All better

It took this long to recover properly ...

Meantime lots seem to be happening.

Getting a bit exasperated at the news coming out of CHCH - it would be nice if all those folk, especially the professional media, reporting on the government offer to buy out homes would actually do some, you know, journalism, instead of just parroting the handout. Whats needed now is an appeals process, so people who can show their land+house is sound can get the demolition order repealed. Meantime, those who want a get-out-quick option can take it. There's no hurry to roll the dozers in right?

The main thing for those who want to stay to think about: can you get insurance now?

This leaves all those with reparable houses in the red zone. There is this strange feeling that insurance companies are supposed to just pay out whatever claim is made. These are businesses and you have a contract. If you insure something, you pay premiums based on the risk of that something happening. If you don't have insurance against the government deciding to bulldoze your house you don't get a payout for it. It sucks, but had you taken that insurance you'd have had to pay the premiums. Are those who want a full payout prepared to back-pay the premiums?

Bottom line: this is a disaster. There are no good solutions. That is what "disaster" means.