Canadian uses expertise to help New Zealand

Ontario-born Mark Quigley, 34, has been helping out with his earthquake expertise. Ever since the Christchurch earthquake struck on Tuesday, it's been almost a non-stop whirlwind for Canadian Mark Quigley, a lecturer in geomorphology and tectonics.There have been media appearances, flights to view the extensive damage, not to mention dealing with the personal wreckage the quake wreaked upon his life.

The London, Ont.-born native, now living in Christchurch, is being called on for his earthquake expertise as a lecturer at the University of Canterbury, located in a city suburb."Every aspect of my life gets raveled up in these things because we live here, because our friends are here, because my work is here and because I'm a scientist with the ability to provide lots of information," said Quigley over the phone, as he got ready for a national TV hit.

While many Canadians expressed desire to help the island country cope with the aftermath of the 6.3-magnitude quake that left more than 100 dead and more than 200 missing, Quigley has been able to use his expertise to lend a hand."I've had to make decisions that potentially affect people's lives," said Quigley. He admits that it's been "incredibly stressful," though also rewarding career-wise.When Quigley, 34, is not doing several broadcast appearances a day, he's helping assess the potential for further damage.

On Wednesday, he took part in a reconnaissance flight of Christchurch and surrounding regions to view things and document areas that might be prone to landslides. His group's findings — and the resulting recommendations of evacuations for some communities — were reported to the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management.

On Friday, he's scheduled to go out with a small team to inspect faults.Among their sightings during the flight were boulders nearly the size of cars that had bounced down hills into urban areas. One boulder ripped right through a house.All the while Quigley's also been dealing with the personal impact of the quake. His 1910 timber-framed house is safe to sleep in but has no power, no water and suffered extensive damage. "And we're not even in the worst area," he says.

While Quigley escaped his university without problems following the quake, his partner, Candice, had a far more terrifying experience.
In a sushi restaurant in the hard-hit downtown core when the quake struck, she watched through the window as buildings collapsed on the other side of the street. Patrons struggled to get out of the restaurant, but it took a while because the door had become wedged shut."I've learned …psychologically how damaging aftershocks are to people's psyche," said Quigley.
But he adds that the aftershocks can also be useful.

"These aftershocks all give us insight into what is happening, which part of the fault ruptured, how is stress being transferred through the crust, all these sorts of things."