*When you're a political wife, nobody tells you upfront: "how'd you like to hang out with a bunch of disaster victims, and get to know them personally, woman to woman"? But you do. The difference nowadays is that you can blog about it.
http://sarahbrowng8.wordpress.com/
"Arriving back on the G8 Summit compound I find Gordon back in our accommodation in a final meeting with Australian PM Kevin Rudd. Both have been very committed to the climate change agenda here and are talking about next steps. ((("Next steps"? Lots of standups with disaster victims. The basic lesson of Katrina: lots and Lots and LOTS of disaster victims, and woe betide your electoral prospects if you ignore them while trying to get some office-work done.)))
"As the summit has now finally ended we are all packed up and ready to go. First Gordon wants to visit a local village that suffered terrible damage and casualties in the April earthquake, and to hear first hand from a British resident of her experience. We travel just half an hour to the small village of Onna with a population of only 350 people of whom 40 lives were lost that terrible night.
"Joanna Griffith-Jones (((what a wonderful British-disaster-survivor name))) is welcoming and friendly and keen to share her story and explain how everyone is coping. She is a violinist with the local Abruzzo Symphony Orchestra (which Bocelli now sings with when he is in Italy). We meet her Italian musician husband and his many neighbours and close friends including the chair of the Onna Restoration Committee.
"The scenes we witness are of utter devastation in what was once a beautiful, quiet, historic village of stone buildings, little squares and peaceful parks. What we see now are piles of rubble which were once people’s homes. (((I've seen stuff like that. I saw Andrew's trail across South Florida. No amount of cynical detachment can prepare you for a sight like that; it's visceral, like breaking your own ankle.)))
"Joanna shares with us the moment she and her husband woke to the tremors and made their escape from an upper storey using bed sheets in the dark as both the stairs and the electricity were gone. They met their closest friends and immediate neighbours also unharmed, and from there the rescue of others began.
"Today, they are all living close by in a caravan and will stay to see the village rebuilt and eventually move back. The villagers have all been courageous and resilient. They share great camaraderie and talk with each other about their experiences and feelings. Gordon and Joanna talk of what happens next as more stable temporary accommodation is being built ready for the autumn, and plans are in hand for restoring the village in the years ahead...."
