Another terrible earthquake in Christchurch New Zealand

[Maggi Young]

Thank goodness we are hearing that our ChCh friends all seem to be alive.
I heard today from Betty Clark and they are rattled but unbowed... as is their chimney.  They are in Ashburton and their family in ChCh are all fine, too.

Great to hear from Edna  in person too.
Jean Wyllie has been in touch with other ChCh-ers so the Scottish anxiety levels have reduced somewhat.   Phew!

[Maren]

That's good news, thank you Maggi.

I have been watching this thread since it fist came up (couldn't sleep). It's so hard to know what to say. Other people do it so much better. Our thoughts are with you down under. 

[Senecio 2]

It's bad enough seeing it all at a distance on the news bulletins, but when you hear first hand gory details from friends on the front line it feels good to be alive. The people in the services are working extremely long and stressfull shifts but seem to need to 'unload' before crashing for the night. We all should be gratefull for the practical overseas aid workers who have arrived and immediately get stuck into assisting our own personnel. Going to bed after midnight and being back on line at daybreak certainly needs guts, youth and determination. Hope they have another successfull day tomorrow and rescue more people from near impossible situations. 

[jomowi]

I would like to add my concerns and good wishes to all the folk involved in this terrible tragedy.  It put's ones own problems into perspective.  I heard on our local news today that the Grampian Fire Brigade's crack team for earthquake rescue is on its way to you.  This team is specially trained and has been all over the world doing this kind of work.  They work on a 6-month rota of being first and second "on call".  They are on first call currently and that means ready to depart within 24 hours.  So Aberdonians will soon be with you in more than spirit.  

[galahad]

Hi all

I am safe and home

I work in the largest central city hotel so evacuating 298 rooms especially when aftershocks are kicking in and on the higher floors was awful.  The situation in the city is just terrible.

The kindness of strangers over this time has been inspiring

Getting home was a drama but eventually got here

Ross

[Lesley Cox]

Such a fantastic response from all the world, including unlikeley places and people. Teams are on the way now from the UK as Maureen says, all specialist search and rescue people, with experience in Haiti, and also from Japan and Taiwan arriving shortly. Teams from Singapore are already working in Chch and men from the USA will arrive today, hoping, they say, to be taken straight to where they can get on with their work.

Water, power and sewerage systems are all down for the majority of the city and the town of Lyttelton, the major port in the South Island is just about ruined but are coping with NZ navy in port and a large army team as well on their way to a combined exercise but stopping off instead. Fonterra, the biggest dairy company in the world is bringing 200,000 litres of water at a time in a fleet of milk tankers and supermarkets and dairies are giving out emergency food and bottled water, without payment, to those who are desperate.

There's nothing like a natural disaster to unite the people of a country and their friends around the world.

Police have not yet given up hope of finding live people in the rubble and we've all heard of someone miraculously being found alive after many days or even a couple of weeks, in Guatemala, China and elsewhere but there has been no indication of life since about 3pm yesterday. No voice, no cell phone call, nothing on cameras inserted, or heat seeking devices. Dogs have not indicated again.

On a more personal level, I'm so happy those I know in Christchurch seem to be alive and well, except poor Doug's second major damage. Edna, I was going to post your Dianthus on Tuesday afternoon, was actually packing them when we heard on the radio about the erthquake. I'll hold them until you let me know you can receive them safely. There was a note running across the bottom of the TV screen last night that NZ Post was disrupted, so let me know when you're ready and take good care of yourself.

[DaveM]

It's a great relief to hear that forum members in the affected area are OK - my thoughts are with you all and the many thousands of NZers affected at this time. These most devastating times very much bring out the best in people and it's good to see the support and assistance being delivered.

Your very brief description Ross of the hotel evacuation engenders some quite horrifying images! Having only experienced some very low magnitude earthquakes, I can't imagine what it would be like to be in a building during intense shaking so close to the epicentre - hope it was a recent structure built to the new code. I'm glad you're here to tell the tale!

[galahad]

Thanks, the hotel is built to withstand a magnitude 8

It's a great relief to hear that forum members in the affected area are OK - my thoughts are with you all and the many thousands of NZers affected at this time. These most devastating times very much bring out the best in people and it's good to see the support and assistance being delivered.

Your very brief description Ross of the hotel evacuation engenders some quite horrifying images! Having only experienced some very low magnitude earthquakes, I can't imagine what it would be like to be in a building during intense shaking so close to the epicentre - hope it was a recent structure built to the new code. I'm glad you're here to tell the tale!

[Paddy Tobin]

Good to hear you are fine, Ross. What a terrible experience.

Paddy

[Arum]

  It is 48 hours after the earthquake now & we are beginning to pick ourselves up - gather ourselves together one might say. I myself had a little more sleep last night so am steadier not quite so shocked & shaky. I think the majority of the community are feeling the same although we are emotional & sad. And it is very very sad & will take a long time before we find some form of normality again. Things will move very slowly this time but we will rebuild - of course we will - we have no choice - the damage to the city is enormous , there is not a building that has been spared. After the Sept earthquake people did feel more cheerful & feelings began to lift,  we could say " At least we have had no deaths," but I'm afraid this time it will be much harder for everyone. All ready the students are out in force to do their magic & do their best to assist citizens & clean up the suburbs  [they did a superb job following the Sept shake]. Aftershocks continue & this is adding to the tiredness and emotional fatigue, and stress is taking its toll on many. Rescue efforts by hundreds of search & Urban Rescue Teams from around New Zealand & Australia have continued & have never halted overnight. Huge resources from all over the world have become  available in ChristChurch to assist us. Japanese Teams & additional Australian Task Forces have arrived with their support & expertise & this will greatly ease the situation.Also a medical  team of Doctors &  nurses has arrived this morning from Australia & an 1100 strong team of the Philippines Armed Force. Heartfelt thanks to them all for helping us. We who personally have experienced what we are beginning to feel is the norm' during an earthquake - that is the smashing & collapsing etc of material things & some structural damage & then maybe the inconvenience, of the absence of the water, power & sewerage systems, feel it is insignificant compared with the pain & anxiety many Christchurch folk are experiencing at the moment. Some power has been restored water & sewerage will remain a very big problem.
So there we are folks - just a little update on happenings & some of my own thoughts - we are very fortunate indeed to be on-line & to be safe & sound in our home.
Regards to all Edna

[Maggi Young]

After the Sept earthquake people did feel more cheerful & feelings began to lift,  we could say " At least we have had no deaths," but I'm afraid this time it will be much harder for everyone.

I think you have the heart of the matter there, Edna. this is a different scenario altogether.
It is good to hear that such efforts are being made to help folks and I wish the rescuers  great success finding survivors.  Damage is damage but a life is precious.

[Paddy Tobin]

Good to hear you are well, Edna, and managing as best one can manage in such a situation. Hopefully, you and all around you will see progress over the coming weeks and get back to as near normal as possible.

Our best wishes are with you.

Paddy

[Lesley Cox]

Edna sent me a PM which I tried to copy and paste here but the paste part wouldn't work. She mentioned that her old cat Jonty, who never leaves home, had vanished right after the quake and they thought he was gone for good and she was beginning to understand the heartache of those whose family members are missing, not yet found or identified. But Jonty has turned up, tired, dirty and hungry though otherwise unharmed. If only those missing persons could be so fortunate. Official death toll this morning is 103.

[ChrisB]

Such a sad moment for you all down under, Lesley.  Our thoughts are with you all....

[Lesley Cox]

Thank you Chris, and thanks to everyone who is thinking of those in Christchurch. There has been such a fantastic response from people all around the world. Around 300 Australian police arrived today to supplement our own so that the Christchurch guys could get some rest and see to their own homes and families. Among all the SAR teams, civil defence, police etc, even those with severe damage to their own homes, have insisted on doing their jobs and helping where they can. Again the uni students are out with buckets, barrows and shovels cleaning up the silt. This liquifaction phenomenon is really an odd thing, one I'd not heard of until the Sept 'quake. It's many times worse this time.

Something I find heartening among the awful death toll, is that no-one so far as I have heard, who has been rescued even very badly injured, has since died. I mean, that everyone rescued alive, no matter how badly injured, remains alive. The head of the UK team of SAR guys said too, that in all his previous experience he had never dealt with such good organization by the local people and everything that could possibly be done to make the job easier and more successful, was being done. I guess it's the difference between a first world and a third world country and its infrastructure.

I feel a bit of a fraud talking about all this from Dunedin, when it is Christchurch that is affected, not my own home town. Edna has given a taste of the horror of it all and I can only talk about it as I see it from what is in the newspapers, on radio and TV. We've had tremendous coverage of course and it will go on, as the aftermath proceeds, in what seems a slow manner but as police said it is vital that everything is done absolutely correctly. An appalling thing it would be if the dead person were released to the wrong family. So the official IDs are coming in very slowly. Many are having to rely on dental records and DNA for positive IDs. Unfortunately no further live person has been found since Wednesday afternoon, but still we all hope for a miracle.