QUAKE SHAKES LOCAL FAMILY

John Taylor and his wife Juliette were rudely awoken at 4.35am as the 7.1 quake shook the city of Christchurch.

Originally from Meadowbrook, the couple now live in Hornby, Christchurch with their three daughters Kirsty (14), Siobhan (5) and Niamh (1).

“It just came out of the blue. We could hear a rumbling noise coming towards us then, suddenly, all hell broke loose. It was almost like being in a washing machine. The whole house shook like mad. It was so strong I couldn’t even walk in it.

“We managed to make our way to one of the kid’s rooms. We stood under the doorway until it was all over then went down stairs. We huddled together with blankets round us in the lounge with a battrey radio and small torch until daylight came. Needless to say, it was not nice sitting in the dark with the house shaking and moving around.

“When it happened nobody spoke. We just knew what to do. It all came naturally. We were all very calm, although the kids were terrified.

“When daylight eventually came, we could see the extent of the damage. There