By Jerram Watts
The earthquake in Christchurch this morning has rocked the community and shocked the nation, as more stories of personal loss and damage roll in.
The 7.1 magnitude quake struck around 4.30am, 30km west of the city.
Laidlaw College lecturer Dr Richard Neville and his family were sound asleep when the roar of the quake shook them awake.
“We were trapped inside the house because all the doors were jammed closed,” he says.
“I had to climb out my bedroom window, then shoulder-charge the front door to get it open.”
Dr Neville says the quake felt like nothing he had ever experienced before.
“They were such violent tremors. It felt like the house was sliding. It’s sort of like walking on a water bed - you just can’t get perched and lose all stability.”
Check out photos sent in from residents in Christchurch
Dr Neville says his son, Micah, was asleep in an outhouse and his door was jammed tight, so he had to kick it open.
The glass on the door shattered, slicing his foot open. Micah needed 20 stitches.
The family made it outside safe and sound, checking into a motel where they are currently waiting on an assessment of their property.
Their Dallington home will have to be bulldozed, Dr Neville says.
“It has a two metre wide… mini fault-line running diagonally along the house – it goes from one corner to the other,” he says.
“A third of our foundation is gone, there are cracks all over the house.”
Christchurch Mayor Bob Park talked earlier about the long-road to recovery residents now face
Dr Neville says his wife Barbara is still shaken, but is just thankful the family got out safely.
“It’s pretty shocking to see it all on TV. This thing doesn’t happen to you.”
Consigned to the fact they won’t be able to live in their house again, the family carefully returned this morning to retrieve some valuables.
Dr Neville says it’s a game of patience and planning from here.
“It’s dawning on us, it’s going to be a lot of work to get everything sorted. We are already looking online to find a rental home and there is the concern that there could be a lot of people doing the same thing.”
But for now, a cup of tea in a quiet motel is rest enough for the Nevilles.
3 News
John Key flew in to Christchurch this morning, watch his live interview on TV3's The Nation