Sox, so glad your people are okay.

Thanks Brenda

yah, Theodosia, the news is saying that this one was a lot shallower, although a 6.3. We saw a lot of damage from the September one while we were there, but we weren't in town for either of the big aftershocks that happened in December. The worst part seems to be time of day, plus the shallowness - lots of liquefaction, lots of towers coming down that were marked safe after inspection from the last quake.

Shoveled out my car by 8:30. Someone kindly did my walk and steps, so I did the neighbors'. Also MY ROAD GOT PLOWED!!!! It's kind of a miracle. Everyone was all WHUH?!

I need to go out and shovel out to my trash cans (no surprise no trash trucks this AM) and also the road turning onto the exit street to a main drag. Plow didn't exactly do a good job there.

BUT MY ROAD GOT PLOWED!!!

We just got word that the stairwell in the building our offices are in in Christchurch collapsed. Other buildings on the same street were competely destroyed. Scary.

The images are....bad. So much was probably already marginally compromised by the earlier quake, and this one was a doozy.

NZ earthquake is very scary!

I have not left the house yet. I need to shovel. Bob left early this morning for a Chicago trip. He said the roads were craptastic at 6. I can't believe he's been away for every shoveling event this winter! Unfair!

In other news, crazy ol' facebook! My best friend from when I was 5/6 just got in touch. I haven't talked to her since before we moved away from our hometown in 1979! I'd heard that she'd had a baby when she was 16 and that was it. I'd always wondered (and worried about) what happened to her. Evidently she's a nurse now. Go nurses!

NZ earthquake pictures. Just what the heck is going on in #22?

Just what the heck is going on in #22?

I think they are waiting to be rescued and have broken windows to get out. I'm suspecting that the stairs have collapsed or the way to the stairs is blocked?

Sis & BiL checked in - all ok & in Auckland.

So glad to hear this.

Weirdly, I had an email chat with a referral who needed to put off seeing me until after a two month trip to NZ. I hope she is okay!

Man, I could never be a rescue worker. Those guys are heroes with psyches of steel. I hope the government and the applicable associations rally here.

My dad's had a few with really bad injuries or mortalities. He doesn't go into much detail.I know they are bad when he isn't going into horrific detail about the injuries. A nasty fracture with bones sticking out, he'll tell me aaaalllll about, but that's recoverable. Likely fatal injury or a kid, no detail.