Christcurch earthquake: Survivor describes lucky escape

Erica Lennie. Photo / NZ Herald online

Trapped on the eighth floor of a Christchurch city high rise while the stairwell crumbled beneath her, Erica Lennie feared for her life.

The 30-year-old Christchurch woman was speaking on the phone to a client at the share broking firm she worked for in the Forsyth Barr building, when the first quake struck.

Initially believing it was just another aftershock, Lennie carried on - but the tremors kept coming.

"We are on the eighth floor so the building does sway quite a bit with the aftershocks," she said.

With her computer screen hurtling towards her, Lennie jumped from her seat planning a quick escape, but became pinned to her desk when she was struck in the back by a falling filing cabinet.

Using all her strength to push the cabinet to one side, Lennie headed to the foyer where her workmates had gathered.

It was then she said she realised there was no quick exit as the stairwell crumbled below her, the building's elevators snapped and fell to the ground, and the foyer filled with a plume of dust.

"I just heard this very, very loud bang. I can't even describe to you how loud it was. I was just inconsolable.

"I thought the whole building was going to collapse and there was no way out."

For four and a half hours Lennie, and 12 others on her floor waited, while their families and rescue workers clung onto hope below.

Partner James Lash made a mad dash from work, while her father and sister travelled up from Ashburton to await news of Lennie's rescue.

"When I saw the PGC building collapse from our window one street away, I was thinking 'well the core has fallen out of that building, I think this building will collapse soon' and I was thinking what that was going to feel like," Lennie said.

"My mum was absolutely hysterical - she was babysitting my son - and my dad just said he really loved me and that he was getting into the car and driving to Christchurch with my sister and they would be there when I got out."

While staff on the floors below used fire hoses to abseil to safety, Lennie and her colleagues were told by rescue staff to stay put.

Lennie said she went into a state of shock while in the building, but managed to keep her mind occupied by chatting to a client who was also trapped.

Finally at 5.30pm Lennie scrambled to safety into the bucket of a crane that was stationed outside her window.

"I absolutely despise heights, I am so scared of heights but I could have cart wheeled into that bucket. I was just like get me out of this building and get me onto the ground."

Three days on from the earthquake, as the devastation becomes clear and the death toll rises, Lennie acknowledges she is one of the lucky ones.

As of last night Lennie had two friends who were still trapped in the PGC building, including a man whose wife is due to give birth next week.

One of her good friends from school was rescued from the PGC building on Wednesday, but another friend of her family from Ashburton did not make it out of the building alive.

Lennie said she is unsure whether everyone made it out from the Forsyth Barr building, but said everyone from her level was accounted for.

"I understand that what I went through is nothing compared to what those other people are going through," she said.