Street unites to beat the fears

Dawn Daunauda seen outside 17 Clifford Street, Seddon, with earthquake damage. Photo / Tim Cuff

Backyard camping and neighbourhood drinks helped Clifford St cope with the quakes. Teuila Fuatai, of APNZ, reports from Seddon

Residents in one of the Marlborough streets battered by this week's quakes are seeking solace from each other while anxiously awaiting aftershocks.

Susan Carrick, 48, and her husband David, 47, are camped out with their neighbour, Andrew Johnston, 53, in his backyard.

The blue tent was set up after the last large quake in July.

Susan, who works at the local Cosy Corner cafe, ran to the Johnston property when the 2.30pm quake hit.

She stayed with the Johnstons in their tent while her husband made his way home from the other side of Seddon.

"I'm not going back in there (home) for a while," Susan said from an armchair in the Johnson's tent.

Broken plates, kitchenware and ornaments were unlikely to be replaced any time soon, she said.

"It was much worse than the last one, very violent."

The pair said they were unlikely to sleep in their house for some time.

"We'll stay at my parents because they're elderly. They shifted away from Christchurch (after that city's quakes)," he said.

Andrew Johnston said it was easier to rest in the tent than in their house.

"We knew we needed a safe place for the neighbours and for us in the event of a big quake."

The tent has an air bed, armchairs, a fridge, a gas stove, a heater, lights and even a toaster.

Andrew Johnston (right) of 3 Clifford St, with neighbours David and Susanne Carrick of number 1, in his tent. Photo / Tim Cuff

Quick forays were made to the house, which sustained minor damage in the quake, for clothes, food and use of the toilet, he said.

Johnston, who is unemployed, said he would be busy tidying up the damage from the quake once things settled down.

At No 7 Clifford St, Steven and Renee Hammond, who live with their granddaughter Lily, are sleeping in their caravan.

"I'm not prepared to sleep in here," 51-year-old Renee Hammond said of her home.

Steven Hammond, a mechanic for Yealands Wine, said the July quake had damaged their brick-clad home.

Despite that, the family were trying to get back to return to normal.

"We're trying to be okay for this one, too, because we don't want her (Lily) to think the worst of it all."

Renee Hammond, who works at the Dominion Salt factory in Grassmere, said Lily was with a babysitter on Friday.

"She told her it was just God farting so she thinks it's hilarious."

"She's coping better than me to be honest."

Local church minister Dawn Daunauda lives at number 17 and said several neighbours down her end of the road banded together after Friday's big one.

"We went next door and had a bit of a party and had a bit of wine. It was good to meet them that way."

Some of the bricks around the outside of Daunauda's home fell, and a substantial part of the side of her house collapsed.

She said calls of support had come from around New Zealand and the world in support of Seddon.

"It's really nice to know that there are people who care," she said.