The dreadful news continues to pour out of Christchurch. Most of the city is still without electricity, so the population there have no access to news media or Internet. So they are mainly unaware of the size of the catastrophe.
They know what has happened to themselves and their immediate surroundings. They do not know that their city has been largely destroyed and that that there are multiple deaths.
The power should be on again within a few days, but the water supplies will take much longer. The sewage system is completely broken and will take weeks, months, or even years, to fix. In the meantime, they are not allowed to flush the toilet and will have to find other ways to dispose of their waste. There is obviously a great danger of cross-contamination between the broken sewage system and the water supplies, with consequent risk of disease.
One thing we, who hail from areas of the world not prone to earthquakes, are not aware of, is liquefaction. Solid ground turns to liquid mud.
And doesn't it warm your heart and renew your faith in youth, to see hundreds of students volunteering to help clear up areas badly affected by that liquid mud?
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