Like a lot of people in Rotorua, we were woken by the earthquake that seemed to go on forever. No damage thankfully but it makes me shudder to see the damage inflicted in other parts of the country far away from the epicentre.
What concerns me is that in spite of the obvious damage done, we have in this city retailers who take no notice of what has occurred and stack their surplus stock even on pallets, high above their customers' heads.
With the narrow aisles between rows this practice is a tragedy waiting to happen. If an earthquake of the magnitude that hit Kaikoura was to hit Rotorua it would cause multiple deaths, during business hours.
To me this shows a lack of concern on the part of both the retailers who use this method of storage and the authorities for allowing it in the first place.
In light of what has just happened I would suggest both parties take a good hard look at how safe are our retail outlets for their customers and staff working in these places.
