MP: Fish tank smashed inches from my girl's head

MP Amy Adams. Photo / Supplied

The 7.1 earthquake on Saturday shook Selwyn MP Amy Adams' home with such force it threw a fish tank across her daughter's bedroom, shattering on the bed inches from her head.

"The physical violence of your house being thrown around ... it is hard to believe your house can withstand the forces that were being imposed on it," Ms Adams said.

"I had absolute certainty that my house would collapse around me and in that moment there's only one thing on your mind - and it's not Parliament. It is your family and where they are and can you get to them.

"My daughter was in the next room, we were screaming for her, we couldn't get to her, and when we did we found the fish tank that had flown across her room and smashed on her bed had missed her head by inches."

Ms Adams gave an emotional speech to the House yesterday that drew applause and praise from all political parties.

She spoke of the terror of the moment the quake struck, the devastating effects in the aftermath and the uncertainty and fear of the aftershocks, which could continue for up to two months.

"Three hundred-odd aftershocks ... what that means is that everyone in Canterbury, almost to a man, woman and child, are feeling frazzled, frayed and terrified.

"They are short of sleep, they are wandering around wondering whether the next shock is the big one.

"A truck will roll by and you don't know whether to dive under the desk, head to the shelter, grab your kids ... it's like living in a permanent state of fear and that fear, over the last five days, has done more to damage the psyche of Canterbury than the short shock on Saturday morning.

"I spoke to a guy this morning whose house was green-stickered on Monday only to be condemned early this morning. Every time Canterbury shakes, the picture changes.

"It's incredibly hard, it's incredibly challenging and it's going to take Canterbury a huge amount of time to recover from.

"The physical impact is the least of it. The emotional trauma is massive and it's getting worse. The financial trauma is only adding to it."

The Government estimates that 100,000 of 160,000 homes in the area have been damaged - some beyond repair.

"You look around your house and you think, 'how long will I be living in a house like this until it can get fixed' - it really is a sobering thought.

"I know we're all incredibly lucky and no one was killed ... and the euphoria of being alive got us through the weekend, but now the reality of what this is going to take to turn around is really hitting home."