SHARON Smith likened it to a horror movie. Not far away Di Roberts thought a train was running into the house. Hotelier Richard Hawes at first suspected a violent storm. Una Collins, 79, in the Christchurch suburb of Wainoni, thought she was dreaming.

Within seconds they and about 370,000 other locals knew only too well that they were caught in a disaster.

Christchurch residents were coming to terms yesterday with the devastation caused by Saturday morning’s 7.1 earthquake. Rubble was strewn around the city from damaged houses, shops and heritage buildings. Credit:Getty Images

The quake, centred about 40 kilometres west of Christchurch, struck at 4.36am on Saturday. It hit with the same force as the Haiti earthquake in January - 7.1 on the Richter scale. The first, devastating jolt lasted 30 seconds and set the bells ringing in the city's beautiful cathedral tower. Repeated aftershocks kept people on edge.

Most damage was done in the first terrifying seconds. Roads cracked, water and sewerage pipes ruptured, railway lines buckled, walls toppled, chimneys fell, and historic buildings crumbled, causing damage already estimated at over $2 billion - and counting.