Shaken residents say quake damage huge

Photo / Supplied by Philip Duncan via Weatherwatch.

Shaken residents of Christchurch fear the damage from today's devastating earthquake today may have a far bigger impact than most realise.

As aftershocks from the 7.1 magnitude earthquake continued to rock the city, people checked their friends, relatives and neighbours and made sure their homes were safe to stay in.

However, many residents also believed what appeared to be relatively minor damage to their homes, may only be the beginning. They say many buildings may have damage which cannot be seen.

The earthquake sent people scurrying to shelter under doors, many in fear of their lives.

The shake toppled many old buildings in Christchurch, leaving streets covered in bricks and rubble.

Cracks appeared in some streets and many people were left homeless as police closed off the centre of the city or they were forced out of their badly damaged homes.

The city was without power, water and gas for hours and telephone links came under severe threat as batteries ran low on cellphone sites. Land lines and 111 emergency call lines remained intact.

Cashmere hills resident Tony Stuart said his house did not appear to be seriously damaged but it had moved during the earthquake and had cracks in the walls.

"You wouldn't believe how much a house could move.

"The thing that will stay with me is the sound of smashing glass."

He said the heavy rumbling was very frightening and he and his wife Von immediately took cover under a door when the earthquake struck at 4.35am.

Unlike his neighbour, his walls were intact but cracked and like many, many other houses, commercial and industrial buildings across Canterbury, it would need a detailed inspection to find the extent of the damage.

He said his neighbour's house had lost one wall over the kitchen and the entire house could be a writeoff.

Josie Mill and her husband John, a civil defence warden, were called into the centre of the city to help her niece and her husband and their seven-year-old-daughter.

They lived over the fish and chip shop they ran in Victoria Street in Christchurch but the building may be damaged beyond repair.

The couple had lost their home, their business and their income, said Mrs Mill.

"The front of their shop has cracked but the two shops next door have completely collapsed into the street."

She said her niece's car was also trapped behind the building.

"It is pretty gob smacking for them. They are quite shaken. Their business is gone, their house is gone."

She said her niece and her husband and their daughter would be staying with them indefinitely.

Mrs Mill said the damage was widespread.

"This is absolutely huge."

She said the chimney at her neighbour's house had fallen into their shared drive.

"It makes you wonder structurally if they have had such a good shake, what has happened."

She said many of the damaged buildings were old and not built to earthquake standards and could not withstand a good shake.

Mrs Mill said she and her husband were asleep in their waterbed when the earthquake struck.

"I am terrified of earthquakes and it had to be the most frightening experience."

She said they got dressed and checked their neighbours.

Christchurch property owner Dean Marshall said one of his buildings had been destroyed and several others had been damaged.

"Our building on the corner of Worcester and Manchester streets has collapsed. There's no way it can be repaired," he told NZPA.

Mr Marshall said he was woken up by the sound of crashing windows when the quake hit. Half of his roof at his own home collapsed and he was hoping the fire service would arrive with a tarpaulin to deal with the hole.

The level of devastation in the city was amazing.

"Some of the roads have moved height. It's all pretty bad," he said.

"We're also very lucky there's no rain here."

Mr Marshall was critical of the information available.

"The radio was playing normal music. Nobody knew what to do. The co-ordination was terrible down here."

"We were wondering if there was a tsunami risk which meant we needed to go up to higher ground but we heard nothing."

- NZPA