The Shaking Earth Identity Portfolio By Eden
My Family Tree
Authors Note September 4, 2010 was a day New Zealand will never forget. A massive 7.1 earthquake hit the Canterbury region. It changed the life of thousands of people who lived in the biggest city of the South island, Christchurch. ! My grandma, Judy, was one of those people. Thankfully, most builders had followed the strict building regulations. These buildings saved hundreds of peoples lives. However, the city did not go unscathed. 75% of the city始s power supply was disrupted, and many buildings were damaged. The horror didn't end there though. ! Many months later there were massive aftershocks that caused much more damage and deaths. However, this is probably the most notable earthquake, because it just happened out of the blue with no warning. ! These days, Christchurch has mostly recovered and people are attending normal lives. To the citizens of Christchurch, this earthquake will always be remembered like a terrible dream. !
The Shaking Earth
“Wake up!” Owen yelled forcefully from the other side of our bed. “Let me sleep,” I grumbled, not wanting to wake up. Owen pushed me, but I still didn’t want to get up. Wondering what his problem was, I rubbed my eyes with my hands and slowly sat up. Squinting at the sun, I felt a tremble. I thought he tried to move our bed. Suddenly, the room started to violently shake. The quick escalation of force made me realize we were in the middle of an earthquake. At Hirst I didn’t know what to think. I struggled to get out of bed and hide underneath, but the cabinets in our bedroom barricaded me. My mind set to panic mode as I imagined roofs crashing down on our heads, and pieces of the building trapping us. The crashing sound of jars and paintings dropping off walls emitted from the living room, like a train rushing through a tunnel. My bed shook violently with no intention of letting me move. Lying paralyzed in my bed, it felt as if the foundations of the house wobbled. Covering my head with my hands, I prayed for the horror to end. Slowly, the shaking turned into a calm state of silence, like nothing ever happened. Still shocked, my feet scaled the cabinets blocking the bed and I rushed into the living room. I heard something crash, looked up, and then saw our antique TV lying on the Hloor in pieces. I Hlinched at the expensive TV that I had bought many years ago, but I had more important things to worry about. With my head still loopy, I stumbled into the living room, and drew in a long breath.
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Valuable paintings were on the Hloor, the massive dining table had moved about a meter. Everything was in total destruction. Quickly, I strode over to the pantry and glanced inside. I gasped; two feet of debris piled itself up on the pantry Hloor. All the fruit jams had fallen over; the lollie jars had spilled all over the pantry Hloor. Chocolates and gummies had been scrambled everywhere. My cooking spices and ingredients were splattered on the Hloor. The bills of repair and damage were already stacking up in my head. Suddenly, I realized I left Owen in the bedroom. “Owen!” I yelled. Thankfully, he walked into the living room safely. “Bad news,” he grimly replied. Our power was down, and the water didn’t fare any better. I checked the phone just in case, but my attempts were in vain. “Well, what now?” I asked Owen. “Hmm…” he pondered, “Maybe we could try the backup generator?” The idea was perfect. We maneuvered our way to the basement and turned the backup electricity on. Relaxed at last, we had a short cup of tea over the power of the generator. Knowing the job would come eventually, I placed a broom and garbage bag in my hand, stomped up the stairs, and surveyed the ruined room again. “Great,” I remarked with sarcasm in my voice. It was going to be a long day.
Research Notes • The earthquake was had 7.1 magnitude • Its center was in the canterbury region • 70% of the population of Christchurch lost power • On February 21, a much more devastating aftershock shoot canterbury. • Most tourism was still available • The central shopping center was closed due to safety • Only two people died because of the earthquake, however one person died from a heart attack. No one knew if it was because of the earthquake. • There was approximately 4 billion NZD of damage • This earthquake was almost exactly like the one in Haiti • There were not many deaths because there was a strict building code, and it took place during the morning.
Reflection 1. What have you learned about your family’s history? How has working on this project helped you understand your family better and given you a better sense of your identity? I learned quite a bit about my family’s history. I learned how the earthquake impacted their lives, and why it was so important to them. Working on this project helped me understand my family better because I know what my relatives have been through. 2. Why do you think doing a project like this is important? I think doing a project like this is important, because it makes us realize what the past was like, and how much more different it was form the modern day. 3. What part of this project did you enjoy the most? Why? My favorite part of this project was working on the rough draft. Typing out my grandma’s experience was thrilling. I always tried my best to describe it as if I were her. It felt immersive to just be absorbed in the writing. 4. What specific challenges did you face during this project and how did you over come them? For me, it was hard to show, not tell. This is because I sometimes could not find the right words to go into into the right places. I solved this by reviewing my narrative with my teacher, who helped point out my errors.
ASSOCIATED PRESS. "At Least 65 Dead after Earthquake Hits Christchurch, New Zealand." Naples Daily News. N.p., 21 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. <http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2011/feb/21/ strong-quake-hits-new-zealand-causing-injuries/>. "September 2010." Christchurch Earthquake Aftermath New Zealand. N.p., 7 Sept. 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. <http://www.newzealand.com/ travel/media/press-releases/2010/9/tourism-news_christchurchearthquake_press-release.cfm>. "2010 Canterbury earthquake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., 3 Sept. 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Canterbury"