Earthquake sparks anxiety for already tense Egyptian community

Egyptian Association of Canterbury chairwoman Ola Kamel. Photo / Roger Wilson

Christchurch's close-knit Egyptian community was only just recovering from the shock of political upheaval back in Egypt when the earthquake sparked another wave of panicked phone calls to loved ones.

Families last month spoke of the anxiety they endured as they tried to contact relatives in Egypt during deadly protests calling for former president Hosni Mubarak to step down. Many struggled to get in touch as phone and internet communications were cut.

Egyptian Association of Canterbury chairwoman Ola Kamel said families in Egypt had to endure the same anxiety as they struggled to contact loved ones in Christchurch after the February 22 quake, which cut power and overloaded phone lines in the city.

"They were very worried and very stressed to get hold of us to check that we are safe and sound," Mrs Kamel told NZPA.

"I got too many calls from friends, from colleagues at work back home, from families - everyone was very, very worried. They were crying, they were saying, 'come back home.' So it was a very emotional time."

Mrs Kamel said she had "nearly recovered from the stress" of the political upheaval in Egypt when the magnitude 6.3 quake hit.

The panic of not being able to communicate set in again, as she tried to make sure the 200 or so Egyptian families in Christchurch were alright.

"I couldn't get in touch with many, many of them so the next day I went and visited everyone at their homes to make sure they are okay.

"I had to go to every single house I know to check on every Egyptian and to make sure that they are safe, and why they were not answering their phones."

Mrs Kamel said she was relieved that most families were alright, with many living in suburbs that were not as badly hit as others.

"There are two or three families who are thinking of leaving Christchurch for good, but most of us are staying," she said.

"The Egyptian community and my family, we are believers. We believe that if you fled the city because you are afraid that you may die, you will end up dying anywhere else.

"If it's time to go, you will go, if you are in Christchurch or any other city. So that's why most of us are staying. But it's not good, it's not good for all of us."

Mrs Kamel said she also checked up on Arabic-speaking international students in the wake of the quake. Many had left the city to study elsewhere as local language schools closed their doors.

"This was a very hectic time for all of us because the Arab international students are not used to aftershocks or had not had any education on how to deal with it, so they were panicking."

The wider Arab community was also hit by the deaths of two Iraqi Muslim doctors, who were "under the rubble of the CTV building".

Maysoon Mahdi Abbas, who trained in Baghdad in the 1970s and moved to New Zealand in the mid-90s, was farewelled at the mosque near Hagley Park last Friday.

"It was a shock. We were trying of course to get details of them, their families, to comfort them."

Mrs Kamel said her family was doing well, but the ongoing aftershocks were stressful.

"We are all over the edge, and we are all tense and worried and afraid," she said.

"We are praying for Christchurch, such a beautiful city and lovely people ... we are praying every day for Christchurch to remain safe and sound and to recover from the loss."

- NZPA