Christchurch, New Zealand, Earthquake!

We are pretty distressed to learn that this beautiful little city has once again been damaged--this time even more severely.

• News @ _The New Zealand Herald_

Brad & Linda and Cindy & I have walked around inside the cathedral, which is variously reported to have lost its spire or to have been destroyed.

I have not heard from Linda & Brad, but I don't expect that they have been directly affected by this disaster.  Christchurch is roughly halfway down on the east coast of the South Island; their boat is in Whangarei Harbor, Northland, near the northern tip of the North Island.

• Whangarei @ Wikipedia
• Christchurch @ Wikipedia

• Our Christchurch pictures from March 2010 

Upsetting to think of that lovely and graceful place--and those nice people--suffering so.  Of course, the past year or so as seen a lot of suffering around the world, and we should not forget it.  Still, this is a place that I and people I know have visited (and _will_ visit), and that makes it all seem somewhat less abstract.

--Mark_
10:54 22 February 2011