Will Lynn Get Her Stuff Back?

The earthquake happened in Christchurch on February 22nd, and lots of
folks would like to get their items back that they had to leave in their
hotels. Lynn was one of those people and we really understand that it
is dangerous to go into some of these buildings. In fact, we're prepared
that she may not get her stuff back at all. However, I guess we'd like
to know either way. So for right now, it is resting comfortably in the
All Seasons Cashel hotel, in a room very similar to the photo I've posted
above. I posed the question on Facebook if anyone had heard
anything about luggage being returned. I received several notes
back. The latest from Bill S. being the most encouraging. Apparently
it is being addressed by the head of RPSC (the company we work with
on the Ice. There is "a plan in place to retrieve these items...it will be
a month or more..." Below is an article recently posted in the Christchurch
Press newspaper.

A logistical nightmare looms for Christchurch hotels as they try to reunite
thousands of overseas visitors with personal possessions abandoned when
the February 22 earthquake struck.

The tourists fled the city immediately and many had no option but to leave
their belongings behind in hotel rooms in the badly damaged CBD.

They are now getting tired of waiting for their property to be shipped home.

The Hotel Council's Bruce Garrett said hoteliers had been working closely
with the authorities to get access so they could retrieve luggage and personal
items, but so far most hotels were off-limits to all but engineers and Civil
Defence.

That situation was expected to change shortly and as soon as access was
granted, work would begin on the enormous task of clearing hotel rooms of the p
of the personal items left behind.

There had been a flood of inquiries from people overseas wanting their
belongings back and some were becoming frustrated by the length of time
it was taking

"People have been understanding of the circumstances, but their patience is
starting to run out," Garrett said.

"It's difficult for them to comprehend what is involved in getting in and getting
their luggage out.

"They can't understand why we can't just go in and get it."

In some cases, cranes would be needed to get to hotel rooms, but it seemed
possible all personal belongings would be retrieved.

Garrett said who then paid to have the items shipped back to their owners
was still being discussed.

"It's not something most insurance policies would cover," he said.

It had been suggested that Tourism New Zealand could pick up the tab as
a public relations exercise, but the agency did not have a budget for that.


This seems encouraging and we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Earthquake in Christchurch

At 12:51 pm today, a 6.3 earthquake hit Christchurch. It was centered
near Lyttelton, and only 3 miles deep. Very bad news. What is worse is
that Lynn is IN Christchurch. Of course I was very worried. It was several
hours until I heard anything, but then our friend Leighton from the
Antarctic Centre called and Lynn was with him. She told me that she
and our friend Brenda were going to meet another friend, Natalie to
go shopping. They were in the lobby of the Hotel So, where they were
staying, when all heck broke loose. They were thrown into the wall and
then they ran out into the street. Destruction was all around. Lynn
said it literally looked like a war zone. What's worse, all of her stuff
is in her hotel room, including her computer and passport and she
probably won't get it back because the Grand Chancellor Hotel, where
we've stayed before is LEANING on the Hotel So! It's the second tallest
building in Christchurch (almost 30 stories) so if it goes down, it's going
to take a lot of buildings with it, including the Hotel So.

After getting their wits about them, Lynn and Brenda, joined by our
friends Jamie, Matt and Kaska (who was barefoot) walked through the
rubble, all the way to the Antarctic Centre/Clothing Distribution Centre (CDC)
(about 6 miles). It proved to be a good meeting point for many other Ice
folks as well and is acting as kind of a command centre for USAP folks
who have recently left the Ice. That's where she found Leighton and
was able to phone me on the Ice.

In the meantime, Christchurch is a mess. This is a much more destructive
quake than the one that struck in September. The entire Central Business
District is closed off, including all of the hotels USAP people stay at and
nobody is allowed there. Dozens of people have been killed and many many
more are missing. Lynn will be staying at the CDC for at least tonight
and probably a few more nights as well.

Facebook has become a huge connector of people during the crisis and
some folks have started a spreadsheet charting the whereabouts of Ice
people who are in Christchurch. So far, everyone is safe and no one from
the programme has been injured.

It's going to be a long few days/weeks/months for Christchurch. Our prayers
and thoughts are with our friends and people we haven't met. Lynn is safe.
Our friends our safe. Not all have been so lucky. Please think of them and
pray for them.

Hotel So

This week, I've been staying at a very cool hotel. The Hotel So.
It's modern, clean and for the most part, the staff is friendly.
It has a nice little bar/restaurant, free wireless internet and
is located in a really convenient location, right in the middle
of downtown. It's also very eco-friendly.


The rooms are really nice too, with all modern ammenities.
However, they are tiny tiny tiny. Small for one person, they
would be way too small for two people. However, it's pretty
economical and since I'm not staying in my room that much
except for sleeping, it works out fine. If I have to stay in
Christchurch by myself again, I'll probably stay here, but if
I'm staying with Lynn, we'll probably choose something more
roomy, like the Crowne Plaza or the Camelot.