This November 2021 dusk photo shows low clouds over Te Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour, Aotearoa New Zealand. The community of Governors Bay is in the centre. The community jetty, with its earthquake-collapsed section, is visible. This area is part of Horomaka Banks Peninsula in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Episode 13: Surviving the Christchurch Earthquake with Jolie Wills, Part 2

How does a community recover from a devastating natural disaster? Where do businesses get started again? How are homes rebuilt? And when do families start healing? In this follow-up episode, Christchurch earthquake survivor Jolie Wills joins Rick Hoaglund once again to talk about how her community responded to the devastation, and how her own experiences…

House being demolished

Episode 12: Surviving the Christchurch Earthquake with Jolie Wills, Part 1

On Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Christchurch, New Zealand in what would go on to be the country’s fifth-deadliest natural disaster. Homes were lost, businesses destroyed, local monuments demolished and families were devastated by the rampant destruction that roared forth from the earth. And nobody knows it better…

man listening resting head in hand

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) occurs when someone who has been through a traumatic event experiences intense reactions that linger for months or even years. Situations that could lead to PTSD include: Transportation accidents Natural disasters Terrorist incidents Violent assault or the threat of it Military combat Medical trauma Childhood trauma or abuse While strong feelings…