Thanks for checking in with us and sharing those photos. I'm glad to hear you're O.K.. Its really sobering. Its happened here and will again in the future - grim reminder to be ready.

Glad to hear everyone from the area is okay. Those pictures were pretty moving, what do you when it hits like that? Just rebuilding from another earthquake and another, larger one hits. Do you start all over again? Hopefully no more hit for a long long time.

Technically the one that just hit was an aftershock from the first one in September! Apparently experts were expecting that one of this magnitude could hit, but they couldn't have any way of telling when. It's just horrible luck that it was centered so close to Christchurch, and so shallow. I'm guessing rebuilding will start again and everyone will all have to hope there are no more of this size.

We've been watching the news non stop since it happened, and recently images of two young siblings have been waiting for news of their mother trapped in the flattent CTV building. It's unlikely that she survived, and while trying to cope with this tragedy, their house was broken into and robbed. The heartlessness sickens me. Short article http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-earthquake/4698107/Missing-womans-house-burgled

Looters should be very afraid........................very, very afraid.

[edit] This is not some fantasy video game where you can do whatever you want.

Yay! CoolShady is alive!!

:)

Everyone who lives in NZ has checked in now, right?

Sad news, especially not long after the previous earthquake. I wonder if the previous one shattered building foundations which made them vulnerable to this earthquake. Hope there are no more to follow..

Good to hear CoolShady and Ragnalin are okay.

The entire west coast is on a major fault line, and cali has been getting intermittent quakes.

I might be in your shoes sooner rather than later. I hope relief lines are opened up asap.

I didn't notice this topic yesterday. I was worried about if you were OK or not, too. Glad to know you're all right. Really, it is sad what happened.

I feel missed I haven't been so active lately because of my grandad's funeral, which happened at the same time as the earthquake, so it was a bit of a double blow.

I never really liked Christchurch because of the smog, but my heart really goes out to all the people killed.

And all those beautiful stone masonry churches...

Bad stuff just seems to keep happening down there. But it's good to hear you're all ok.

Some idiot of a bastard decided to lie to the radio host and say that his sister died in the earthquakes. Then they found it that it ws a lie. Jerk.

I'm glad that our New Zealand members are okay. I hope your family and friends got through it too.

The death toll has risen to 113 from 98 overnight...

When any young person shows the kind of respect for his grandfather the way you demonstrated a few weeks ago, yes, it gets my attention. Sorry to hear of his passing.

The death toll is now 145, no one has been found alive since Wednesday, and there are still ~200 missing.

There's been much worse stuff happening. Some journalist posed as a doctor in order to get to some patients, there's been looting, someone robbed a family who were waiting to find out if their mother was still alive in the CTV building, generators and water supplies have been stolen. It's disgusting. You can't get much lower than stealing from people who have next to nothing left.

I've heard about the kids getting looted after they lost their mum. How can people do that? Its cruel.