An e-mail I wrote to my family in the UK last Tuesday:

Hi Guys,

I guess by the time you read this you will have heard on your radios and TVs about another big earthquake in Christchurch at lunchtime today. We have been watching the news all afternoon since, it seems it's worse than the last one as a) it's closer to the city centre, b) it's shallower than the last and c) it was in the middle of the day when people were up and about.

People have died, 2 buses were crushed by a falling building, the spire of the cathedral fell off, lots of people are injured and many, many buildings are down. Eye witnesses are saying it felt much bigger and different from the one in September, there is lots of liquefaction all over the place and lots of dust all over. There's a huge fire in the centre as a result.

David posted on Facebook that they were all ok about an hour after it happened but there have been several big aftershocks since that message, very near to where they are (they live in Kennedy's Bush which is close to Lyttleton where the 'quake and aftershocks are coming from). Luckily Pauline's Mum was up here visiting and about to catch her flight back when it happened and it was cancelled since Christchurch airport has been closed. Their phone lines have been down too.

It's a national state of emergency and rescue people are being flown in from all over the country, some on standby in Aus too. Jody's Mum felt it but they're all ok down there. I can't think of anyone else we know down there but as far as I know the ones we do are ok.

Will let you know if anything else happens.

Love K xx

I've been watching the news all week and keep thinking that I'll turn the TV on and they will say it's not really that bad and everything's going to be ok, but they don't. The help they are getting is amazing though, people from all over the world are going there as well as money being raised. Things aren't going to be anywhere close to normal here for a very, very long time.