Reader's Digest

July• 2018 | 47

over-worked nurses pushed beds to-
gether so patients could comfort each
other during the frequent swaying of
aftershocks.
Just eight weeks later on Octo-
ber 28 I cradled Geoff though his
death-rattle and in his
dying moment another
quake jolt occured.
he quake destruction
broke his heart and he
gave up the ight. Even
his funeral happened
between aftershocks.
I cleaned up the
mess of each shock
with cracks in walls
and water and power outages. We
had a well with an electric pump
and I lugged many buckets of water
from a storage tank to the paddocks
for my llamas and sheep as frequent
aftershocks continued. I was pour-
ing boiling water when one quake

house lurched.

he aftershocks continued for over

a year. Then on February 22 2011 I

was in a supermarket when a shal-

low 6.3 quake shattered our lives. A

loud rumble and vibration led to a

mighty boom; I thought

the train had jumped

its tracks and slammed

into the building. I was

thrown several metres

onto the floor and my

laden trolley left the

ground and lurched

metres sideways. Con-

tinuous shaking sent

cascades of tinned and

bottled goods bouncing off me and

smashing onto the loor. I curled up

covering my head until the juddering

and screaming ceased. Battered and

bruised I struggled to rise from a mess

of shattered glass oil and sauces until

a staf member helped me to my feet.

he quake

destruction

utterly broke his

heart and he gave

up the ight

he hospitalbasementloodedand
over worked nurses pushed beds to

hit andscalded my stomach as the

house lurched