Reflecting on the Christchurch quake

Shocking images of the recent earthquake in Japan, particularly Tokyo’s damaged office towers, are too familiar for the Dean of Health Professions Will Webster.

They brought back vivid memories of his recent family holiday in New Zealand. As fate would have it, the single day he had to spend in Christchurch was Feb. 22, 2011.

The date will be remembered for a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that toppled the spire of the landmark Christ Church Cathedral.

'Thrown to the ground'

“I think the part that we can really relate to is seeing people just wandering around, shocked and not knowing what to do,” he says. “I really feel for the people in Japan who are facing this terrible situation.”

And while Dr. Webster still doesn’t have his luggage back, he counts himself incredibly fortunate.

“We were all together and we were walking across a small park when we were thrown to the ground,” he says. “There was a very loud roar and the Earth shook as we huddled on the ground — but we were well away from buildings.”

Emergency personnel organized themselves quickly and began to advise people to stay away from damaged structures and to walk carefully along wide streets with new buildings.

“It was an anxious moment, although people seemed to be taking it in stride," he says. “Some were hugging, others were crying and everyone was clearly shaken up.”

Carefully stepping over crevasses, the family cautiously began the trek back toward their hotel, a route that would take them directly past the cathedral. At one stage, they were warned away from a bridge they were about to cross due to fears of instability.  

“We saw the front of buildings that had fallen off, there was shattered glass and rubble in the streets. Cars were covered with stones and debris and the pavement was all heaved and broken.”

When they reached the cathedral they were shocked to see the extensive damage to the tower. They quickly realized they were not getting anywhere close to their hotel because the entire area was cordoned off. Pretty much all they had with them was a camera and their passports. 

Boarding a Hercules

By the evening they were in the relative comfort of a rough shelter, with bottled water, hot food and Porta-Potties. All the same, it was an open air park and it was raining and cold outside. In the early hours of the morning, they were offered a bus ride to a school gym.

While at the gym shelter, they heard an announcement at about 4:30 a.m. that there was limited room for some non-residents on a flight to Wellington. The family soon found themselves on that military Hercules heading to Auckland.

“It’s hard not to ask ourselves what if our family had not been all together at the time? Or what if we had still been in the old buildings we had just come from? Or what if we had been in the cathedral? But we try not to ask the ‘what if’ questions; we just remind ourselves how fortunate we were.”

Asked about returning to New Zealand in the future, Dr. Webster says:  “I’d go back in a flash. It’s a lovely country and the people were so warm and caring and generous.”