During today's open home we went for a wee drive in the surrounding countryside towards the epicentre of the quake. It was a 20 minute round trip, we're that close!
Picture this. You're driving down a road you know is straight and flat because you've been down it before. However it's not anymore. It has a hill in the middle of it and the road now has a sharp bend - the entire road has been displaced 2m to the right.
This one was the kicker. Picture a 8-10m high pine shelter belt. Planted straight. Been there for many years. Except these ones now have a kink in them - the shelter belt has been displaced 2m to the right.
Also saw pine trees, at least 20m tall, ripped out of the ground.
Wow.
The Rose
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
A picture tells a thousand words
I'm going to go out on a limb and point out that a lot of the city is absolutely fine. However that doesn't sell papers.
Here are some of the good piccies:
Old Christchurch Railway Station clock stopped at 4.35.
Where will the Fendalton paedophiles go now? Local Scout Hall.
Waimakariri River bank.
Motorway onramp north of the city.
This is a new suburb north of the city. Odd, the road is closed.
This is a river. Honestly.
Genuine tragedy. At least it wasn't sugar-free...
The Rose
Here are some of the good piccies:
Old Christchurch Railway Station clock stopped at 4.35.
Where will the Fendalton paedophiles go now? Local Scout Hall.
Waimakariri River bank.
Motorway onramp north of the city.
This is a new suburb north of the city. Odd, the road is closed.
This is a river. Honestly.
Genuine tragedy. At least it wasn't sugar-free...
The Rose
More lighter stuff
1. Just waiting for the land chiropractor to turn up and say that the earth has had energy pent up for over 7 years and it will take just as much energy, treatment and time to put it back again.
2. Alvarados making the most of things.
The Rose
2. Alvarados making the most of things.
The Rose
Friday, September 10, 2010
On a lighter note
As I'm getting sick of talking about constantly being on edge etc etc here's another epic moment from The Dragon. Quote of the day: "My need to poop has mysteriously disappeared. Hopefully it hasn't disappeared into the bean bag".
*Mental note* Trick the boy into checking the bean bags.
The Rose
*Mental note* Trick the boy into checking the bean bags.
The Rose
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Canterbury Earthquake
The dragon’s earthquake special...
Like everyone else in Canterbury my Saturday morning started fairly abruptly. Now, I mean it when I say we have a fairly large amount going on. Personally, I am out of a job at the end of the month. My motorcycle and house are for sale and we are staring down the barrel of moving city again. We have plenty to stress us out....
Sept 4, 0435...
The Rose and I found ourselves in separate parts of the house, she in a doorway, me flat on my back in bed. I am the first to admit to being a tad dismissive of earthquakes. However, this is the first where I have experienced freefall as at the peak of the shaking, 1.2 times gravity was measured. If some of the houses near the epicentre look like they have been picked up and dropped, it’s because they have been, literally. After the noise died down a little we gathered enough of everything to survive for a while without the house. Everything piled into the truck and at a random moment I deemed safe (whatever that is) manually open the electric garage door. Electricity was the first thing we lost, it was gone before we even woke up. I backed the truck out of the garage and as far down the drive as practical. The only thing we wished we had and didn’t was the cat.
News
The rationale behind the truck was firstly the fact that it is one of the more robust places to spend time and it has a functioning radio. The thought that crossed our mind was “where was this event centred”, immediately we thought of family in Wellington. This is the first earthquake we have felt in 3 years in Canterbury. We had no idea what magnitude it was. I don’t think it crossed our mind that we had just experienced a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. Neither of us would have rated survival of such an event as plausible unless you were in the open at the time. When we got the news that is was centred near a nearby town and the magnitude we were lost for words.
Daylight
Having spent a few hours listening to the radio and the comments of callers that were ringing and sharing their experiences waiting for the sun to come up, it was time to look at the house. Power was still out and the constant movement had subsided to a shake every minute or so. Even if they weren’t discrete earthquakes, there was movement that you could hear and feel. First of all we looked around the house for visible signs that we shouldn’t be in there. But, mercifully, there were no gaping cracks or holes to be found. To add an element of surrealism to it, there were no cracks at all. It was as if the entire event hadn’t happened. Apart from the fact that the place looked ransacked. Books and DVD’s had been strewn every which way from the bookshelves, speakers knocked over and a few candle sticks thrown around. A glass plate had unfortunately been in the way of a candle stick and was broken. Aside from a broken lever on my motorcycle that was discovered a little late on, this was the extent of the damage. After an hour or so of picking up and tidying, the place looked pretty much normal. The only service we were missing was electricity. We even had internet courtesy of our mobile phones.
Gravity
The gravity of the situation was beginning to sink in. As we sat there looking around us, listening to the constant rumble that was the surrounding buildings being subjected to wave after wave of tremors, we began to think. Luckily I had been able to make contact with my family and let them know that for the most part all was OK and there was nothing really to worry about. Reports were beginning to reach us of the problems the region were waking up to. Buildings and roads destroyed and services such as sewage and water unavailable. Looking around us and the immediate neighbourhood it was fair to say we did pretty well. We holed up for the day listening to the radio and basically surviving the aftershocks. Power returned in the evening mercifully, just 12 hours after the “event”.
The next day
After an unsuccessful attempt at a night’s sleep we set about the tasks for the day. We needed supplies. The quake had hit us when we were very low on stocks. We sent a txt message to our estate agent to see if the open home that was planned was still a go and headed to the shops to see if restocking would be a reality. It was. An hour and a half later we had a full diesel tank in the truck and 10 days of supplies. The only thing we couldn’t get was the gas cylinders filled. Got home and found the open home was a go. It seemed at least four parties needed the distraction, us, the agent and 2 couples who came for a look. After a quick trip into town the gas bottles were full and we were done for the day.
Aftershocks
The Rose had a couple of days of leave planned and I had received word that my office would be closed so there was no rush on Monday morning. We actually slept. Aftershocks will never mean the same thing to me ever again. You read it in the paper and think of it as a few earthquakes that are smaller than the first one and subside to nothing. By and large this is correct. Although in your mind you picture 10 or 20. We have registered more than 250. The trouble is, when you start with a 7.1, quite a lot is smaller than that. We have had at least 100 aftershocks greater than 4.0 over 4 days. Every time you wonder if it is another big one about to strike or if it will be “just another aftershock”. About 20 of these have been above magnitude 5. Another problem is we were only 16Km (10 miles) from the epicentre of the original quake. This means that aftershocks are short and violent. The energy release that would normally be spread over 20-30 seconds happens in 3-5. Imagine lining up a speed hump in the car, then hitting it at 50 to 60 kph. It is fairly disruptive. As it happens, this experience was only common to those with 5 to 10 kilometres of the centre of the aftershocks. Those further away got a more gentle rolling experience from them.
Poor choices
I found out that my workplace intended to open for business just 72 hours after the event. Buildings all over the Christchurch CBD were in the process of being classified as either OK or standing rubble. The ones that were already rubble clearly needed no classification. I took the opportunity to see what access would be like getting to the office. Some of the rural roads had sections displaced and dropped out of them, others rippled badly by the effects of Liquefaction. We saw buildings that had been marked with yellow paint. The markings needed no explanation, a large yellow cross, the word “NO” and a timestamp. I arrived at the office and immediately felt uneasy. I went upstairs to see where my desk and workspace was to find all of the ceiling structures buckled and the ceiling had caved in. Nothing compared to the awnings that had been flattened by tonnes of rubble outside my usual daytime haunts. Nothing was sacred, the bakery, the little Thai place I have been to more times than I can count, the cafe down the street. None of the buildings were remarkable aside from the service they performed for me. The choice to open the office ended in panic and tears the next morning. An aftershock centred much closer to the city centre and more like those we had become accustomed to near the epicentre tore through the central city. More ceiling tiles came raining down and people were diving under tables before they were hit by them. At least one was too slow. No real injuries but on top of the other stressors it was too much. The office is now rightly closed till Monday.
The bigger picture
Christchurch is NZ’s second largest city. It has a reputation for being conservative, old and a little boring. Sadly, many heritage buildings that were actually very pretty (not always the case in NZ) and worth retaining are facing the bulldozers. Downed chimneys are everywhere and houses are ruined. Estimates would suggest that at least 100,000 of the 300,000 structures have suffered some sort of damage from a crack to a complete loss. Old or new, unless the right circumstances were present, there was damage, sometimes irreversible. The effect on the population has been profound. People are now focussed on getting things done. Public places are courteous but sombre and everybody’s story seems to have a common thread at the moment. As time goes by, more is known of the future. Ironically this mirrors our own instabilities of the past 6 months. I would say it will shake down in the fullness of time but there will be stories for years to come, either from the big event or the rebuild.
Conclusion
The only thing that is constant is change. Simplicity is your friend and makes change easier to cope with. In those first few hours, the thing that was the most use was a radio. It was our reliable link to the outside world. It let us know what we needed to do and that we were all in the same boat. Hardly the most complicated form of communication these days. Take it easy, take your time and look at the bigger picture. It could all be different tomorrow.
Wondering what the hell all that was about, try looking here
Like everyone else in Canterbury my Saturday morning started fairly abruptly. Now, I mean it when I say we have a fairly large amount going on. Personally, I am out of a job at the end of the month. My motorcycle and house are for sale and we are staring down the barrel of moving city again. We have plenty to stress us out....
Sept 4, 0435...
The Rose and I found ourselves in separate parts of the house, she in a doorway, me flat on my back in bed. I am the first to admit to being a tad dismissive of earthquakes. However, this is the first where I have experienced freefall as at the peak of the shaking, 1.2 times gravity was measured. If some of the houses near the epicentre look like they have been picked up and dropped, it’s because they have been, literally. After the noise died down a little we gathered enough of everything to survive for a while without the house. Everything piled into the truck and at a random moment I deemed safe (whatever that is) manually open the electric garage door. Electricity was the first thing we lost, it was gone before we even woke up. I backed the truck out of the garage and as far down the drive as practical. The only thing we wished we had and didn’t was the cat.
News
The rationale behind the truck was firstly the fact that it is one of the more robust places to spend time and it has a functioning radio. The thought that crossed our mind was “where was this event centred”, immediately we thought of family in Wellington. This is the first earthquake we have felt in 3 years in Canterbury. We had no idea what magnitude it was. I don’t think it crossed our mind that we had just experienced a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. Neither of us would have rated survival of such an event as plausible unless you were in the open at the time. When we got the news that is was centred near a nearby town and the magnitude we were lost for words.
Daylight
Having spent a few hours listening to the radio and the comments of callers that were ringing and sharing their experiences waiting for the sun to come up, it was time to look at the house. Power was still out and the constant movement had subsided to a shake every minute or so. Even if they weren’t discrete earthquakes, there was movement that you could hear and feel. First of all we looked around the house for visible signs that we shouldn’t be in there. But, mercifully, there were no gaping cracks or holes to be found. To add an element of surrealism to it, there were no cracks at all. It was as if the entire event hadn’t happened. Apart from the fact that the place looked ransacked. Books and DVD’s had been strewn every which way from the bookshelves, speakers knocked over and a few candle sticks thrown around. A glass plate had unfortunately been in the way of a candle stick and was broken. Aside from a broken lever on my motorcycle that was discovered a little late on, this was the extent of the damage. After an hour or so of picking up and tidying, the place looked pretty much normal. The only service we were missing was electricity. We even had internet courtesy of our mobile phones.
Gravity
The gravity of the situation was beginning to sink in. As we sat there looking around us, listening to the constant rumble that was the surrounding buildings being subjected to wave after wave of tremors, we began to think. Luckily I had been able to make contact with my family and let them know that for the most part all was OK and there was nothing really to worry about. Reports were beginning to reach us of the problems the region were waking up to. Buildings and roads destroyed and services such as sewage and water unavailable. Looking around us and the immediate neighbourhood it was fair to say we did pretty well. We holed up for the day listening to the radio and basically surviving the aftershocks. Power returned in the evening mercifully, just 12 hours after the “event”.
The next day
After an unsuccessful attempt at a night’s sleep we set about the tasks for the day. We needed supplies. The quake had hit us when we were very low on stocks. We sent a txt message to our estate agent to see if the open home that was planned was still a go and headed to the shops to see if restocking would be a reality. It was. An hour and a half later we had a full diesel tank in the truck and 10 days of supplies. The only thing we couldn’t get was the gas cylinders filled. Got home and found the open home was a go. It seemed at least four parties needed the distraction, us, the agent and 2 couples who came for a look. After a quick trip into town the gas bottles were full and we were done for the day.
Aftershocks
The Rose had a couple of days of leave planned and I had received word that my office would be closed so there was no rush on Monday morning. We actually slept. Aftershocks will never mean the same thing to me ever again. You read it in the paper and think of it as a few earthquakes that are smaller than the first one and subside to nothing. By and large this is correct. Although in your mind you picture 10 or 20. We have registered more than 250. The trouble is, when you start with a 7.1, quite a lot is smaller than that. We have had at least 100 aftershocks greater than 4.0 over 4 days. Every time you wonder if it is another big one about to strike or if it will be “just another aftershock”. About 20 of these have been above magnitude 5. Another problem is we were only 16Km (10 miles) from the epicentre of the original quake. This means that aftershocks are short and violent. The energy release that would normally be spread over 20-30 seconds happens in 3-5. Imagine lining up a speed hump in the car, then hitting it at 50 to 60 kph. It is fairly disruptive. As it happens, this experience was only common to those with 5 to 10 kilometres of the centre of the aftershocks. Those further away got a more gentle rolling experience from them.
Poor choices
I found out that my workplace intended to open for business just 72 hours after the event. Buildings all over the Christchurch CBD were in the process of being classified as either OK or standing rubble. The ones that were already rubble clearly needed no classification. I took the opportunity to see what access would be like getting to the office. Some of the rural roads had sections displaced and dropped out of them, others rippled badly by the effects of Liquefaction. We saw buildings that had been marked with yellow paint. The markings needed no explanation, a large yellow cross, the word “NO” and a timestamp. I arrived at the office and immediately felt uneasy. I went upstairs to see where my desk and workspace was to find all of the ceiling structures buckled and the ceiling had caved in. Nothing compared to the awnings that had been flattened by tonnes of rubble outside my usual daytime haunts. Nothing was sacred, the bakery, the little Thai place I have been to more times than I can count, the cafe down the street. None of the buildings were remarkable aside from the service they performed for me. The choice to open the office ended in panic and tears the next morning. An aftershock centred much closer to the city centre and more like those we had become accustomed to near the epicentre tore through the central city. More ceiling tiles came raining down and people were diving under tables before they were hit by them. At least one was too slow. No real injuries but on top of the other stressors it was too much. The office is now rightly closed till Monday.
The bigger picture
Christchurch is NZ’s second largest city. It has a reputation for being conservative, old and a little boring. Sadly, many heritage buildings that were actually very pretty (not always the case in NZ) and worth retaining are facing the bulldozers. Downed chimneys are everywhere and houses are ruined. Estimates would suggest that at least 100,000 of the 300,000 structures have suffered some sort of damage from a crack to a complete loss. Old or new, unless the right circumstances were present, there was damage, sometimes irreversible. The effect on the population has been profound. People are now focussed on getting things done. Public places are courteous but sombre and everybody’s story seems to have a common thread at the moment. As time goes by, more is known of the future. Ironically this mirrors our own instabilities of the past 6 months. I would say it will shake down in the fullness of time but there will be stories for years to come, either from the big event or the rebuild.
Conclusion
The only thing that is constant is change. Simplicity is your friend and makes change easier to cope with. In those first few hours, the thing that was the most use was a radio. It was our reliable link to the outside world. It let us know what we needed to do and that we were all in the same boat. Hardly the most complicated form of communication these days. Take it easy, take your time and look at the bigger picture. It could all be different tomorrow.
Wondering what the hell all that was about, try looking here
Christchurch earthquake day 5
Never intended to blog daily about this however clearly I am!
Back at work today which was odd. On one hand a touch of normality. On the other, really hard to leave the house to the unknown. What's it like having an earthquake a work? Honestly, less scary than home. Less aftershocks for starters!
Part of the worry on leaving home was The Dragon's plan to enter his workplace - a bloody bombsite. However courtesy of the aftershock this morning, his workplace has since been closed. Only took staff sustaining (fortunately minor) injuries from falling ceiling tiles and a burst gas pipe for them to decide that maybe it wasn't such a good idea. FFS. Still, reassuring that he wasn't in there and won't be for some time.
Some new experiences today. The media have been banging on about the aftershock this morning (5.1), "the biggest one ever" etc etc. Found myself feeling annoyed, wanting to yell out "what about the 4 we had before that one out in Rolleston or the 5.2, 4.0 and 5.4 in 10 minutes on Monday". Great, I've reached the level of competitive earthquaking :) Seriously, a shallow and strong quake this morning and people who haven't had the experience we've been having were clearly very distressed. Odd driving during the quake, car felt very heavy on the steering for a few minutes then back to normal. Took a few minutes to work out why!
A number of others things struck me today. We've (officially) been given the "well done, keep calm, carry on" message. Literally in those words! Also comments about watching your teams, checking everyone is OK, showing leadership etc. All things which are really important and actually help you to feel calm yourself. By reassuring others you are yourself reassured. However a tiny part just wants to throw your hands up in the air, grab your loved ones, jump in the car, run home and hide under a blanket until the bogeyman has gone. Bit of a bugger that this philosophy doesn't help yourself, others or pay the mortgage.
Another area of note as a shrink is the need not to "medicalise" this event. Everyone is scared, afraid, uncertain, anxious and jumping at shadows. The last thing you need is to be a "survivor" or a "victim". That's not to say that many people aren't in this situation. However it needs to be acknowledged that it is NORMAL to be distressed and accept the help offered when you want or need it. I have to shamefully confess that I became a bit acopic on returning home today - leading to (sorry) a bath. Not the hottest, deepest, biggest bath ever however the first time I have not been an absolute scrooge over water and amenities. I'm feeling pleased, guilty and a little more upbeat all at once.
Onwards, upwards...
The Rose
Back at work today which was odd. On one hand a touch of normality. On the other, really hard to leave the house to the unknown. What's it like having an earthquake a work? Honestly, less scary than home. Less aftershocks for starters!
Part of the worry on leaving home was The Dragon's plan to enter his workplace - a bloody bombsite. However courtesy of the aftershock this morning, his workplace has since been closed. Only took staff sustaining (fortunately minor) injuries from falling ceiling tiles and a burst gas pipe for them to decide that maybe it wasn't such a good idea. FFS. Still, reassuring that he wasn't in there and won't be for some time.
Some new experiences today. The media have been banging on about the aftershock this morning (5.1), "the biggest one ever" etc etc. Found myself feeling annoyed, wanting to yell out "what about the 4 we had before that one out in Rolleston or the 5.2, 4.0 and 5.4 in 10 minutes on Monday". Great, I've reached the level of competitive earthquaking :) Seriously, a shallow and strong quake this morning and people who haven't had the experience we've been having were clearly very distressed. Odd driving during the quake, car felt very heavy on the steering for a few minutes then back to normal. Took a few minutes to work out why!
A number of others things struck me today. We've (officially) been given the "well done, keep calm, carry on" message. Literally in those words! Also comments about watching your teams, checking everyone is OK, showing leadership etc. All things which are really important and actually help you to feel calm yourself. By reassuring others you are yourself reassured. However a tiny part just wants to throw your hands up in the air, grab your loved ones, jump in the car, run home and hide under a blanket until the bogeyman has gone. Bit of a bugger that this philosophy doesn't help yourself, others or pay the mortgage.
Another area of note as a shrink is the need not to "medicalise" this event. Everyone is scared, afraid, uncertain, anxious and jumping at shadows. The last thing you need is to be a "survivor" or a "victim". That's not to say that many people aren't in this situation. However it needs to be acknowledged that it is NORMAL to be distressed and accept the help offered when you want or need it. I have to shamefully confess that I became a bit acopic on returning home today - leading to (sorry) a bath. Not the hottest, deepest, biggest bath ever however the first time I have not been an absolute scrooge over water and amenities. I'm feeling pleased, guilty and a little more upbeat all at once.
Onwards, upwards...
The Rose
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Christchurch Earthquake 4
Well, I've just had 2 really relaxing, fun-filled and joyous days of annual leave. Not.
More thinking and reflecting on the last few days today, fuelled by a bunched of nasty aftershocks last night. Some of the thoughts that have stayed with me are:
-bloody hell, I really wish I didn't know that we were only 16km from the epicentre!
-how can so much sand and silt come out of the ground so fast?
-how is Christchurch going to regain it's previous stately beauty?
-impressed at how quickly we could resupply after the event
-impressed at how everyone is working together and supporting each other as best as we can
In terms of images, the ones that have persisted are:
-seeing "X" and "No" in orange spray paint on a building that has been condemned, even if it looks OK
-sitting at a traffic light and seeing a car waiting at the lights beneath a chimney that you can see daylight through and could collapse at any moment
-railway lines only 3km from my house that have an S bend in them
-cracks a metre wide ripped in the landscape
-bridges that have collapsed entries, exits and big ridges in them
-pictures of The Dragon's workspace showing all the roof tiles above his desk missing...which would have landed where he normally sits
-cases of V bottles littering a floor in a warehouse (waah!)
-smashed wine bottles piled about half a metre high in the local supermarket (double waah!)
And the things that have made me angry:
-my birthday today (and the point was?!)
-burglars and looters
-The Dragon's work who want everyone in the place despite significant building safety and sanitation issues. Some people really are knobs.
Yippee, back to work tomorrow. Can't wait.
Please donate to help Canterbury!
The Rose
More thinking and reflecting on the last few days today, fuelled by a bunched of nasty aftershocks last night. Some of the thoughts that have stayed with me are:
-bloody hell, I really wish I didn't know that we were only 16km from the epicentre!
-how can so much sand and silt come out of the ground so fast?
-how is Christchurch going to regain it's previous stately beauty?
-impressed at how quickly we could resupply after the event
-impressed at how everyone is working together and supporting each other as best as we can
In terms of images, the ones that have persisted are:
-seeing "X" and "No" in orange spray paint on a building that has been condemned, even if it looks OK
-sitting at a traffic light and seeing a car waiting at the lights beneath a chimney that you can see daylight through and could collapse at any moment
-railway lines only 3km from my house that have an S bend in them
-cracks a metre wide ripped in the landscape
-bridges that have collapsed entries, exits and big ridges in them
-pictures of The Dragon's workspace showing all the roof tiles above his desk missing...which would have landed where he normally sits
-cases of V bottles littering a floor in a warehouse (waah!)
-smashed wine bottles piled about half a metre high in the local supermarket (double waah!)
And the things that have made me angry:
-my birthday today (and the point was?!)
-burglars and looters
-The Dragon's work who want everyone in the place despite significant building safety and sanitation issues. Some people really are knobs.
Yippee, back to work tomorrow. Can't wait.
Please donate to help Canterbury!
The Rose
Monday, September 6, 2010
Christchurch Earthquake 3
2 days on and Canterbury is surviving. Already major efforts are underway to start clearing unrecoverable buildings. Lots of people back at work although the city centre remains a no-go zone.
What has struck me most today is the variation in damages. The quake centre was Wards Rd, 43.55°S, 172.18°E which is 16km from our house on a direct line. So pretty bloody close then. We're feeling a lot of aftershocks that aren't been felt in town apparently although obviously the bigger ones are felt everywhere.
From the "gosh that's lucky" files, Rolleston is built on rock and river bed - mostly large stones which we're now rather thankful for (I can now accept the plus side of the blood, sweat and tears required to establish the garden with a pickaxe).
Some of the areas we saw today, all places we considered living, are not so lucky. Halswell (45km from the epicentre) and Tai Tapu (35km from the epicentre) have been badly hit, especially with the liquefaction (water bursting through loose soil/sand in the subsoil). Hard to describe the huge piles of grey silty earth covering massive tracts of roads and driveways. Not to mention bridges and roads that now have involuntarily speed humps, massive cracks and height changes. Another suburb we considered buying in (Bexley) (57km from the epicentre) is likely to be bulldozed secondary to this phenomenon. Looks like Kaiapoi in North Canterbury, about 60km from the epicentre, has also sustained severe damage.
Checking what underlies the soil will be a feature of any new house purchase/rental from now on I think!
The Rose
What has struck me most today is the variation in damages. The quake centre was Wards Rd, 43.55°S, 172.18°E which is 16km from our house on a direct line. So pretty bloody close then. We're feeling a lot of aftershocks that aren't been felt in town apparently although obviously the bigger ones are felt everywhere.
From the "gosh that's lucky" files, Rolleston is built on rock and river bed - mostly large stones which we're now rather thankful for (I can now accept the plus side of the blood, sweat and tears required to establish the garden with a pickaxe).
Some of the areas we saw today, all places we considered living, are not so lucky. Halswell (45km from the epicentre) and Tai Tapu (35km from the epicentre) have been badly hit, especially with the liquefaction (water bursting through loose soil/sand in the subsoil). Hard to describe the huge piles of grey silty earth covering massive tracts of roads and driveways. Not to mention bridges and roads that now have involuntarily speed humps, massive cracks and height changes. Another suburb we considered buying in (Bexley) (57km from the epicentre) is likely to be bulldozed secondary to this phenomenon. Looks like Kaiapoi in North Canterbury, about 60km from the epicentre, has also sustained severe damage.
Checking what underlies the soil will be a feature of any new house purchase/rental from now on I think!
The Rose
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Christchurch Earthquake 2
Well, we have survived the night. Managed to get some sleep although woken frequently with aftershocks, some into the 5's. The worst aftershocks were between 4-5am (about 4) - significant amount of retraumatising courtesy of the 4.30 events of yesterday!
Ventured into town today to get some supplies. Managed to get diesel, LPG gas bottles filled and food :) The suburbs had a "business as usual" feel although everyone was very quiet, just getting in and getting stuff down before going home. Really impressed at how calm everyone is being and how well stocks and supplies are coming through. I'm glad we shopped when we did though - arrived home to enjoy another 5+ aftershock! Wouldn't have wanted to be in the supermarket for that bad boy.
The most surreal experience today was still having an open home for the house sale - and people came!! Actual buyers not just rubber-neckers. We feel qualified to recommend the house as "sturdily constructed". :)
Went into town a little later to clear the P O Box and checked the routes for work, skirting around the cordons. It's just so sad to see. Christchurch is NZ's prettiest and most gracious city and all around there's horrible damage. So many chimneys down, pulling down roof tiles and walls. We could see some of the buildings that have sustained major damage - facades and building frontages lying on the street with the inside exposed to the world. Huge cracks in a number of roads with the liquefied sand covering massive areas. Beautiful buildings in disarray.
Having seen some of the buildings and comments from others, we're feeling even luckier now. We have water, power and phone. The house is built on concrete with a rock/stone base, hence why we have lasted. Some houses in the area haven't been as lucky.
You just can't envisage the destruction, ongoing anxiety with every aftershock, feelings of being overwhelmed and concern for the suffering of others.
The Rose
Ventured into town today to get some supplies. Managed to get diesel, LPG gas bottles filled and food :) The suburbs had a "business as usual" feel although everyone was very quiet, just getting in and getting stuff down before going home. Really impressed at how calm everyone is being and how well stocks and supplies are coming through. I'm glad we shopped when we did though - arrived home to enjoy another 5+ aftershock! Wouldn't have wanted to be in the supermarket for that bad boy.
The most surreal experience today was still having an open home for the house sale - and people came!! Actual buyers not just rubber-neckers. We feel qualified to recommend the house as "sturdily constructed". :)
Went into town a little later to clear the P O Box and checked the routes for work, skirting around the cordons. It's just so sad to see. Christchurch is NZ's prettiest and most gracious city and all around there's horrible damage. So many chimneys down, pulling down roof tiles and walls. We could see some of the buildings that have sustained major damage - facades and building frontages lying on the street with the inside exposed to the world. Huge cracks in a number of roads with the liquefied sand covering massive areas. Beautiful buildings in disarray.
Having seen some of the buildings and comments from others, we're feeling even luckier now. We have water, power and phone. The house is built on concrete with a rock/stone base, hence why we have lasted. Some houses in the area haven't been as lucky.
You just can't envisage the destruction, ongoing anxiety with every aftershock, feelings of being overwhelmed and concern for the suffering of others.
The Rose
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Christchurch Earthquake
Well today has been a long and eventful day that started at 4.35am with a rude wake up from the planet. AKA the Christchurch earthquake, 7.1 on the Richter Scale.
I have never been in a quake like this before. Banging, crashing and roaring and really difficult to stand up and get to a door frame. Power went out immediately so all we had to reference was the massive noise, shaking and crashing sounds around the house. The shaking went on for ages however we managed to get together the tent, clothes, food, cat cage (although cat was elusive!) and some bedding, get the truck out and pile in to tune in to the radio to find out that we were only 20km from the epicentre.
Went back into the house and then an outside survey about 7ish. Amazingly, the house seems fine, no cracks in the roof, tiles, bricks or concrete. Guess that's why you live in a new house that has the highest earthquake specs! The other new houses round the neighbourhood have faired similarly. I understand that some houses in Burnham township and the army camp have been mothered with walls, ceilings and windows blown out.
We've been lucky with damage inside too although a lovely glass plate of mine was smashed. Otherwise, 1 shot glass fell out of the cupboard and smashed to smithereens. Books off the bookshelves, speakers fell over, pictures everywhere on the wall, dvd's on the floor, tv monitor fell off, papers everywhere. Still, having sold most of our stuff there was little to fall over! From the "how" files, my phrenology head fell 2m to the ground and was completely unharmed :)
Power was out until about 5.30pm - amazing job from the power company to get that back on so quickly. Water is apparently contaminated so all drinking water is being boiled although we still have supply. Phones have been a bit flaky although we realised we have no non-powered phones so couldn't use our landline with the power out! Mobile internet etc has been intermittent however all going now.
The quakes have continued constantly all day with a noticeable one every 3-5minutes. It's like being in a storm with the ongoing booming and shaking. Still, we're lucky. There's a hell of a lot of carnage in the city centre, especially in the older buildings.
We look forward to the evening...
The Rose
I have never been in a quake like this before. Banging, crashing and roaring and really difficult to stand up and get to a door frame. Power went out immediately so all we had to reference was the massive noise, shaking and crashing sounds around the house. The shaking went on for ages however we managed to get together the tent, clothes, food, cat cage (although cat was elusive!) and some bedding, get the truck out and pile in to tune in to the radio to find out that we were only 20km from the epicentre.
Went back into the house and then an outside survey about 7ish. Amazingly, the house seems fine, no cracks in the roof, tiles, bricks or concrete. Guess that's why you live in a new house that has the highest earthquake specs! The other new houses round the neighbourhood have faired similarly. I understand that some houses in Burnham township and the army camp have been mothered with walls, ceilings and windows blown out.
We've been lucky with damage inside too although a lovely glass plate of mine was smashed. Otherwise, 1 shot glass fell out of the cupboard and smashed to smithereens. Books off the bookshelves, speakers fell over, pictures everywhere on the wall, dvd's on the floor, tv monitor fell off, papers everywhere. Still, having sold most of our stuff there was little to fall over! From the "how" files, my phrenology head fell 2m to the ground and was completely unharmed :)
Power was out until about 5.30pm - amazing job from the power company to get that back on so quickly. Water is apparently contaminated so all drinking water is being boiled although we still have supply. Phones have been a bit flaky although we realised we have no non-powered phones so couldn't use our landline with the power out! Mobile internet etc has been intermittent however all going now.
The quakes have continued constantly all day with a noticeable one every 3-5minutes. It's like being in a storm with the ongoing booming and shaking. Still, we're lucky. There's a hell of a lot of carnage in the city centre, especially in the older buildings.
We look forward to the evening...
The Rose
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