Christchurch Earth Quake: Feb 2011

[Tom]

Hope you guys from NZ are all okay and my thoughts go out to anybody affected by it

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8214609/powerful-earthquake-strikes-christchurch

A devastating earthquake has struck the New Zealand city of Christchurch, destroying dozens of buildings in the city centre and causing "multiple fatalities".

The magnitude 6.3 quake, which hit at 10.51am (AEDT), has claimed at least one life, however police say "multiple fatalities" have been reported at several locations in the central city.

Some of those killed were believed to have been travelling in two buses which were crushed by falling buildings, TVNZ said.

A witness saw the facade of a building collapse on a bus on Colombo St.

"There's people dead. [They're] pulling them out of a bus," the witness told the New Zealand Herald newspaper.

Live television pictures showed residents of the South Island city emerging from destroyed CBD buildings in tears and shaking.

Many screamed as apparent aftershocks dislodged large pieces of the badly damaged Christchurch Cathedral, which sits on the edge of the city's main square.

The spire of the cathedral collapsed on to the street, and television pictures showed at least one person was still inside the building.

A priest told TV3 he feared people were trapped in the rubble.

"It's just huge, it is huge," he said.

"The building's a building. The really important thing is the people.

"We just don't know if there are people under that rubble. I fear there are."

Philip Gregan, a visitor to the city, said the quake was "incredibly violent, very very scary".

"We're all standing out on the street with sirens going off around us.

"Oh no, there's another one," he said while on the phone.

"I want to get out of here."

The damage is worse than that caused by the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the city on September 4 last year, according to witnesses.

GNS Science said today's quake was more damaging because of its shallow depth.

The September quake hit at 4.35am (NZ time) when most residents were asleep at home and therefore out of the path of falling buildings.

"The worrying fear is this earthquake has happened at a time when Cantabrians are going about their business," Prime Minister John Key told parliament.

Witnesses said people were in the streets and the whole central city was gridlocked as businesses evacuated and employees rushed home to check on their families.

There are fears people are trapped under the rubble of the collapsed buildings, and emergency services are finding it difficult to access the city because of the gridlock.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said he was "thrown quite a distance" by the quake.

He told Radio New Zealand there were scenes of "great confusion" and added: "That was, in the city central anyway, as violent as the one that happened on the 4th of September.

"I know of injuries in my building and there are unconfirmed reports of serious injuries in the city."

A witness told the New Zealand Herald the scene was "bloody awful" near Sheffield, a town west of Christchurch.

"[Houses] rolled up and down and shook violently for a good 10 seconds or more. My husband in town has no power — I am a shaking wreck."

Another said: "Massive destruction. I'm in the inner city."

Resident Sean Scanlon said it was the biggest quake since the original September 4th quake last year.

Power and phone lines are out.

Christchurch Hospital was being evacuated, a spokeswoman for the hospital said.

GNS duty seismologist Bill Fry told the NZ Herald the acceleration of today's earthquake was larger in Christchurch city than the magnitude 7.1 earthquake last year.

He said: "Instantaneously, they would have felt the greatest amount of shaking today. But the duration would not have been as long."

The earthquake happened at a shallow depth of five to six kilometres below ground.
In the city, the acceleration measured the same as the force of gravity, Dr Fry said.

In September, the largest acceleration felt around the city was on its eastern side, which measured 0.8 times the force of gravity.

Today's earthquake did not last as long as the September quake, but Dr Fry said its duration had not been confirmed yet.

 

[Guest]

coz im lazy...

Yeah same here! Mother nature really does have it in, hardcore, for us in the south pacific lately! First NZ a few months back, then the WA/NT/QLD part of Australia, and now NZ again...we must of pissed her off hard at some point!

Hope everyone on here and all your families are safe!

News Link:

http://www.news.com.au/world/quake-aftershock-hits-christchurch/story-e6frfkyi-1226009960218

 

[Fully]

There is a shit load of people trapped in the city
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4688231/Deaths-destruction-in-Christchurch-quake

Two suburbs are completly unliveable at the moment Lyttelton and Brightion. my work mate left work at the same time i did and is still on the road 4 hours later.

 

[smitty]

i spent the first five years of my life in Brighton and the Heathcote Valley I'm betting the house i grew up in isn't going to be there any more.

 

[legnum600]

Yeah another sad day for my old hm town, good news is my mum sisters are ok.

 

[Guest]

Death toll currently stands at 65! Approx 6hrs after it happened. Not good!

 

[Fully]

65 confirmed dead so far

 

[snickells]

Have we heard from any of our other members there? 67 reported deaths so far, quite nasty.

 

[Fully]

There is still power and some cell phone networks down!

 

[naughtika]

Sorry to hear guys.. Hope our members and their families are all ok..

Is this the first earthquake nz had experienced? Cause I don't recall nz being near a fault line..

 

[Fully]

Sorry to hear guys.. Hope our members and their families are all ok..

Is this the first earthquake nz had experienced? Cause I don't recall nz being near a fault line..

Are no!

September the 4th 2010 7.1 in Canterbury - Shakes since then - Last shake #4403 was Magnitude 4.6
Thats 4000 in 5 months.

NZ lives on the Pacfic and Australian plates - 2/3rds of Nz lives on it - Alpine Fault makes the southern alps.

 

[unclepaulie]

christian: not good at geography


but seriously, terrible natural disaster. hope everyone is holding up well over there.

 

[Mel-D]

My heart and thoughts go out to all affected by this devistating event.

 

[ygoslo]

Fairly major sign of disaster fatigue when my biggest when seeing this on tv was "oh no, I hope that s15 is ok". And I don't even have a great attachment to s15s.

I also think it is sad that this is getting so much more coverage than the situation in Libya.

But having said that I do hope it doesn't end up being as bad as what it looks at the moment. Naturally.

 

[smohekey]

I also think it is sad that this is getting so much more coverage than the situation in Libya.

Believe me, a lot of people here will disagree with you. We only just got power back on and are eager for any information about what's happening around us.

 

[Fully]

I conquer Scott, we have a house full of family as they have no power at there places!

 

[king_panther]

Believe me, a lot of people here will disagree with you.

^ +10000000000 dude.

Pretty disgusting to be comparing events like this with something completely different on the other side of the world...

 

[smitty]

^ +10000000000 dude.

Pretty disgusting to be comparing events like this with something completely different on the other side of the world...

Both are horrific disasters. One's a natural one, the other's not. I'd guess Christchurch gets more coverage because it's at the other end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, not the other side of the planet, but an earthquake in a small, out-of-the-way tourist destination is hardly going to effect the rest of the world in the same way that political and civil turmoil in an oil-producing nation.

 

[bogan bob]

Hope all members here are ok and family and friends are ok too.

Sorry but Tim does have a bit of a point. While its tragedy, whats happening in Libya is pretty horrific and a historic showdown of the people vs tyranny and I think should be receiving just as much coverage - citizens are being slaughtered by their leader!

Yes its horrible whats happened in NZ, my thoughts go out to all the people affected and especially to those that have passed away in this terrible natural disaster.

 

[fieldy107]

Its only natural to care more about whats happening to our next door neighbors then whats happening to some people we know very little about on the other side of the world. Anyway I hope your all ok NZ members!