Baptist Earthquake Updates

"Give a gas heater to Christchurch and help warm up a cold winter," says Baptist Earthquake Response Coordinator, William Drury-Turnbull. “We know that winter for many in Christchurch is going to be brutal with a very real prospect of power outages to add to their misery.”

People working with the residents of the earthquake ravaged suburbs of Christchurch had been told that extra heating would be a great gift to give. Many occupied, quake-damaged homes are still very draughty and colder than usual. There are very real concerns for the health of people living in the homes, particularly the old, very young and vulnerable. 

Read more: Gas Heaters for Christchurch

On Sunday, May 1, 2011, a service of lament was held at the ruins of Oxford Terrace Baptist Church.

Highlights video by Sam Meek: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyatgVhRTaA

Life in Christchurch continues to be two steps forward and one step backas they experience aftershocks. People are fragile and with the uncertainty for many about the future of their homes.

Whilst autumn has just begun it feels more like winter. So the current focus is on looking after the elderly and the following projects are underway:

Read more: Christchurch earthquake – April 21 update

1. The coordination, the communication and the partnerships working across Christchurch are strengthening as each week goes by. William, the Earthquake Response Coordinator, is hard at work sorting out the priorities.

Local church teams are working well but getting tired and more people are back at work. So the need for outside support teams remains high. The criteria are:

• Coordination to happen through the ERC PA (Elizabeth).
• Before teams arrive they must how many are coming and what assistance they can offer.
• Teams must be prepared to pay their way, including supporting any host families.
• Teams should be prepared to hire a mini van.

Read more: Christchurch earthquake – April 7 update