The first Earthquake that occurred in Christchurch on September 4, 2010 was shocking but the second that struck on February 22, 2011 was devastating.
As the news of hundreds of people trapped in collapsed buildings either dead or alive reached us, we began to mobilise financial and other resources for the relief of the victims in the Garden City.
A team of volunteers from Bhartiya Samaj, Radio Tarana and Swami Narayan Temple BAPS left for Christchurch on February 23 to assist in the relief work and to assess the damages and consider further action.
Death & Destruction
As we drove from the Christchurch Airport to the City Centre, we could sense the magnitude of the Earthquake; there was destruction and gloom everywhere.
Houses were without power and water. People were looking for missing relatives, colleagues and friends. There was ominous sense of death and the scene was heartbreaking.
We visited a few welfare centres and were pleased to see that relief and voluntary work was already in full swing. There were hundreds of volunteers distributing food and water for the displaced people of Christchurch.
We discussed relief operations with the New Zealand Red Cross Society and Salvation Army and offered our assistance and support on a continuous basis.
The latter was still in the process of deciding the extent of the support needed, the strength of the teams of volunteers and other issues.
Their immediate task was to cope with the tragedy, rescue the people trapped in collapsed buildings and provide emergency services.
Help from Auckland
Even as we were gathering information to structure our own services, I received several calls from people in Auckland offering help and expressing their keenness to visit Christchurch.
I was moved by their care and concern and advised them to remain in Auckland and help collect funds for the Earthquake Relief.
We met prominent members of the Indian community in Christchurch, discussed with them the further course of action and put together a team to join the relief work undertaken by major organisations. We provided the contact details of the main members of the Team to the Salvation Army and the Civil Defence Force.
The members of my team felt that we should return to Auckland at the earliest and commence fundraising efforts.
We joined the Fiji Festival organised by Radio Tarana on February 26 and 27 at Telstra Clear Pacific Events Centre (see Indian Newslink, March 15, 2011) to raise financial resources for our suffering brothers and sisters in Christchurch.
Get involved
Bhartiya Samaj children touched our hearts when they raised $50, by giving away their pocket money, while the Seniors raised $3500 at their weekly meetings.
We continue with our efforts to contribute to the ongoing efforts to rebuild Christchurch and bring relief to people.
Jeet Suchdev is Chairman of the Auckland based Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust. He led a team of volunteers from the Trust, Radio Tarana and Swami Narayan Temple BAPS to Christchurch soon after the February 22 Earthquake. The picture shows him (extreme right) and other members of the team at a relief Camp in Christchurch. The other picture shows the extent of devastation in the Central Business District.
