Jitters, but little damage in CBD
Chrissy Coulter ‘‘didn’t want to go through another’’ big earthquake.
Yesterday, Coulter, who still bears scars on her legs from injuries suffered in the February 2011 earthquake, found herself forced onto central city streets with hundreds of other people after a 5.7-magnitude aftershock prompted the evacuation of Ballantynes in Cashel Mall.
Minor damage was reported in the CBD, as people rushed from swaying buildings into city streets. Many were crying, or on the phone to friends and family.
Coulter, 54, was working in Ballantynes when the quake hit.
‘‘It’s just reminded me of what happened on the 22nd of February five years ago,’’ she said. ‘‘This one was obviously a big quake so it just brought it all back again. I didn’t want to go through another one.’’
Siobhan Sadgrove, 20, was working in the Contemporary Lounge when the earthquake struck.
‘‘It was quite violent. It definitely scared a lot of people.’’
Sadgrove said there were cracks in the walls at Ballantynes, but they appeared superficial.
A lot of items had fallen off shelves and there was smashed glass on the floor.
The earthquake caused more of Christ Church Cathedral’s facade to fall away. A large gap could be seen between the scaffolding and the masonry.
People ran from the foyer of Christchurch’s Centre of Contemporary Art (CoCA) when the earthquake struck.
The gallery reopened just the day before, after the February 2011 earthquake forced it to close. Gallery visitors and people in a neighbouring ground-floor cafe ran from the building.
Glass could be heard shattering on the second floor.
Pedestrians were visibly upset, some huddling together in the street.
Outside the Christchurch Art Gallery, the Canterbury Plainsmen Barbershop Chorus were helping to calm the nerves of shaken residents and tourists.
They were preparing to sing to crowds on Valentines Day as the earthquake struck. The men took their performance outside instead.
Christchurch resident Paul Stening had been in the art gallery with family and friends.
He stayed seated as the quake struck, while some grabbed on to walls for support.
Stening said nothing fell, but panels inside the gallery could be seen moving considerably.