One year after the Christchurch quake: Share your story

chch was a beautiful city and it can be again.we just need the right people at the helm.i worked at the pgc building at night,for the first week, after the big one and my brain has some images that will never go away .to all of you who helped someone thanks.on the cathederal debate,dont spend a single $ on it,i doubt those who are still greiving for lost ones really give a rats .

On the 22nd Feb 2011 the people of Cristchurch, Canterbury and New Zealand watched history and sentimentality kill our future. I am positive that if our forfathers knew that the structures they were building would one day kill their children. They would not have been built. Let us for once, learn from history. And be proactive in the identification and remediation or deconstruction of any structure that does not meet the current knowledge of our age. No amount of brick or mortar is worth one of our childrens lives. I beleive that the views expressed in the comments from the Ellerslie Flower show caravan, show a dynamic shift in the values of the residence of Christchurch. Let not the opinions of a few over rule or dissuade the collective conscience of the now enlightened majority. let us learn our lession.

Like everyone in ChCh on that day - it was surreal. Most of us were in shock (I know I was). I knew straight away that our house was ready for the dozer, but couldn't for the life of me think about what I should be saving. A year on and I've dealt with the loss of my house, contents etc and am thankful for my friends and family. I am however, angry at all the BS in the media about the rebuild, etc and how wonderful the progress is. My street is still the same as it was in Feb - except worse as now weeds have grown up, windows are broken, there are thefts etc (and my home is one of those on the cliffs - still zoned white). My neighbours have been forced to live away from their homes (whilst paying mortgages) and a lot are simply taking indemnity value offers from their insurers (50% value of their homes) because they can't wait for CERA to make land decisions or wait for the foundation codes to come out so determinations can be made if the land is economical to repair. The pace of the rebuild is beyond SLOW. I now know more people who have left the city than remain and I believe the numbers are higher than reported as these stats. are coming from the PO redirections (most of my friends are getting mail forwarded to family still in the city rather than getting it sent to OZ). We have been left to deal with our insurers on our own and they are screwing us. Like a lot of people, I survived the quake, but I'm being driven down by dealing with insurers, EQC and more particularly, CERA.

You shouldn't expect to get a medal for doing your job. If the job is too much for you, get a new one!

thank you so much to all our rescue services, those guys are heros! Oh hey we're all pleased you got your medal though Bob Parker! thats the important part!
Now do you see what idiots we are dealing with in the Chch city council????

What about the digger drivers who spent hours digging people out or what about the drillers who are doing the geotech work in the christchurch who have been there since the 1st day? some of us have been working on our own in danger everyday. Do we get reckonised for our work as well?

John - re this evenings discussion about awards for Chch firefighters & formal acknowledgement. My 2 sons risked their lives in the surf at Muriwai 2 yrs ago to save a young schoolgirl & recover the body of her schoolmate who drowned while they were trying to pull him out of the surf. Your expression of frustration is shared by myself & the boys Mum who knows how close they were to losing their own lives in the rescue. We are still waiting for ANY recognition - our local police sergeant has been very helpful in keeping us informed - because of the number of police & firefighters who are queuing up for award ceremonies - GET REAL man.

Our city's firefighters have always been and continue to be among our daily heroes. They have my total support. However, I don't see anyone waving banners for all the doctors, nurses, anaesthetic technitians, medical support staff in general, military personnel, brave members of the puplic, anyone and everyone who went "beyond the call of duty" who helped last 22.02.11.
So mny people did more than they ordinarily would have.
We just get on with it. We have no time for bitterness, nor feel it, in fact.
It happened. We dealt with it. We just need to look after each other, beccause this has no known end.
Why do the firefighters feel so hard done by?
We did appreciate their efforts.

How have they gone above the call of duty by doing the job they are paid to do????

Feel like we all have been living under a veil of propoganda since Feb 22nd. How are Canterbrians suppose to believe that the government cares and wants to help when Insurance companies are secretive, slow and many are pulling out. How could Mr. Brownlee say that the insurers are doing a good job, what a load of bs! Landlords are running unchecked, raising rents to make a buck off of people who have been through hell. Why hasn't someone stepped in and told the land lords of Canterbury that unless they can prove that major capital improvements have been made on the property that rents stay frozen as they were on Feb 22nd. Simple actions could be taken that would give the people of canterbury real sense that they were being looked after. Right now, it's just words and empty promises.

When the Christchurch hit by an earthquarke my heart went somehow sunk and I couldn't stop the tears that instanly come climbing down my face day after day..
We love Christchurch and its South Island surroundings as we often lived in Christchurch through our travellings and we were to build a house in the Avon River Lyttleton or Hamnnersprings but decided to travel overseas one more time and return home to North Island to live and retired not too far from my family homes aross to the Pacific continents.. My hearts goes out to all the Christchurch residents along with the Mayor who did so much for his people and his city.. We are planning of visiting Christchurch soon..
God bless the City of Christchurch and its people and let it be no more earthqurke..