The day that changed our lives

Feb 22 2011 was the day that changed the lives of many people here in Christchurch. Two massive earthquakes struck our city at almost the same time. Many people died when buildings collapsed while others were seriously injured. People suffered incredible losses. In our own case I felt as though I was just losing one thing after another. Just before the earthquake I had retired to look after Mum which was of course the loss of my job. Next I had to put Mum into a home, that felt like the loss of my mother with the associated sense of guilt I felt. Then the earthquake which resulted in our home being badly damaged so I lost the house. My son and their family moved away from Christchurch due to the earthquakes so I lost the family who lived here. A few months later George was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, another loss. With no other family member here it really was incredibly difficult to deal with so much in six months. I certainly felt very alone with so much to deal with. Interestingly enough some people showed little or no empathy. I guess it is difficult for others to have any understanding of how a catastrophe like this can effect your life. Someone said to me, " we've got our own lives to lead", she really didn't want to know. These sorts of attitudes make people reticent to share their lives or feelings with others, I find it difficult to talk to others through a fear of being criticised as I was during this time. It is easy to look in at someone else's life and tell them what and how they should do things.   I have found that I do not value money or possessions. Your values do change doing this time. You also learn a lot about other people through their views and actions. There were many times I found myself quite shocked while at other times I found myself very touched by the caring attitudes and actions of others.

The effects of this disaster are still all around us. Our roads are still being repaired so trips have to be carefully planned, you never know what roads are going to be closed and the stretches that have very low speed limits are everywhere. A real problem is that these change from day to day. The major bridge leading from my home into Christchurch was closed for 18 months and is still under major repair. Many people are still living in substandard conditions...

It is really a week of thinking about what we have lived through.