Earthquake in NZ

[paraschtick]

You may or may not have heard that we had an earthquake here in NZ 30 miles west of Christchurch (where I live) this morning at 4:35am. It was 7.1 on the richter scale, and was roughly the same size as the one in Haiti at the start of the year.

We were very lucky in our area of Christchurch (west). Some major damage was reported in the east of the city with damaged sewer pipes, cracked roads and the fronts of a number of buildings have been damaged or have collapsed completely. In our part of the city, no damage as far as we can see. At our place all we had was a couple of broken plates, books and cds fell off shelves, and we lost electricity. One of our cats slept through the whole thing.

Luckily so far there have not been any deaths. Just a few injuries due to "flying chimneys" (apparently) and flying glass and things. There is now a state of emergency in the city and the central business district has been cordoned off. There were reports of looting earlier on ... typical people.

All in all I think everyone is a bit rattled, but luckily because the buildings over here are built in case of earthquakes it could have been far worse. The one in Haiti cost 200,000 lives.

So ... we're still getting aftershocks (some of them have been quite unsettling) but hopefully things will settle down again in the next few days.

Most reports will come as and when they come in ... apparently.

And now back to your featured presentation ...

ps more aftershocks happening as I write this so excuse the rather brittle and abrupt language ... its not a day for baroque prose of any kind :

 

[stonehart]

Well that was not fun..
My house is a right mess and the city is not to happy either.
That sort of thing makes you feel very small indeed but I am so very glad that it was not worse than it was.
Hell what a mess... lost a lot of things but hey they are just things.. Those I love are ok so time to start again.

Peace

 

[paraschtick]

Well that was not fun..
My house is a right mess and the city is not to happy either.
That sort of thing makes you feel very small indeed but I am so very glad that it was not worse than it was.
Hell what a mess... lost a lot of things but hey they are just things.. Those I love are ok so time to start again.

Peace

Glad you're ok. Sorry to hear you had damage. As I said we were spectacularly lucky at my place. Only a couple of plates broken and a few things fell off shelves. Could have been much worse. But anyway, glad to hear you are ok at your place. And yeah it wasn't fun was it?? Specially when you were woken up in the dark by it.
Oh well we're apparently due a bit aftershock (according to an expert) so we may have still a nasty little surprise to come ... or maybe not?? They don't really know.
Anyway hope all is well with you,
Best wishes
paraschtick

 

[stonehart]

Glad you're ok. Sorry to hear you had damage. As I said we were spectacularly lucky at my place. Only a couple of plates broken and a few things fell off shelves. Could have been much worse. But anyway, glad to hear you are ok at your place. And yeah it wasn't fun was it?? Specially when you were woken up in the dark by it.
Oh well we're apparently due a bit aftershock (according to an expert) so we may have still a nasty little surprise to come ... or maybe not?? They don't really know.
Anyway hope all is well with you,
Best wishes
paraschtick

I am just glad no one was killed.. hell the city CBD is a mess.
I was just coming home when it hit and I never want to see buildings falling over again like that.
Glad you are ok.

 

[cottonzway]

Haarp?

 

[ALPHA ROMEO UNIFORM]

Glad you're ok. Sorry to hear you had damage. As I said we were spectacularly lucky at my place. Only a couple of plates broken and a few things fell off shelves. Could have been much worse. But anyway, glad to hear you are ok at your place. And yeah it wasn't fun was it?? Specially when you were woken up in the dark by it.
Oh well we're apparently due a bit aftershock (according to an expert) so we may have still a nasty little surprise to come ... or maybe not?? They don't really know.
Anyway hope all is well with you,
Best wishes
paraschtick

Hi Cobbers ,
Solar Maxim is heating up and I am glad you both are well and keep safe
Sending best wishes to all Kiwi's
Peace,
BF

 

[paraschtick]

Hi Cobbers ,
Solar Maxim is heating up and I am glad you both are well and keep safe
Sending best wishes to all Kiwi's
Peace,
BF

Ahem ... I'm British ... so none of that cobber stuff thank you very much .

Well its been an interesting day. The central city of Christchurch was probably hit the worst with a lot of buildings damaged, and the clean up cost estimated at being about $2 billion (NZ dollars). The central city is still out of bounds, and there is now a curfew in place from 7pm tonight (its 7:53pm here now) until 7am tomorrow (this means that the cells will be full of boy racers by tomorrow morning ... I've actually heard a few going past as I type this!!).

Anyway, lots of damage but still no fatalities so far. Apparently there have been a lot of people going to hospital with chest pains. So its maybe that a number of people have suffered heart attacks ...

We're still having aftershocks, and will do for some days to come. A few of them have been rather disconcerting to say the least. There was one as I was talking to my parents on the phone in the UK, and the couch I was sitting on was swaying gently back and forth as I tried to stay calm chatting away . Its kind of unnerving.

But luckily since our house is situated on "swampy land', apparently, we're not feeling the full force of the aftershocks and we've had no structural damage ... which is amazing. Others of course have not been so lucky.

But as always, life goes on. I think people throughout Christchurch, and beyond are a bit in shock still. The earthquake was situated in a place that no one expected an earthquake to occur ... so its all been a bit unsettling for a lot of kiwis here in NZ.

Right. I'm now going to go and have another cup of tea to settle my already frayed nerves . Hope all is well with all NZ paracasters, and especially those in Chch. And thanks again for the kind thoughts,

All the best,

paraschtick

---------- Post added at 08:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:01 PM ----------

Haarp?

Umm ... no ... not THIS time. This time it was just geology I think ... but ... you never know (twilight zone doo-bee-doo-doo fades into the distance ...)

paraschtick out ...

 

[dyingsun]

Ahem ... I'm British ... so none of that cobber stuff thank you very much .

Well its been an interesting day. The central city of Christchurch was probably hit the worst with a lot of buildings damaged, and the clean up cost estimated at being about $2 billion (NZ dollars). The central city is still out of bounds, and there is now a curfew in place from 7pm tonight (its 7:53pm here now) until 7am tomorrow (this means that the cells will be full of boy racers by tomorrow morning ... I've actually heard a few going past as I type this!!).

Anyway, lots of damage but still no fatalities so far. Apparently there have been a lot of people going to hospital with chest pains. So its maybe that a number of people have suffered heart attacks ...

We're still having aftershocks, and will do for some days to come. A few of them have been rather disconcerting to say the least. There was one as I was talking to my parents on the phone in the UK, and the couch I was sitting on was swaying gently back and forth as I tried to stay calm chatting away . Its kind of unnerving.

But luckily since our house is situated on "swampy land', apparently, we're not feeling the full force of the aftershocks and we've had no structural damage ... which is amazing. Others of course have not been so lucky.

But as always, life goes on. I think people throughout Christchurch, and beyond are a bit in shock still. The earthquake was situated in a place that no one expected an earthquake to occur ... so its all been a bit unsettling for a lot of kiwis here in NZ.

Right. I'm now going to go and have another cup of tea to settle my already frayed nerves . Hope all is well with all NZ paracasters, and especially those in Chch. And thanks again for the kind thoughts,

All the best,

paraschtick

---------- Post added at 08:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:01 PM ----------



Umm ... no ... not THIS time. This time it was just geology I think ... but ... you never know (twilight zone doo-bee-doo-doo fades into the distance ...)

paraschtick out ...

The whole greater region of the Pacific was 'due' if one can trust the more reputable media sources, though this is indeed the first time I have heard of an Earthquake hitting New Zealand, normally they only predict them for Japan.

Anyhow, hope you guys are ok down there.

 

[Kieran]

New Zealand, in my lifetime can't remember ever hearing of a earthquake have occurred there really usual!! Best wishes to those who live in New Zealand.

The planet does seem to be acting up lot in the last six years, floods storms earthquakes the countries that are worse hit are south of the Equator.

 

[Siani]

Sorry to hear about the devastation, but so relieved there doesn't appear to have been any deaths. Keep safe, NZ forum members - I hope the earth stops burping soon. Take care.

 

[stonehart]

Paraschtick is right some parts of the city got hit hard but some parts got off light... I live in the bit that got thumped really hard.
Can not sleep lol as every time the earth moves just a little I am wide awake so I can see a very sleepless night for me tonight.
The quake hit in a place that no one was looking at so it came as a bit of a shock (no that was not a joke), the main alpine fault did not move thank heavens or the city would not be here now. As for not many quakes here in NZ.. hmmm well we get them a fair bit really but nothing of this size. we get lots of little ones a year but most are down south or off the coast.

anyway I am just glad no one got killed ... was a close one.

 

[Xylo]

Glad to hear that you're safe. I'll admit that I was a bit concerned.

It does seem that the earth is doing some strange things lately. I hope it sorts itself out.

 

[dyingsun]

Glad to hear that you're safe. I'll admit that I was a bit concerned.

It does seem that the earth is doing some strange things lately. I hope it sorts itself out.

Seems like it, though the world is actually doing 'good ' or at least is behaving like it always does.

Earthquake Facts and Statistics

 

[Slim Shady]

Increase in Solar activity equals increase in earthquakes and weather intesity =P its as simple as that

 

[Ron Collins]

Glad everyone is OK. I much prefer a good old fashioned tornado over that stealthy ninja like earthquake stuff.

 

[stonehart]

Glad everyone is OK. I much prefer a good old fashioned tornado over that stealthy ninja like earthquake stuff.

Yeah I have had enough all the after shocks are doing my head in... Going to get a flight to Auckland as soon as I can

 

[vincomgo]

Poor them Does anybody have the number of this lost? I heard about this but n\cannot find further infor here
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[stonehart]

Poor them Does anybody have the number of this lost? I heard about this but n\cannot find further infor here

No one has been killed in the quake... we were beyond lucky

There have been over 100 after shocks and more still coming as I type this.

It is really starting to do my head in.

 

[paraschtick]

No one has been killed in the quake... we were beyond lucky

There have been over 100 after shocks and more still coming as I type this.

It is really starting to do my head in.

Yeah tell me about it. There were some real doozies over night ... over 5s apparently. I'm starting to get the heebee geebees too now ... and I thought things were starting to settle down. God knows what those with dodgy homes to begin with after the first quake are feeling like now. And apparently we might be due another really big aftershock.

Oh and if you want to read more about the quake, check out http://www.stuff.co.nz (the website of the Christchurch Press newspaper etc) ... http://www.geonet.co.nz NZ earthquake monitoring website, and the Herald newspaper: http://www.nzherald.co.nz

Yeah ... hope all is well with you stonehart. Keep gritting your teeth. It'll be over before you know it ... hopefully

Best wishes

paraschtick

ps and apparently only one possible death so far ... guy had a heart attack. Apparently over 100,000 homes have been damaged in some way. Thats 2/3s of the homes in Christchurch or the Canterbury area I think. And more damage is being done by these bloody aftershocks ...

 

[stonehart]

Yeah tell me about it. There were some real doozies over night ... over 5s apparently. I'm starting to get the heebee geebees too now ... and I thought things were starting to settle down. God knows what those with dodgy homes to begin with after the first quake are feeling like now. And apparently we might be due another really big aftershock.

Oh and if you want to read more about the quake, check out http://www.stuff.co.nz (the website of the Christchurch Press newspaper etc) ... http://www.geonet.co.nz NZ earthquake monitoring website, and the Herald newspaper: http://www.nzherald.co.nz

Yeah ... hope all is well with you stonehart. Keep gritting your teeth. It'll be over before you know it ... hopefully

Best wishes

paraschtick

ps and apparently only one possible death so far ... guy had a heart attack. Apparently over 100,000 homes have been damaged in some way. Thats 2/3s of the homes in Christchurch or the Canterbury area I think. And more damage is being done by these bloody aftershocks ...

It was really doing my head in yesterday but I think it was just lack of sleep and stress.
We are in for another set of big ones over the next week or so and after talking to a geologist I know those 5.4s and 5.2s we had last night are not the last of the big after shocks to come.
However the frquency at which they happen should lessen from now on.

so hold tight it is not over yet but let us hope it is all over as soon as possible.

You hang in there to paraschtick