Good Luck and Best Wishes to eDave

 Thanks Chris - and everyone who has sent messages of support.

Haven't heard about this earthquake...

 Hope all will return to "normal" quickly for you and peoples around.

 Jean-Charles

Thanks for all the messages over the past fortnight.

Christchurch, my home town and the second biggest city in the country, is devastated. Up to 60% of the central business district buildings are ruined and will need to be demolished. Thousands of people have lost their houses and about 200 people have died. We were lucky. New Zealand has very good building standards so the vast majority of buildings survived well enough for people to escape.

If you live in an earthquake zone take your disaster preparations seriously:

Have a family plan of where you would all meet. Leave a note on your door when you leave telling others where you have gone. Keep your cell phone charged and your car keys with you at all times. Keep enough provisions at home to last you several days. Have plenty of fresh batteries for your torches and radios.

Our roads were gridlocked within 10minutes of the quake. Cell phone coverage was down partly due to tower failures but mostly due to overuse. This was bad for survivors trapped in buildings because they couldn't contact would-be rescuers.

Get small children away from the city as soon as you can. The aftershocks mean you will get little sleep and the kids fear every rumble. Turn off electricity, gas and water while those services are unavailable and every time you leave your home.

Regards, Dave