Book Info on Magnitude 7.1 & 6.3

Magnitude 7.1 & 6.3 has gone to print! Here are some of the stats:

• Nearly 50 black and white earthquake pictures
• Over 40 contributors
• 250 pages
• Printed locally in Christchurch
• Selling price NZ$20.00
• Available from late October

Email debbieroome@gmail.com to order.

Christchurch Earthquake Book Includes Unique Story of the 1929 Murchison Earthquake

The following is an extract from the life story of Robert Percy Hughes who lived in the Murchison area at the time of the 7.8 magnitude quake in 1929. The full account is contained in Magnitude 7.1 & 6.3.

Gradually we investigated the other homes and in some we had a herculean task of cleaning jams and pickles, intermixed with glass, off the floors as the pantries had spilled their shelves. What a heart-break. One home had a piano and apparently it was left with the cover up. Fowls had been roosting on the piano and their droppings were all over the keys. All this was cleaned up, along with floors, using oceans of boiling water that we boiled up in the coppers which the homes were equipped with. The woman was never told what a mess her piano had been subjected to. What with fowls living in the houses, dogs, cats and even pigs found their way in as holes had been smashed with falling chimneys. Food had been hastily left as the folk decamped, never expecting in lots of cases, to return. No doubt the pigs smelt food and invaded the premises. We had quite a job, and seeing we had decreed we were not returning, did our best to make the places habitable should folk return.

Christchurch Earthquake Book

“The motion accelerated violently, vibrating and shaking. Screams split the air, punctuating the roar of falling bricks and crashing concrete. Homes broke in two, buildings collapsed, towers teetered and dust filled lungs. As the shaking continued, liquefaction erupted, silt burst to the surface and murky rivers flooded streets. Pipes twisted, roads cracked, tarmac distorted and paving sunk. High above the suburbs, cliff faces cracked and boulders tumbled, crushing, destroying.”

Early on the morning of 4th September 2010, a series of seismic events began to unfold in Christchurch, New Zealand. They would eventually take 182 lives and directly affect hundreds of thousands of men, women and children.

Magnitude 7.1 & 6.3 is a compilation of stories from some of these people. Preschoolers, teenagers, families, and retirees tell of the impact of the ongoing earthquakes and aftershocks, the emotional and physical toll they exacted, and their hope for a new Christchurch. They reflect the incredible resilience the people of Canterbury have shown throughout this devastating time. Some of the stories are poignant, some humorous, some shocking and some sad. All of them are from the heart and deserve to be heard.

Release date: October 2011

Magnitude 7.1 & 6.3

Coming soon - watch this space ...