To Christchurch, with love.

When you grow up in a city and leave it, you carry a piece of it with you. Whenever it’s mentioned, whenever you hear from friends or family there, one particular heartstring is tugged, still reserved for that place and connected to those memories.

This is why, 2 years after a 6.3 earthquake that killed 185 people and literally brought the city down in a cloud of dust .. you grieve too. As the world around you carries on with a normal Friday, you look at everything with different eyes again.

This is not a comparison of one grief against another. This is a time to reflect on your experience, your thoughts, your feelings, your blessings and your next moves. For some people, it’s still a time of suffering. For some people, it’s a time of steeled determination. For others, it’s even a time of love.

For me, it’s a reminder of what needs to be done in my new place of residence. It’s a reminder that we’re still so very complacent when it comes to natural disasters. It’s a gentle nudge to write that blog post about community resilience and to see if some actual, real improvements can be made in our communities, by our communities. It’s a reminder to not let that idea slip away, distracted by everyday life.

Because even though I grew up with earthquake drills and small shakes & messages about survival kits … it didn’t seem real until it happened. There was no warning that buildings would crumble during a normal lunch hour. There was no warning that the disaster event would knock out sewerage and water for MONTHS, not days or weeks. There was no warning that the liquifaction process we’d studied in science would render so may parts of the city unlivable for the remaining future. But did we learn?

I think Brisbane & Queensland could learn a lot from the resilience of the communities of Christchurch and the surrounding areas. Their long-term survival and rebuilding stories need to be told, need to be used as a lesson, need to be actioned and implemented. For they are one of the most resilient, modern societies that I know.

I’m thinking of those gathered at the memorial today. I’m thinking of family & friends who survived and stayed, their nerves shattered. I’m thinking of the future of the city and how it may look.

Today, I’m thinking of Christchurch, with love.

-SCuffy

 

Help Christchurch from your kitchen – become part of Baked Relief

To my friends in Christchurch, my colleagues, my school mates,  I need to tell you about a great concept that will help the people of this great city to recover.

In Brisbane’s recent floods, Danielle Crismani realised that homemade food would warm people’s hearts. She didn’t realise that as well as the joy of the recipients, the home bakers themselves would be filled with joy from just being able to contribute, many with young children at their feet.

Danielle started sending tweets with a #bakedrelief hashtag, allowing people to monitor what food was needed and where.  And people started cooking.  And emergency services workers and displaced residents were thrilled to have more than an army ration pack or a sausage in bread.

Since then, Baked Relief has grown to so much more than that in Brisbane.  It’s become a phenomenon and covered by the media.  And then Queensland was hit by Cyclone Yasi.  Baked relief was needed again and far north Queensland started baking.

When I saw the devastation in Christchuch, I knew Baked Relief would be needed there too, and so did Danielle. She has been working tirelessly to get contacts on the ground to support a wave of homemade goods to people who need them. And by need I mean more emotionally than physically.

I know that jittery feeling that stays with you and peaks with every aftershock.  I don’t know how it actually feels to be so relieved at finding loved ones or have your world on hold because you still haven’t found them.  But I do know how it feels to be so thankful that your house is still standing when others have lost so much.

I know that many of you are without stable, clean water supplies or sewerage.  That’s ok – be with your families and focus on survival right now.

But when the time is right (and it will be soon), if you do have access to power, water and ingredients, I’d love for you to start cooking too.  Here’s how it works:

1. Visit www.twitter.com
2. You dont need to sign up for an account if you just want to read the messages
3. Type ‘bakedreliefnz’ in the search bar
4. Then you’ll see every current request for help or information for drop off points
5. Sweet and savoury foods are needed, preferably finger foods, nothing that needs heating
6. Cut into individual servings and the whole lot wrapped together in glad wrap
7. With a note in the wrap stating what it is, when it was baked and a list of ingredients (important for allergies).

Baked Relief is about rapidly empowering individuals to contribute.  A dozen muffins can shine a huge light into someone’s dark day or lift the spirits of a tired rescue worker.  You can learn more about Danielle’s work at www. bakedrelief.org

You don’t need to be USAR trained, a policeman or a council worker to make a difference to the people who need it the most.  I’d love you to send me a message when you’ve delivered your first contribution because I know that my hometown is full of everyday, ordinary heros.