Following the 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand; my wife and I walked past this building in the city centre.  The building housed a tourist hostel and is a place I had stayed about five years ago.  The photo shows the entire front section of the building collapsed, crushing the ground floor with everyone who may have been in it.

The destruction seemed random - houses stood strong right alongside piles of rubble.  We had no way of knowing whether there had been people in the buildings, and it seemed impossible to associate our emotions with what had happened.  Everyone in the city seemed dazed but understood the need to get somewhere safe and to look after their neighbours.  Strangers hugged each other and the streets felt like a commons on which everyone was family.  The terror and tension did not become real until well into the night,