[cliff]

Bob I was a building inspector for Franklin District Council just South of Auckland before shifting to Queensland in 1999 and we were updated on new Earthquake design features and changes on a regular basis. It was a bit of a culture shock at first as here they concentrate on the uplift from Cyclone winds rather then the bracing and design for earthquakes. I'd hate to see even a small one in this area as it would destroy about 90% of all the buildings.

I phoned my Brother who lives in Timaru and got news about a cousin who lives at Ashburton. No damage and no injuries there to either which relieved my worries about them when I heard about the quake. Our news here last night estimated damage at 1.5 Billion Dollars and rising and I know from experience just how long it will take to get things back to the way they were before this happened. Just glad it did not happen at peak shopping hours and only 2 were seriously hurt.