Difficult year goes from bad to worse

The Christchurch police officer shot in the face in July is now dealing with severe damage to his home.

Senior Constable Bruce Lamb was injured and his police dog was killed during a routine callout in July.

On Saturday, Lamb raced out of his Shirley home as the earthquake struck.

"We were on the deck and I watched it open up," he said. "The ground just opened up.

"It was horrendous.

"The whole thing sounded like a plane."

A metre-wide trench running for half a kilometre has opened up in his neighbourhood. Two metres deep in places, it runs along the back of about seven properties, warping houses and tilting garages.

The jagged crevice is at its widest as it runs through the Lamb property, and has twisted the house, pulled the garage from the residence and opened thumb-wide cracks in the outer walls.

Lamb's son, Chris, 17, said yesterday the house was still moving.

"The garage is still sinking a little bit. It keeps moving and it keeps getting on more and more of an angle," he said.

"We came outside after the quake and the yard was in different places," he said.

"The house is not good.

"We won't be able to stay here. We need to get out. It is not safe to live in."

He said it had been a tough year for the family.

"It's been nuts."

- © Fairfax NZ News