Dawn Eagle, hybridizer in Prebbleton, NZ, and our RHA’s NZ representative, is not able to stay in her house at present–no water or electricity or telephone, and probably more than a few questions about the stability of her house after the Richter 7.1 quake just west of Christchurch, NZ this last weekend. Prebbleton is just south of Christchurch, and Dawn was pretty thoroughly shaken by the event. Aftershocks of 4-5 on the Richter scale have continued all week. Dawn says (by internet access borrowed from her temporary host) that she was never more terrified by anything in her life. Those who know Dawn understand that she does not exaggerate. Let’s hope she and others will soon be able to get back into their homes and resume their lives.
It seems that Grandmother Nature has had it in for mankind recently–horrific floods in Pakistan, China, and elsewhere, mudslides, earthquakes in more than one part of the world, etc. Those of us whose lives have not been disrupted should be very thankful–and willing to help when we can.