiting for news. :-\
I just checked my email they're save but Christchurch is in a real state. :(
Still no news of my son's mate, except that his home and workplace seem to be unaffected, which may be a positive. His brother is flying out there today. :(
Oh no Caroline; I hope his Brother finds all is well in the chaos it must be... Your son must be having a hard time at the moment thinking "I could have been with him".
My thoughts are with everyone affected
mat
My friends emailed again last night, they had to sleep in a tent because they couldn't sleep with the aftershocks because the house is still rattling, the heart breaking moment for them was picking up the kids from school and finding 400 hundred+ children sitting in a large field crying with hysteria, it breaks your f#####g heart. :'(
My son rang from Australia this morning to tell me that his friend's body was recovered from the rubble of the restaurant where he worked. So sad, and my son seems sooo far away when I want to give him a big hug. :'(
Caroline, I am so sorry to hear this sad news.
My son traveled Aus etc last year and I'm glad to say he is now home. But they have to go on their adventures and life experiences which the large majority come back from safe and enriched from their travels.
My heart goes out to your friends family- also my prayers.
Love Ripley
I am so sorry Caroline. >:( It must be very hard for your son.
Thanks for your thoughts. It's very moving reading all the comments on the guy's facebook site, and all the messages of support for my son from his friends,too. Facebook isn't all bad.
Very,very sad news Caroline. :'(
So sorry to hear this sad news Caroline.
So sorry to hear the sad news Caroline.
sorry to hear about your son's friend Caroline. It will be a tough time for him, but as you say with all the IT now (things like facebook) we can all keep in contact so much more easily.
I've travelled lots and was in Thailand at the time of the Tsunami, so frightening for everyone back home wondering where we were, registered as missing with the FO. Brings it all back home again.
Truly scary when these natural disasters hit and so sad to hear of the lives lost, particularly the young.
So sorry to hear about your son's friend, Caroline. :'(
I'm very sorry to hear of your son's loss, Caroline. Words only help a little, but perhaps it will support your son and his other friend to know that complete strangers on the other side of the world are feeling for them, just now.
:'(
Have just been reading the messages from my son and his travelling companion on the facebook page of the friend they have lost and I'm in tears. They are coming home for the funeral, whenever that is- can't wait to see him. Thanks again everyone x
such a sad loss thinking about his family and friends
I am so sorry about your son's friend. Thinking of his family, your son and also of you. Very best wishes. Mandy x
spoke to my son this morning. Apparently it's a very long process getting the body repatriated. Someone from the foreign office is going out but is not there yet, and the family has been asked to meet the NZ prime minister. Why can't they just let them get on the plane and bring him home?
Just come on here, after being off for a while.
I am so sorry yo here about your sons friend, may he rest in peace.
June.
So sorry to hear that Caroline, i haven't been on a4a till now I've been too busy finding people. It takes so long because they have to make sure they have the right person, in situations like this people can be very damaged and apparently sometimes people have claimed the wrong person. DNA has to be checked and if family isn't local that slows it down.
John Key is taking the whole thing personally, it's not his first disaster recently. He has family in Christchurch too. I won't know if any of my friends has been hurt or killed until I see all the names. Between Murphy's Creek tsunami and this i now have a lot of homeless/semi homeless family.
It hurts to see my home city where i lived for a big chunk of my life so damaged. My husband (english) loved it when we visited in 2001 and he has planned to move there ever since.
Our Australian neighbours have been fantastic...i hope they win all sporting events in the next year! CHCH is apparently full of Aussies helping out despite the continuing aftershocks which must be really scary for people who don't normally experience earthquakes.
Thanks for the explanation, Kea, and sorry that you are still waiting. At least Greg was found by people who knew where he was and were able to identify him. My heart goes out to the families of those whose bodies may never be found.
Well my ex-husband phoned me last night to tell me that a friend is missing in the ctv building, so i guess he will never be found. Sad for his family.
So sorry to hear this, Kea. :'(
My son rang this morning and told me that his friend's family are having a Maori blessing and cremation in NZ for Greg on Wednesday, which sounds lovely, then they will bring his ashes home. Jonny and his mate still plan to come home for a couple of weeks and no doubt they and their friends will orgnise something here to celebrate Greg's life before they return to their travels.
I've just been looking at the "Rise up Christchurch" facebook page- very humbling.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=692313878&sk=friends&v=friends#!/riseupchristchurch (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=692313878&sk=friends&v=friends#!/riseupchristchurch)
i've been linked into that page on FB, Caroline. Also the University of Canterbury page....and Ashburton Online which is giving great coverage of Christchurch news probably better than the actual christchurch pages. I was really pleased to hear that there were no bodies found under the fallen cathedral tower...a miracle because there were plenty of people in there including my friends Dad. Perhaps there is a god after all.