Christchurch Earthquake - personal account

From the Rotary Club of Palmerston North Bulletin this week:

More aftershocks reported this
morning [www.stuff.co.nz]

John Freebairn: a personal account of the Christchurch earthquake as they were staying on the 7th floor of a hotel. John stated that he had never been more scared and was glad they were booked in to a modern hotel. John’s initial impressions, particularly from the walk he took and photos he has were that it was the older
brick building that suffered the most, sewer systems were ‘stuffed’, but that emergency services had implemented plans well and that most residents were relatively calm, and showing some good will to fellow victims. He also noted that many overseas visitors had elected to quickly depart for home.

This graphic shows key impact areas in Christchurch