After spending yesterday morning in my busy morning run around achieving multiples things at once, I turned the car radio on and heard “Multiple deaths in major earthquake in New Zealand”. I instantly felt my stomach churn and my heart pound. This is my country, my family, my friends and a piece of my heart they are talking about. I was shocked at the devastation when I turned on the TV – the rubble, the mangled lives, the mangled buildings, the images of people wandering aimlessly through the streets with blood running from their shaken bodies. All I could do was stare at the TV with tears stream downing my face and seeing so many NZ icons shattered into pieces.
As a child and adult living in NZ I was terrified of earthquakes, that fear of dying took over me and I was a panicker. I felt many earthquakes some bigger some smaller, none causing more than minor damage, but every one made me more scared. My fear of heights came from being in an earthquake in a high-rise that my Mum worked in, I still never feel safe in tall buildings, I feel sick standing on balconies, I feel safe on terra firma, even though I live where earthquakes just don’t happen.
I am grateful that as far as I know my family and friends in Christchurch are safe, and I’m even more grateful that my immediate family are North Islanders. For the first time in a long time I want to go home, I want to hug my Kiwi family and friends and reassure them that it will be ok, maybe not tomorrow or the next day, but they will be okay.
I think your fear of earthquakes is quite valid. I personally never intend entering into an elevator again after knowing of some poor people who spent hours trapped in the Chch eq without power, during aftershocks, and last week I was looking for a manicurist in Wellington (I never get these done but after all the packing and unpacking my nails are ripped and split and painful and in a terrible condition) and when I checked out the addresses, 4th floor, Level 5, 3rd floor, etc, they were immediately deleted from the list of possibles. Funny how the mind starts to think now. Everyone in Chch needs counselling I reckon, especially after the second one. All in good time though.
By: Jules on April 12, 2011
at 6:15 am