Marists are safe despite earthquake and tsunami

It has been confirmed that the 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck New Zealand on Monday, Nov. 14, has not affected the Marists of Champagnat in the country.

The four schools run by the Brothers and the additional 22 schools in the Marist Education Network were not damaged either.

The earthquake that killed two people took place in a relatively unpopulated area, affecting mainly the town of Kaikoura, which has around 3,600 residents and 1,000 tourists.

“The major damage is to the roads and bridges in the area although a lot of buildings will need to be rebuilt and repaired,” Brother Kevin Wanden told the general house press office on Nov. 14.

“There are a lot of aftershocks with over 800 today alone, some of these are quite large being over 5 on the Richter scale,” he added.  

Two earthquakes shook the city of Christchurch in 2011.

There are a total of 81 Brothers and three novices in the Pacific District with 58 of them living in New Zealand.