Earthquake!

We heard yesterday that Christchurch had been shaken with another strong aftershock, following the December shocks that frightened so many. Nic tells me that the earthquakes have surprised scientists – Christchurch is not actually on the tectonic plate join that lies under much of New Zealand.  The boundary goes through parts of the East Coast of the North Island, through Wellington and then down along the Southern Alps.  The unpredictability of nature is so obvious in this situation.

Napier was destroyed by an earthquake and devastating fire just under 80 years ago.  It does lie on the join of the plates, and there would inevitably be an earthquake sometime.  But while we were there last week, we saw a video on the earthquake and the rebuilding of the city, and there were some things that really stuck with me.

The first is that it happened on the first day of the first school term in 1931 – the 3^rd of February. As I saw the visuals of the collapsed buildings and the fires, I thought how it must have been for the children – especially those newies starting school for the first time.  What terror there must have been in the classrooms – children screaming and crying for their mothers, teachers trying to cope with their own fear as well, and then, for those who survived, trying to find their families.  And the feelings of the mothers … it doesn’t bear thinking about. Nowadays, people know about PTSD and people are treated for it, but I wonder how many children were left with indelible scars – especially those who were orphaned.  Perhaps I can research what happened to them sometime.

The second thing that struck me was how difficult communication was.  Telephone lines went down with the quake, and road and rail links were destroyed.  We heard that the only means of communication was the radio on the ships near the harbour.  Thank God for the Navy – warships were sent from Devonport on the West Coast to bring relief and help them to rebuild.  Nowadays, we have so many forms of communication – but I know of friends who still couldn’t reach their loved ones in Christchurch when the networks were jammed.  But at least global news led to huge humanitarian outreach and prayers for the people of Christchurch – and other natural disasters.

The rebuilding of the city was also an eye-opener to me.  The city is known as the Art Deco Capital of the world – and this is because all the building happened at once and in one specific style.  These were depression years, and building was not really happening in the rest of the world, but if Napier was to survive and not become a ghost town, it needed rebuilding – and it happened very quickly.  As a harbour, I suppose they needed to have a town there, and although many people left, never to return, others stayed and new ones came.  The cheerful colours of the Art Deco buildings, the extravagant decorations, the voluptuous shapes, must have been like holding two fingers up at fate – Napier would survive and grow!

But the thing that really amazed me was how Napier escaped the hideous architectural destruction of the 70s and 80s – the harsh, utilitarian lines, the factory like facades.  The Art Deco society was only started in the late 80s, and it is amazing how few buildings have been destroyed.  New building seems to take place behind the facades, which are preserved, and the embellishments are still there.  Perhaps the East Coast of New Zealand is so far from the “real” world that it was 20 years behind the rebuilding of city centres as we saw it in South Africa, but they have done a wonderful job.  Owners of buildings must find it frustrating, having to keep embellishments painted in contrasting colours, and the pressed metal ceilings of pavement verandahs in good nick, but obviously it is part of the by-laws.  More strength to Napier City Council.

I wonder how the centre of Christchurch will be rebuilt.  It is unlikely to be as charming as Napier.