Tens of Thousands leave Christchurch as earthquake shakes continue to rattle area
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Pastor Dale Morgan
Feb 27, 2011, 4:27:44 AM2/27/11
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Earthquakes In Diverse Places
Tens of Thousands leave Christchurch as earthquake shakes continue to rattle area
* By Tamara McLean in Christchurch
* From: AAP
* February 27, 2011 1:53PM
FOR many residents of Christchurch, it was one shake too many.
Tens of Thousands of the city's 350,000 inhabitants have left in droves, flying, driving, even walking away, with no plans to return any time soon.
Experts predict the exodus from Tuesday's killer 6.3-magnitude earthquake will continue in the weeks and months to come.
With two major jolts in less than six months and more than 5,000 aftershocks in between, people are understandably fed-up with the ground moving beneath their feet.
On top of that, there is a cruel prediction by some that another big one will come.
"We can't live like this, with the constant shaking," said Australian Gloria Cotton, 84, who has lived in New Zealand's second largest city since meeting her Kiwi husband there 15 years ago.
"My heart is here, and I feel so heart-broken at the thought of leaving," the Gold Coast woman said, bursting into tears, "but how can we stay?"
"This is no place to live anymore."
For Gloria and her husband Len, 83, family were their motivation to leave.
"We're getting on. I've got a heart condition and we're on pensions. We don't have the money to fix anything so we've got no choice but to go where my children can help us," Mrs Cotton said.
For Aaron Waine, the loss of family helped him decide.
Mr Waine and his two younger brothers lost their mum Susan Chuter when the (CTV) Canterbury Television building collapsed.
Standing outside the burning building, he said it would be too painful to remain.
"We can't stay here with this constant horrible reminder of what's happened here and what we've lost," Mr Waine said.
"It's too painful. In Aussie or somewhere else we might be able to move on."
He acknowledged it would be extremely hard financially. "We've bought our first home here and what's it worth now? Nothing. Who will want to buy it? No-one. So who knows when we'll be able to go."
For others, it was a decision made in fear.
Irish woman Emily Smith has lived in the city for five years, raising her two girls, aged five months and two years, there. She and her husband said at Christchurch airport that they had a "dark feeling" the February 22 quake wasn't the last.
"Inside I can't shake that feeling," Ms Smith said. "And when you have tiny kids you feel even more vulnerable. We feel we don't have a choice."
For many AAP spoke to though, the reason for their exodus was purely financial.
Freelance graphic designer Matthew Bolton said he had to go where the money was "and it's not here".
"I's simple really," he said before stepping on a plane bound for Auckland. "The Christchurch CBD is knocked out. No-one is going to be thinking about design work for a long time."
The Canterbury Chamber of Commerce fears many businesses will have the same response, relocating en masse to Wellington, Auckland or other New Zealand cities so they can keep going.
Chief executive Peter Townsend said there were companies with 1000 employees ready to return to work but a lack of basic utilities, an office and, in some cases, demand for their services, was stopping them.
"One of my biggest fears at the moment is flight," he told New Zealand's National Business Review on Friday. "People have had enough and I dont want this beautiful city to be compromised because people leave."
Thankfully for Christchurch a great many people feel like Ryan Burcher.
"I couldn't leave now," said the former Sydney man who made the Garden City his home eight years ago.
"I'm leaving for a break, because it's unlivable at the moment, but we'll be back for the long haul.
"You can't let nature put you off."
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/thousands-leave-christchurch-after-quakes/story-e6frfku0-1226012825514#ixzz1F9LUZ0Mx
Tens of Thousands leave Christchurch as earthquake shakes continue to rattle area
* By Tamara McLean in Christchurch
* From: AAP
* February 27, 2011 1:53PM
FOR many residents of Christchurch, it was one shake too many.
Tens of Thousands of the city's 350,000 inhabitants have left in droves, flying, driving, even walking away, with no plans to return any time soon.
Experts predict the exodus from Tuesday's killer 6.3-magnitude earthquake will continue in the weeks and months to come.
With two major jolts in less than six months and more than 5,000 aftershocks in between, people are understandably fed-up with the ground moving beneath their feet.
On top of that, there is a cruel prediction by some that another big one will come.
"We can't live like this, with the constant shaking," said Australian Gloria Cotton, 84, who has lived in New Zealand's second largest city since meeting her Kiwi husband there 15 years ago.
"My heart is here, and I feel so heart-broken at the thought of leaving," the Gold Coast woman said, bursting into tears, "but how can we stay?"
"This is no place to live anymore."
For Gloria and her husband Len, 83, family were their motivation to leave.
"We're getting on. I've got a heart condition and we're on pensions. We don't have the money to fix anything so we've got no choice but to go where my children can help us," Mrs Cotton said.
For Aaron Waine, the loss of family helped him decide.
Mr Waine and his two younger brothers lost their mum Susan Chuter when the (CTV) Canterbury Television building collapsed.
Standing outside the burning building, he said it would be too painful to remain.
"We can't stay here with this constant horrible reminder of what's happened here and what we've lost," Mr Waine said.
"It's too painful. In Aussie or somewhere else we might be able to move on."
He acknowledged it would be extremely hard financially. "We've bought our first home here and what's it worth now? Nothing. Who will want to buy it? No-one. So who knows when we'll be able to go."
For others, it was a decision made in fear.
Irish woman Emily Smith has lived in the city for five years, raising her two girls, aged five months and two years, there. She and her husband said at Christchurch airport that they had a "dark feeling" the February 22 quake wasn't the last.
"Inside I can't shake that feeling," Ms Smith said. "And when you have tiny kids you feel even more vulnerable. We feel we don't have a choice."
For many AAP spoke to though, the reason for their exodus was purely financial.
Freelance graphic designer Matthew Bolton said he had to go where the money was "and it's not here".
"I's simple really," he said before stepping on a plane bound for Auckland. "The Christchurch CBD is knocked out. No-one is going to be thinking about design work for a long time."
The Canterbury Chamber of Commerce fears many businesses will have the same response, relocating en masse to Wellington, Auckland or other New Zealand cities so they can keep going.
Chief executive Peter Townsend said there were companies with 1000 employees ready to return to work but a lack of basic utilities, an office and, in some cases, demand for their services, was stopping them.
"One of my biggest fears at the moment is flight," he told New Zealand's National Business Review on Friday. "People have had enough and I dont want this beautiful city to be compromised because people leave."
Thankfully for Christchurch a great many people feel like Ryan Burcher.
"I couldn't leave now," said the former Sydney man who made the Garden City his home eight years ago.
"I'm leaving for a break, because it's unlivable at the moment, but we'll be back for the long haul.
"You can't let nature put you off."
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/thousands-leave-christchurch-after-quakes/story-e6frfku0-1226012825514#ixzz1F9LUZ0Mx
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