Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Devastation

The news just gets worse. We've been in better touch with Kate and Ian Hall in Christchurch, and also heard from McCallas, Rick's U of S colleague. He and his wife are on sabbatical there and they're leaving the city. All okay. Scary, Ian was at his office in the Central Business District which is in the heart of the city and where the worst damage occured. The Halls have had electricity restored at home but no water. They report the aftershocks are significant and are cause for sleepless nights. They are "shaken and greatly upset by the dreadful tragedy that has befallen our lovely city."

We finally got through to Air New Zealand after hours of attempts today. We have changed our flights so we will be flying out of Dunedin on March 1–our lovely landlords here, Glenn and Sarah, are allowing us to stay on until we leave– and we'll have only a half hour at Christchurch, then off again to Hamilton. We'll probably be staying at a Hamilton hotel for the 1st and 2nd. We've been in touch with the family on the North Island (the people Karin once lived with on the farm at Ohinewai and from whom we're borrowing a car). We are sad to not be able to get to the Halls, but travel into Christchurch obviously is not advised and certainly not wise.

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