Christchurch's agony is all of ours

Nelson Mail editorial, February 23, 2011
Christchurch's agony is all of ours.
Nobody could be unmoved by the images of devastation.
But this is a disaster which offers none of the sense of removal and remoteness that New Zealanders can usually take sanctuary in when confronted with catastrophe and great suffering.
After September's quake, there was a sense of relief that the city had miraculously escaped with so little human casualty; this week, there is no such encouragement, only incredulity that a wounded city can be so cruelly dealt to again.
In Nelson especially, the pain, the grief, the despair and the fear that now grip Christchurch will be deeply felt and shared by many.
Our ties to that city are close, closer than many of us may realise in our day to day.
Yesterday, there was no need to go far in Nelson to discover those who were worrying for loved ones living in or visiting the broken city; those who have lived there themselves and closely identify with the place, and who are sharing the grieving and the disbelief at the terrible battering it has taken.
As the full extent of the destruction sinks in - the knowledge that dozens have died, that buildings as iconic to the city's identity as the Anglican Cathedral are destroyed - the immediate reaction is a feeling of helplessness, of doubts even that Christchurch can ever recover after six months of such unremitting violence and cruelty.
Such despair is natural but must quickly give way to a determination to reach out to our neighbours at their time of greatest need; to accept whatever role we can play in the enormous task of helping nurse them, comfort them and guide them back to recovery.
Today, that challenge seems so vast as to be insurmountable. I0t isn't and must not be allowed to overwhelm, but nor can it be under-stated.
Much of the recovery, of course, will be a national and international effort.
The bill appears bound to surpass the billions already accounted for by the original September earthquake.
A severe strain on the whole economy, and on the South Island's core infrastructure, seems certain in the immediate future, and that is an unavoidable burden all of us must resign ourselves to and prepare for accordingly.
In time the huge rebuilding effort will require a massive injection of labour, far more than the city was already requiring. Nelson, along with the rest of the country, must be prepared to make whatever contributions and sacrifices are demanded to assist in that regard.
But today, tomorrow, and in the months to come the challenge to us all will be to reach out to our Christchurch brothers and sisters in whatever way we can personally manage.
We cannot predict what the demands will be but we must stoically rise to them, to respond generously and selflessly to whatever the needs may be - for labour, for cash, for shelter, for respite, for comfort, for support.
As we all share the agony, so must we all share the recovery.