The devastating reports out of Christchurch keep mounting.  It’s getting to the point now where I don’t even want to read the news.  They’ve reported 75 deaths so far – 55 who are confirmed {meaning they are ID’ed and next-of-kin notified} and 20 that have not yet been confirmed {no ID/next-of-kin notification}.  The numbers will inevitably rise, though.  This quake struck right during the middle of the day, and the CBD {central business district} was just leveled.  Whole buildings filled with office workers pancaked down and they’ve called off rescue efforts to some of them because the damage was not survivable.  Hundreds of people are still missing.

When I think of all the family members and loved ones who had to hear that news, waiting at the collapsed buildings and hoping beyond hope that their wife/husband/daughter/son/partner was alive, it makes me tear up.  The stories that have come out of C’ch have been so sad – I won’t even post them on here.

The hospitals in C’ch have sustained further damage thanks to aftershocks.  There’s been a massive call for orthopedic surgeons and ER/ICU/CCU nurses.  I would love to go down there, but at 25 weeks’ pregnant, it’s just not advisable.  I strongly doubt that the Ministry of Health would want me to fly there, potentially making myself a patient if things became too stressful for me and baby boy.  It’s hard not to want to go when you hear about your fellow workers who are running at full steam, trying to bear up under the heavy load of injured patients.

There have been some uplifiting rescue stories that have filtered through, one in particular that I’m thinking of.  A woman had been trapped in her office building for 25 hours.  Her husband had been outside all night, keeping vigil.  He finally went home to get some sleep, but got the call that his wife had been found alive.  Can you imagine the elation?!  Rescuers could hear her tapping {she had jumped under her desk when the quake struck} and were able to painstakingly get her out.  When she was on the ground, she couldn’t turn to see her husband or speak to him because she was strapped to a board and had O2 running.  But apparently, he whispered something to her which made her giggle.  Her husband just smiled and wouldn’t say what he had told her, but that he was ecstatic that she was alive and OK.  One can only guess what he must have said 🙂  I am so, so happy for them.

Please keep Christchurch in your prayers, and please please please consider donating and/or spreading the word about donating to the New Zealand Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Relief Fund.  There are literally thousands and thousands of people who are homeless and just gutted over what has occurred in the Canterbury region.  Please consider posting a note about this on your blogs and spreading the word to others.  I’ve never been one to solicit donations or ask for re-posting on other blogs, but there’s a first time for everything.