Mr Russo, who has been living in Christchurch for the past three and a-half years, was standing in the kitchen of his St Albans second-floor apartment making lunch when the earthquake struck at 12.51pm on Tuesday.
"It threw me about the kitchen, the refrigerator kept getting closer and closer ... [I] bumped off a few things but the sliding glass door was locked ... Realising I was standing next to glass, I just stood in the corner of the room."
His only visible injuries are a long scratch on his right forearm and a bruise above it.
After the initial earthquake, which felt "a lot longer" than a minute, Mr Russo unlocked the sliding door and went outside to survey the damage.
"As soon as it happened I walked out on to the road. I could hear people yelling, saying 'help' or 'get out'.
"A building had partially collapsed on Bealey Ave and there were some people there trapped or injured."
After checking on neighbours, Mr Russo decided to help as many people as he could, many of whom were "walking barefoot and trying to get home".
His vehicle, undamaged in the earthquake, was put to good use shuttling people to their homes or to schools to collect their children.
"I couldn't do much else... I just figured I could help people out."
However, once the adrenalin wore off and the exhaustion started to kick in, Mr Russo, who is in the cafe industry, decided to come to Queenstown with a view to relocating permanently.
He began packing some belongings at 3pm on Wednesday and, 45 minutes later, joined a long line of traffic heading south.
Others had made the same decision, he said.
"I already know of a few saying they have kids and have decided to move... Is it worth putting your kids through that?
"Two families I know are in Wanaka... Why be in the city and be more of a burden?" Mr Russo said.
"[They've decided to] relieve the pressure and give themselves a break."
