One of the most beautiful cities of my home country of New Zealand was ripped apart today by an earthquake. This is the second major earthquake in 5 months, the first in September 2011. The September quake did quite a bit of damage, but because it was at 4 am there was very few people about, so there were few casualties and only 1 fatality. This quake struck during a work day, during peoples lunch break, where the city was bustling, and was a lot sharper. This has lead to many buildings collapsing, including some very old cathedrals and historic buildings. There are many casualties and known fatalities and many trapped people. I ask you all to keep the victims and the rescue personnel in your hearts and minds today as they come to grips with this disaster.