Following the quake disaster

The dog woke me up at 1:30 a.m., and although I tried to go back to sleep after letting her out, slumber wouldn't return.
A text from my sister INGER told me CHANNEL NINE coverage of the NEW ZEALAND EARTHQUAKE was streaming online, so I tuned in.
Inger and I were in AUSTRALIA when a major earthquake last struck CHRISTCHURCH in September.
Apparently the difference between this quake and the last is the depth of the tremor.
Although not as strong (6.3-magnitude compared to 7.1), this quake struck at half the depth of the September temblor -- a mere 5 kilometers underground.
I grew up amidst earthquakes (while rarely actually feeling them) in CALIFORNIA.
I appreciate the terror felt in the "Shaky Isles" today.