New Zealand Earthquake: 1 Year On

Aftershocks continue to rattle Christchurch

New Zealand’s deadliest natural disaster in 80 years struck Christchurch during its busiest hour at lunchtime on 22 February 2011.

For more images click on the photo

The 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit just ten kilometers away from the South Island city causing significant loss of life, casualties and widespread damage to infrastructure. Violent aftershocks continued to rattle the stricken city as well as its 400,000 inhabitants.

For more images click on the ShelterBox

‘We may be witnessing New Zealand’s darkest day,’ said the country’s Prime Minister John Key after seeing the scene of utter devastation in the centre of Christchurch.

ShelterBox was able to respond immediately by mobilising a Response Team made up of ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) volunteers from New Zealand. Walter van de Kley (NZ), Arnold Kelly (NZ) and Lyndon Tamblyn (NZ) worked with local authorities, Rotary and emergency services to assess the need for emergency aid.

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A touching story of Rotary in action....