Flights from Christchurch to Singapore back on schedule
By Evelyn Choo/Saifulbahri Ismail | Posted: 05 September 2010 2256 hrs

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SINGAPORE : Flights from Christchurch are back on schedule after a severe earthquake hit Christchurch on Saturday.

The only flight arriving from Christchurch on Sunday landed at 5.35pm.

Just a day ago, an earthquake shook the second biggest city of New Zealand.

For the Cheong family, that 24 hours were a long wait.

Clement Cheong said: "My mom is visiting my sister who is studying in Christchurch, so she is scheduled to be back here today on this flight.

"I missed the news, so my sister called me to say there was an earthquake there. Then we found out that everyone was safe in the house and we were not so worried after that."

Clement's mother Goh Bee Hua said: "It was about 4am when my bed starting shaking violently. But my son-in-law told me not to be afraid. I felt slight tremors today."

And with aftershocks continuing, some are concerned about those they left behind.

One passenger said: "It feels like I am back in safety. But I still worry for my family back there."

Another added: "The power came back on this morning. Everything is all right. My wife is still there though."

Things are back to normal for these arriving passengers. But for Singaporeans residing in Christchurch, it is a different story. Some are in the midst of assessing the damage caused to their homes.

The cost of damage to Dr Azlan Daud's home is an estimated S$95,000.

The resident of Christchurch said: "I managed to get a builder to come and inspect the property itself and check on the foundation of the property.

"It was deemed to be safe to continue to live in, but we have avoided staying on the second floor since there are still tremors that are being felt, and some of the tremors are fairly high, measuring between 4 to 5 on the Richter scale. So we have been advised to stay on the lower floor."

The Christchurch City Council said some 500 buildings have been damaged.

And residents are rallying to help one another.

Anna Yeo, resident, Christchurch, said: "I had a neighbour come over. I do not even know who he is. He was so kind, he put a tarpaulin over the chimney and tied the rope around it because it was going to rain. And some people offered to pick up all the bricks from the chimney."

A state of emergency is in force throughout the region, and residents are not sure if they can go back to work on Monday. - CNA/ms