Local Restaurant Owner Narrowly Misses New Zealand Earthquake

By Jeff Gulley

Steve Benner was thankful his wife Dixie and her two sisters had not yet arrived in New Zealand when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake ripped apart Christchurch on Feb. 22.

The earthquake, the second to rock New Zealand in less than a year’s time, killed at least 103 people and injured hundreds more.

“Dixie was around Melbourne, Australia at the time of the quake,” said Benner. He and his wife own the Whistle Stop Café in Osawatomie

The quake’s epicenter was 10 kilometers south of Christchurch, the country’s second largest urban area, which is located on the South Island’s east coast. The quake struck at 12:51 p.m. during the heart of the business day in the bustling coastal city.

“They were supposed to go to Christchurch on March 1, but I’m sure that part of the trip has been routed to another part of New Zealand,” Benner said.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 struck New Zealand on Sept. 4, 2010.

“Dixie and her sisters have wanted to go to Australia for many years, and this trip gave them a chance to see New Zealand too,” Benner said. “Thankfully, they were still in Australia when the earthquake hit.”

— Doug Carder

Short URL: http://osawatominews.com/?p=991

Posted by admin on Mar 9 2011. Filed under News and Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry