The Earthquake

We were in Nelson. We didn’t feel a tremour but there was a feeling in the air as we entered the iSite centre, a community tourist agency, at about 10 after 1. The employees seemed a little anxious. It was while we were making a booking a colleague of the young woman who was assisting us came over and asked, “Have you heard about the earthquake?” That was our first awareness. A little while later as we were walking down the main street we  noticed a crowd around the TV sets in an appliance store. We stopped and watched. From then on the news of the quake was everywhere. We returned to the apartment to follow the story on our own TV. What struck us most was the way the story was covered and the response of New Zealanders.

The coverage is very factual. It focuses on what has happened, what is happening, and how people are reacting. Clearly, people are upset. There are images of the wounded being assisted, and some people appear disoriented and visibly shaken. Those interviewed, however, for the most part related their stories calmly. The talked about crawling out of buildings which had collapsed. One group of women described, in detail, how they worked on the fourth floor of an office building and how they had hung on while the building shook and buckled around them. When the shaking stopped, they were at street level, one wall had completely disappeared and they just walked out. There was no wailing for the camera. No announcements about how God had saved them, no great drama. The building had collapsed and they had escaped unscathed and rescue workers were now working to free those trapped in the rubble. They described how they had been helped or how they had helped others.

All of the officials who were interviewed - the mayor, the chief of police, the head of public health, the chief of public safety all had the same message - keep yourself safe, help family members, check on your neighbours, look after the elderly. Things will look worse in the morning, be ready for that, but together we will get through this.

The mayor announced that all but 5 water pumping stations were shut so conserving water was essential. All the sewage treatment plants were off line so don’t flush the loo. It’s raining so put out your pots and pans and collect water; drain your hot water tank as a source of water; conserve and we’ll do our best to get things back on line as soon as possible, but don’t expect things to change in the next few days.

The chief Public Health Officer advised boiling water to prevent disease. Hospitals are crowded and are triaging patients and the most severe cases are being flown to other communities. Teams of paramedics are on their way from across the country and from Australia. Everyone will get treatment, but it will take time. Again the message - keep yourself safe, look after family members, check on neighbours and the elderly.

Message after message the focus was on the positive, be calm, this is what you need to do. Rescue centres were established within hours across the city and thousands of people went for a hot meal and shelter.

The television coverage was not hysterical. It did not focus on the death of the family pet or interview relatives of the dead. In fact, those who had lost loved ones were given their space. Reporters and anchors were sombre but focussed. They gave the bad news, 65 dead with the count  predicted to go as high as 400, but also 125 people rescued so far, many others had texted their location to rescue crews, crews were working throughout the night. More crews were on their way to help. The language of the reporters was very revealing. Their verbs were crucial. They asked “What did you experience” not  How do you feel?”

The prime minister has stated that this is the worst national disaster that New Zealand has had to face. He has declared a state of  emergency. Already financial relief centres have been opened and residents can go and get cash to buy food since without power no ATM worked. This may be the worst national disaster, but one can’t help but feel that they will get through it and learn from it.