Earthquake in Christchurch

[vilakins]

We woke up to find there's been a big earthquake in Christchurch, 7.4 magnitude with aftershocks measured at 5 or so. It happened around 4am when most people were in bed so I believe there aren't any casualties, but chimneys have come down and flattened cars, the fronts of some shops have come off, road has buckled, there's no power, and people say the insides of their houses look like they've been burgled: a real mess but fairly superficial. Greg's talking to his sister at the moment and apparently his mother is OK.

And this is why there are so many wooden houses here, and brick is banned in some places like Wellington. Not Christchurch though; Greg's mother's house is brick but it's survived several quakes. Oh and it was full tide and the Avon River slopped its banks, but I doubt it got as far as her house though she lives beside it.

Greg said locals measure earthquakes by damage to the cathedral spire which has sometimes come down, sometimes just been left askew. There hasn't been any news of the spire.

[Edit] It's intact. And all of Greg's family there have now been located (some at others' houses) and are fine.

Comments

[trixieleitz]

We were woken up by it, but I didn't think anything of it until Mum rang, half an hour later. They live just a few km from the epicentre. Fortunately, they and their house are OK. No power and limited means of contact, but at least I don't have to worry.

[vilakins]

Often it's not at the epicentre that the damage happens. I haven't heard any mention of that town (if they live where I think they live). It's such a relief to know family are all right though.

One of Greg's sisters was the hardest to locate; she'd gone straight to a recently widowed uncle out of town to see if he was all right. One of Greg's brothers went straight from near Kaiapoi to get their mother. I suppose they'll have to go back to get more of her things because I think she'll be one of the ones evacuated. They're saying power should be restored to 90% of the city by night, but I think there might be a problem with food and water since many supermarkets' shelves were toppled and in at least one case all their bottled water broken. We have a fair supply of tinned food ourselves, but not everyone does that.

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. I hadn't even realized that NZ was prone to earthquakes.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, we're on the ring of fire. That's one of the reasons that viaduct's being rebuilt; the old one wasn't strong enough. This one should withstand a 1-in-2500-years earthquake (probably while the whole city falls down around it). There have been some horrible earthquakes in different places, one killing everyone on a train, one burying Maori villages. We get that occasional smallish one here but it's more likely to be volcanoes for Auckland. :-P

[vandonovan.livejournal.com]

Scary! Glad you're okay, though. Ironically, we had a tiny little quake here around 4am too, but nothing like a 7.0. (Looks like it wasn't even a 3.0)

Anyway, hopefully the damaged buildings will get rebuilt with more stability? :/

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

We get some like that, usually just enough to make me think there's a really heavy truck going by, or when the quarry down the road was still open, a big explosion there. I've never even had anything fall off a shelf. We're told to blu-tak them in place but I've never done it. Ah well, tchotchkes will be the least of my worries if The Big One hits.

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

Big indeed! I'm glad that you and yours are ok, and I hope that that's the last of it for a while.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

We're at the other end of the country; I think it was fairly localised anyway. I hope it's over and they can start recovering and repairing the damage.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Gosh, that's a big one. I'm glad no one seems to be hurt, and hope the damage is easily restored.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Me too. I heard there was some looting in the city centre which is supposed to be closed off. [rolls eyes]

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

Just seen mention of it on the Beeb. Glad everyone's safe.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

As for as I know they are. There are lots of reports of damage but so far just shocked people (and animals).

[blencathra.livejournal.com]

I'm glad everyone is OK. We had a small earthquake here last year. It woke me up in the middle of the night with everything shaking & dogs barking. Scary!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

we've only had small shakes here, but I've been through a couple of scary ones in Wellington, one when I was all alone in the house at night (cowering in the doorway) and could hear the rocks scraping under the ground. :-P It's awful when the power goes off as it did then, but I was so relieved when I turned the radio on to hear a reassuring voice.

[daiseechain.livejournal.com]

Good to hear Greg's family are safe. We've managed to contact most of ours, but there are the odd stragglers we can't get hold of due to the phone problems. We found out thanks to the miracle of the internets, which let skype messages get through, when mobile phones could not.

My old suburb has apparently been hit. I'm left wondering what it looks like.

There's apparently looting going on.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I'm glad your family is OK. We're on Skype to some relatives, but not there.

I heard about the looting. Sigh. I suppose everywhere's been as badly hit economically. :-(

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

:O

Glad you're okay!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

We're over 1000kms away, but Greg's been on the phone all morning about his family there, who are all fine. One brother outside town lost all his glasshouses, which we'd known would happen.

[executrix.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear that your family are OK, and that most people's families are physically unhurt. I hope that everyone in the construction trade gets rich repairing the damage! (..and then spends all the money in the local shops...)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Depends if the insurance companies can pay out. This country is in enough trouble economically without the huge costs of this. I'm just glad it happened when it did and no one was killed.

I've sometimes thought I should have gone into construction as I'm pretty handy with tools, but I'm scared of heights.

[Edit] Huh! Greg says insurance is covered overseas and money will be coming in from there so there will be a boom down there. I had no idea, but you had it right. An ill wind and all that.

[emerald-happy.livejournal.com]

I read your next post too. Glad no one died. Yeah, I remember wondering about the lack of brick when I was in Wellington. Good thing, that.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

UK visitors often sneer at our wooden houses without knowing why we have them. They're free to sneer at our lack of heating though.

I didn't know you were ever here! Why on earth?

[muscadinegril.livejournal.com]

I'm glad Greg's family is all right.

Remembering the folks in Christchurch tonight.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Apparently there's bad weather predicted for the night.

[kalinda001.livejournal.com]

Eeek! I'm glad that everyone's fine.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

So far. :-) Some areas don't have power and water though, and there's bad weather coming in; it's winter after all. However there's an emergency declared and civil defence have the power to act which is good. They'll be able to set up shelters at schools etc for those who can't stay in their homes.

I should lay in more water myself. I've let our earthquake store get quite low. We do have tinned food and rice (which you can soak-cook in cold water) but I should replenish the water.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

*hugs* I'm glad you and Greg & his family are all ok.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

We're abut 1000kms away, so we're fine. I'm relieved Greg finally located all of his family. He's due to fly there next week on business; who knows if he still will. I doubt it.

[elmey.livejournal.com]

I'm glad all family members are safe, I suppose it will take a while to fully assess the damage. I've felt a couple of very mild ones which makes me happy we don't live in an earthquake prone area.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I think it will take them a while; the insurance companies were giving people up to three months, but saying they should try to get their claims in earlier. I hope Greg's mother had her house insured. She's the sort of person who puts bills where she can't see them so they can pretend they don't exist. :-P

And no one expected a big one to hit Christchurch. Wellington is much more prepared because they get a lot of quakes (I used to live there).

[luinielle.livejournal.com]

I'm very glad Greg's family are all safe.
Earthquakes are frightening, especially the ones that occur at night. I remember when we lived in Tokyo, being startled awake by the shaking of the building. C's mum was in San Francisco when they had their big earthquake in 1989.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I remember that one! :-(

Yes, it's more frightening at night (which I've experienced in Wellington) but I'm sure there'd have been a lot of people killed had this one happened during the day, like the Napier one that levelled the centre of town in 1931.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear that everyone you know is OK. I have been thinking about all my NZ pals.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It was good that it happened at night. Two people were seriously hurt; other than that, I think it's just minor injuries and a lot of shock. I hate to think what would have happened had it hit during the day, with the amount of rubble that fell in the streets and on parked cars.

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

I have opened my PC now and OMG, what I read? My first thoughts belonged to you and yours! Now I am relived indeed to hear you all all right and without bigger damage. Nevertheless it is horrible, poor people who suffered and damned be the hyenas who plundered th shops. I have heard the news and now read on the net. If there is somethiing I can do, just tell me.
*Big hugs*
BTW did your cats felt something before the quake?

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

We are fine! We never even felt the quake this far north, though apparently they felt it in Napier. Greg's family is OK too--his mother's house is undamaged but she went to stay with Greg's oldest brother out of town. The main thing now is bad weather coming and whether people have enough food and water. Still I'm sure there will be lots of supplies and help coming in from all over the country.

As for looters? There were two. Two. Irresponsible exaggerated reporting, I call that.

Our cats noticed nothing of course but a woman said on TV that her cat went crazy just before it happened. Another woman's dog had her puppies. She said she would call one of them Rocky. :-)

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Just saw that on the news. Glad you're okay.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

We're fine--we didn't even feel anything this far away--and so is Greg's family who still live there. Thanks!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Glad you are all OK.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Most people seem to be. Some had amazing escapes when rubble fell on their beds; one teenager went out his upper storey window with his bed, and only had scratches on his back to show. However now there are problems with flooding, water and sewer pipes broken, and food and water supplies, though I'm sure there'll be supplies and help pouring in from the whole country.

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

It was a shock to hear about Christchurch this morning, that's for sure. :(

It's good to hear Greg's family are OK.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It's good to hear most people are OK down there, even if their houses aren't. I think Greg's family are OK there too; I think all that happened is that one lost some tiles from his roof and all his glasshouses.

[lizzzar.livejournal.com]

Sympathies for the earthquake. It sounds like it could have been
a lot worse, and must be something of a relief that it wasn't.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Than you. There's a lot of property damage (and gales on the way to make it worse) but it's such a relief it happened at night and no one was killed. It would have been a different matter during the day with façades falling off buildings, supermarket shelves falling over, and the roofs of shopping centres collapsing. It's going to take a while for the city to recover though.

[green-maia.livejournal.com]

I'm glad Greg's family are all okay!

*Hugs*

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

We are just so relieved that they're OK and that everyone in the city is. I'm not sure I could watch the news otherwise. Greg's sister there isn't taking it well though, panicking each time there's an aftershock, making her husband wear a visibility vest outside, and sleeping in alternating shifts with him. All of their houses are fine, even one brother's in the country which has lost a few tiles. Greg's mother's house has no water or power yet so she's still staying out there with him till that's restored, but she can't wait to go home. :-)

Thank you! [hugs back]

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

glad to hear everyone is okay!!