Kian Seng Looi
On 22nd February, an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 hit our beloved Christchurch, significantly changing the lives of many Cantabrians and New Zealanders. People from all walks of life were deeply affected and it was indeed a time of trial and tribulation for all.
For those of us who managed to survive relatively unscathed and unharmed, with a roof over our heads and power/water restored within hours, the only logical thing for us to do was to help our brethren that were not as lucky as we were in any and every way possible. After all, the little sacrifice of time, toil and sweat we can contribute pale in comparison to the agony and pain many felt as an aftermath of this tragedy due to the loss of relatives, friends and possessions.
Personally, I decided to help out with the UC Student Volunteer Army which started its operations within 2 days. It was a brilliant effort lead by student community leaders who have their hearts in the right place when it comes to community service and leadership. It was an extremely interesting experience going out to the hardest hit areas in the initial few days after the earthquake, giving out emergency information leaflets to those who have chosen to stay put instead of fleeing Christchurch. We could see the gratitude in the eyes of the residents as we went around and we were told on many occasions on how we were the first “pseudo-official” people they have seen out and about and how our presence gave them some sense of assurance. Many of those we visited lacked power, water, food and basic sanitation and as we listened to many of them talk about their personal experiences, we could see tears welling in some of their eyes. Some have lost friends and relatives trapped in the rubble in the CBD while some were simply too tired and sick of the damage that ensued. Many of their houses were teetering on the edge of collapsing and for many of them, it was simply too much to bear.
In the second week, I was lucky enough to be assigned to the dispatch team in which we sent squadrons of 4-5 people out to complete individual jobs such as silt removal from people’s backyards/lawns/gardens, distribution of food, clearing up liquefaction and etc. It was definitely an eye-opener as everything was so well coordinated. The system we were using was so well developed considering how little amount of time the web developers (who were mostly students) had and how thousands of requests were flooding as the days pass. It was definitely a huge and exciting learning experience and everyone was basically undergoing on-the-job training while the system was continuously tweaked by the developers to ensure maximum efficiency.
The support we received was simply phenomenal. The near-unlimited supply of lunch packs, food and drinks that came in from greater New Zealand (Dunedin and Wellington especially) definitely helped out. Businesses came in and donated lots of essential items to assist our efforts as well. There were lots of goodwill going around and I was just amazed at the constant stream of volunteers pouring in, asking how they could help.
What I was truly impressed with was how in such times of crises, students, workers and people
in general from all parts of society converge as one to help out with those who were less fortunate in any and every way possible. The blood, sweat and tears many contributed had a profound impact on the lives of those who were touched by the earthquake. While not everyone was capable of shovelling silt, they contributed in their own unique and special way, be it a simple note of encouragement in a lunch pack or a call to express their support, it was testament to the great community spirit and unity of Cantabrians, New Zealanders and humanity in general.
While Christchurch, Canterbury and New Zealand may have been changed forever , the great spirit of togetherness will prevail. For the pass few weeks, even though we hail from different countries, we were all Cantabrians and New Zealanders united by the common desire to assist and help those in need. We have truly demonstrated to the world the unswerving determination, boundless commitment and a high tolerance tolerance for extreme adversity- the Kiwi identity and the New Zealand Experience.
Kia Kaha Christchurch, Kia Kaha Canterbury, Kia Kaha New Zealand.
Kian Seng Looi
