How have the Christchurch quakes affected you?

[AllanB]

Interesting post.

My house was fairly seriously F'ed in September. But it is livable and we have power, water and a working loo (don't know how as we have had lateral spreading of 650-700mm so buggered if I know how the old pipes are hanging together!).

Zero support from employer after Sept.

Feb - bit more house damage but same old same old. Work in the CBD so shut out.

Working from home with my staff spread from Oxford to Rolleston. Shit arse, self centred company owner only concerned with his own ego and refusing to regroup the business in one spot and hell bent on working from the CBD in a building that has sunk into the ground! Consequently after working there over 20 years and running it for him for a dozen of them I threw it in 3 months after Feb quake due to being treated like shit and running across Canterbury to keep his business alive.

New job in a totally unrelated field. Great employer and I'm doing positive work actively helping people.

First week at the new job my daughter tells me it is nice to have me happy again.

So things are picking up.

Earlier this week my insurance company has a positive chat about the house.

Thursday, Govt sticks the land in the Orange Zone.

More waiting (from September you understand).

Good days far outweigh the bad and we are a lot better off than thousands.

I do drink more - not sure if this is good or bad

I have noticed that as a result of the quakes and shit I've seen and been through I have unconsciously decided that things I'm passionate about are being actively supported. Consequently there have been a few packages of goodies arriving for the bike over the past 4 months It's like, FUCK it, enjoy what I enjoy and improve if I can to enjoy it more.

Loyality to Christchurch. It has gone. Give me enough $ and I'm out of here to somewhere that will give my kids a more positive, secure(ish) future.

[fuknKIWI]

On ya fella,bling sent

Ta ding (the sound of a penny dropping) I guess I' ve finally spent too much time on here

[98tls]

Ta ding (the sound of a penny dropping) I guess I' ve finally spent too much time on here

..................

[oldrider]

Interesting post.

My house was fairly seriously F'ed in September. But it is livable and we have power, water and a working loo (don't know how as we have had lateral spreading of 650-700mm so buggered if I know how the old pipes are hanging together!).

Zero support from employer after Sept.

Feb - bit more house damage but same old same old. Work in the CBD so shut out.

Working from home with my staff spread from Oxford to Rolleston. Shit arse, self centred company owner only concerned with his own ego and refusing to regroup the business in one spot and hell bent on working from the CBD in a building that has sunk into the ground! Consequently after working there over 20 years and running it for him for a dozen of them I threw it in 3 months after Feb quake due to being treated like shit and running across Canterbury to keep his business alive.

New job in a totally unrelated field. Great employer and I'm doing positive work actively helping people.

First week at the new job my daughter tells me it is nice to have me happy again.

So things are picking up.

Earlier this week my insurance company has a positive chat about the house.

Thursday, Govt sticks the land in the Orange Zone.

More waiting (from September you understand).

Good days far outweigh the bad and we are a lot better off than thousands.

I do drink more - not sure if this is good or bad

I have noticed that as a result of the quakes and shit I've seen and been through I have unconsciously decided that things I'm passionate about are being actively supported. Consequently there have been a few packages of goodies arriving for the bike over the past 4 months It's like, FUCK it, enjoy what I enjoy and improve if I can to enjoy it more.

Loyality to Christchurch. It has gone. Give me enough $ and I'm out of here to somewhere that will give my kids a more positive, secure(ish) future.

We thought that we had empathy with Christchurch people and understood their plight until this week during the peak of the cold blast!

Our village water system broke down and was out of service for the 24 hours of the cold blast.

We could not stoke up the fire because no water for the wetback which heats up pretty fast.

The heat pumps were struggling in the cold temperatures -10C.

Couldn't flush the toilets, couldn't wash dishes, couldn't this, couldn't that!

Ran out of drinking water. (and that's just the water system!)

Even so "we" were still relatively comfortable and didn't get any snow, just cold.

Then the news came on and we saw what some of the Christchurch people were "still" suffering and now on top of all that they are surrounded with snow, ice and bloody freezing flooding!

Our situation, though bloody inconvenient, was at least only temporary, the poor buggers in Christchurch have had it worse for almost a year and no improvement likely in the near future!

Our empathy went out the window, we were reduced to tears for them, how trapped they must feel too!

We know most of the country feels for Christchurch but my god we don't know what it actually must feel like!

What can we say or do?

While words are obviously inadequate good luck to you Christchurch people, we wish there was more we could do for you but spose it is just the luck of the draw!

There but for the grace of God, go I.

[dangerous]

Thing is John... for most it is now an aceptable way of life, ya just get on and do it, spose those in that situation try there best not to think out side of chch.

[scumdog]

Thing is John... for most it is now an aceptable way of life, ya just get on and do it, spose those in that situation try there best not to think out side of chch.

Take my hat off to *ya - I might have bailed by now..

*Ya must be bloody mad to put up with it for so long!

[onearmedbandit]

Thing is John... for most it is now an aceptable way of life, ya just get on and do it, spose those in that situation try there best not to think out side of chch.

Totally agree with you there D. We're off to Melbourne soon for a few days, staying in the CBD, will be walking around a city that functions etc, suburbs that are 'normal', should be pretty surreal.

[fuknKIWI]

Totally agree with you there D. We're off to Melbourne soon for a few days, staying in the CBD, will be walking around a city that functions etc, suburbs that are 'normal', should be pretty surreal.

Just remember EVERYBODY HATES COLLINGWOOD


I'm flying in to CHCH this weekend to help my old Mum shift to another house.
I'm happy enough to be there to help out but bracing myself for the immersion in the chaos.
Also a great place to bring a cold to

[ellipsis]

...we all got fucked up by it, in some measure...a news flash of a destroyed big town in the US by a tornado, to me, pre september last year would have got a 'wow, poor bastards' response...now its an empathic feeling of their dread and horror and a greater respect for our minuteness in the whole scheme...as old Fred Nietzsche once nattered...that which does not kill us makes us stronger...he also said....Ah, women. They make the highs higher and the lows more frequent....observant chap, apparently...

[specter]

wheres the vote for live in chch but not affected? but supporting those who have?

[Oakie]

And there's always a bright side. My mother-in-law hasn't visited for nearly a year!

Seriously ... when the February stuff went down I did some soul searching and came to the conclusion that I didn't have to have everything fixed straight away. I just had to have the inner strength to deal with the situation until it was fixed.

[helenoftroy]

As most of you know - I left & wont live in Christchurch again

All was fixable & survivable after September,February destroyed my house & gardens & $10k+ of my contents,dear friends were killed & I just didnt want to stay anymore.

Life was really really hard in ChCh at times,& I will have to deal with the ongoing frustrations of land remediation(green-zoned but significant damage)rebuilding,then trying to sell a property that I am unlikely ever to make a capital gain on.

I live in a new house in a simply stunning location & are coming to grips with a new job.For me,leaving ChCh for this new life was the right choice & I am very happy

[Oakie]

As most of you know - I left & wont live in Christchurch again

Some people decided to leave. Some people decided to stay. They all made the right decision.

[dangerous]

then trying to sell a property that I am unlikely ever to make a capital gain on.

dont need a quake to do that tho in this country, we paid 335 and the best offer has been 250... and that was pre quake, only advantage is I expect prices will start rising soon as people get paid out,

I'm flying in to CHCH this weekend to help my old Mum shift to another house.
I'm happy enough to be there to help out but bracing myself for the immersion in the chaos.
Also a great place to bring a cold to

Cant speek for all of course but theres bugger all chaos to us, over sized dump trucks, cranes, tempory fencing, road closures, empty sections, calopsed buildings, porta loos, water signs, wast tanks, tarped up roofs, proped up fences, roughed up roads etc all the norm... hmm will be interesting hearing how you find it.

I live in a new house in a simply stunning location & are coming to grips with a new job.For me,leaving ChCh for this new life was the right choice & I am very happy

awesome, good to here H

[avgas]

We have a 1 month old son at home and my dad is stuck in Chch working (or at least trying) on getting your sewage up to spec.

After the big one, I have new found respect for him. Not running but grabbing his team of guys and tools and running into the redzone to save as many as he could. It was crazy because I could not contact him while he was saving people for a those 3 days.

Its a great thing having your hero as a true hero.

Thinking of you Chch. I still believe you guys should be allowed to move out of there (the govt deal sucks). Hang in there. While I am fucked up with the fact that I have Dad's newborn grandson at home and he has only seen him once. It sobers me to know that his 12 hours shifts, 7 day weeks are helping you guys out.
You need the help more than me.