Earthquake New Zealand

[galahad]

just checking that all of our South Island friends are OK.  Particularly those in inland Canterbury
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/image.cfm?c_id=1&gal_objectid=10671049&gallery_id=113677#7073686

[Martin Baxendale]

Looks like Lesley should have been outside the damage zone - also my brother and his family up at Golden Bay would have felt it but should have been well outside the damage zone.

[Paddy Tobin]

Just reading about this on today's newspaper and hope all is well with our friends there. Hope to hear from them soon.

Paddy

[Lesley Cox]

Ross, you were much closer than I, and all I felt was my bed shaking backwards and forward just after 4.30am, as I was about to get up to go to work. It was felt as far south as Invercargill but the damage confined to Christchuuch and the area west of the city, as far west as Darfield. Kaiapoi, where Joan Whillans lives (many Forumists will know her) was badly hit and so far I've had no reply to an email but power and other services although restored to most areas incredibly quickly, are still out in some places.

With just two exceptions, injuries to people were minor and no deaths, thank goodness.

I don't think Christchurch has ever been thought of as an earthquake area (Wellington is all the time waiting for it's "big one") so it was a surprise to those of us who felt it but assumed it would have originated in Fiordland or the West Coast, where there are many small quakes each year, but usually in regions of low or nil population so they go un-noticed by the general public.

Also yesterday, a plane crash near the Fox Glacier on the West Coast, killing all nine people aboard, so not a good day for the South Island.

[Paddy Tobin]

Lesley, good to hear all is well with you and also very good to hear there have been no fatalities. Read of the 'plane crash and saw that an Irishman was among those involved.


NZ Earthquake photographs:  http://www.thenational.ae/section/multimedia?profile=1314

Paddy

[galahad]

The aftershocks are driving me nuts.

There is a 7pm-7am curfew in the city and quite a few areas still cordoned off as some of the buildings could collapse with the aftershocks

[annew]

The damage looks terrible - it's remarkable there were no fatalities.

[Lesley Cox]

Yes Paddy, 5 NZers along with an Irishman, an Englishman, an Australian and a German. Sounds like the beginning of a joke, bit it was NOT funny. It was a plane used to take skydivers.

Christchurch's problems are compounded today with gale force north-west winds and heavy rain predicted. For us in Dunedin too but of course we haven't the underlying problem to contend with.

I saw a TV picture of two young girls sitting on the edge of a crevasse in a road and thought of one of my childhood nightmare, of the earth opening to swallow me.

[Lesley Cox]

The damage looks terrible - it's remarkable there were no fatalities.

I suppose the timing was a factor there Anne. Most sensible people are still in bed at 4.30am. I believe most injuries were home-related. One woman cut her feet on broken glass from a mirror, when she went into the bathroom, with no power/light. Had it happened mid day in the centre ciry there would have been many more and perhaps fatal injuries as masonry fell. I heard one old building fell in on itself totally, like New York's twin towers. And many of the city's heritage buildings, of which Christchurch is rightly very proud as they are quite beautiful, were damaged.

We've felt no after shocks this far south Ross.

[galahad]

Someone made a valid point.  There was less damage at the epicentre (Darfield) than there was in Christchurch partly because Darfield is built on rock whereas Christchurch is all sand and swamp

The wind is getting pretty bad now :-(

[t00lie]

Managed to speak with Doug ,(Kiwi)--he and family are safe.

He lives near Kaiapoi one of the worst affected areas and his house and property have taken a 'hit' so it will be a while before he is back on the forum.

[galahad]

My brother's house in Kaiapoi will need to be demolished

[cohan]

all the best to members there, hope damage is soon repaired!

[DaveM]

Relieved to hear that folks are safe, despite what appears from TV pics over here to be devastation of public buildings and infrastructure. From these islands where seismic activity is at such a low level, it's very difficult to appreciate what those affected are going through. Hopefully, the necessities of a modern society can be restored quickly and people can begin to rebuild their lives. Best wishes to all.

[ichristie]

We have seen all the damage caused by the quake very pleased to hear that all our friends are O/K. We are to visit South Island in November we do intend to come despite the quake meybe we will meet up with some members when we do come, cheers Ian the Christie kind.