By Lisa Schick

Phone call brings relief to PA family

Feb 23, 2011 | 5:24 AM

As he watches the devastation unfold in New Zealand, Pat Hordyski is thankful for small favours.

An earthquake rating 6.3 on the Richter scale hit 20 kilometers southeast of Christchurch on Tuesday, the city in which Hordyski’s brother Eddie lives.

Hordyski said that while the home Eddie and his fiancé shared has been destroyed, both she and Eddie are fine — in fact, Eddie was nowhere near Christchurch when the earthquake hit.

Hordyski’s two sisters and their husbands were visiting Eddie and the five of them had left to vacation in the northern islands.

“If it would have been two days before that they would have been all involved with the earthquake,” Hordyski said.

Court proceedings

Drugs and weapons bust in Stanley Mission, results in two year sentence

16h ago

health care

La Loche recipient of new portable blood analyzer, printer kit

17h ago

Crime

Dangerous driving report at Red Wing, leads to arrest of man with gun

21h ago

Eddie’s fiancé stayed behind in Christchurch, but she wasn’t hurt in the quake.

Eddie called Hordyski shortly after the earthquake occurred to let him know them were alright, but many phone lines are down in New Zealand so he hasn’t spoken to him since.

“The number that I tried to call yesterday, I couldn’t get through… it was on a cell phone … so it’s limited communication. I’m hoping to hear something soon,” Hordyski said.

Hordyski was just glad to hear everyone was okay.

“A house you can replace … (I’m) thankful that they’re not hurt.”

lschick@panow.com