Another quake

34 comments on “Another quake ”

• Comments are now closed

1. infused 1

   13 June 2011 at 2:26 pm

   I really think the city needs to be moved… I mean, how long is this going to go on for?
   • lprent 1.1

     13 June 2011 at 7:09 pm

     Last time a fault series let slip down there was in the 1880s from memory. It took over a year for the secondaries to stop. There is a lot of energy stored up in twisting faults.
2. gingercrush 2

   13 June 2011 at 2:32 pm

   Even bigger one
   • Jim Nald 2.1

     13 June 2011 at 2:51 pm

     Trust nothing too exciting happens.
     News emerging now of the latest:

     Reference Number: 3528839
     NZST: Mon, Jun 13 2011 2:20 pm
     Magnitude: 6.0
     Depth: 9 km
     Details: 10 km south-east of Christchurch
3. Inventory2 3

   13 June 2011 at 3:04 pm

   How much more can people take? For some, this will be the final straw. I’ve just spoken to all our Christchurch staff. One whanau is housebound due to damage to their street and further liquefaction. Others are stressed out of their brains. And of course, much of the good work that has gone on beneath the ground since Feb 22nd will be undone by these quakes today.

   Kia kaha Christchurch; what else can you say?
4. Colonial Viper 4

   13 June 2011 at 3:07 pm

   Horrible. Two big ones in a day. The people at the inquest into the CTV building collapse, including family members of the deceased, are all just in shock now.

   Hope everyone is OK.

   It’s been such a bad time for everyone.
5. Tiger Mountain 5

   13 June 2011 at 3:13 pm

   Poor buggers. Maybe full city reconstruction (with a centre) should be delayed for several years or ultimately abandoned, and a “transition town” or type of “eco village” model subsitituted. Suburbs deemed stable enough be rebuilt as largely self sufficient communities with local waste facilites, solar power etc. A series of “communities” that combined would make up the new Christchurch. Centralised power and sewerage utilities just seem so problematic in an unstable area.
6. LynW 6

   13 June 2011 at 3:17 pm

   Our thoughts are with you all in Christchurch. Have just been speaking with our sister/sister-in-law and can hear the fear in her voice as the tremors continue. Always reassuring to hear they are ok physically but wonder at the emotional toll. Would hate to be experiencing what you are all going through right now. Just hope all is well.
7. DS 7

   13 June 2011 at 3:20 pm

   Literally flew 2 meters in that last one. Glad I landed on a chair. Not fun. Hope everyone is safe.
8. Lanthanide 8

   13 June 2011 at 3:31 pm

   You know you’re in Christchurch when your 8 minute commute turns into 30. The last 10 minutes was surprisingly fast moving however, thought I was going to be stuck for an hour.

   No real damage at home, again. No apparent damage at work (before I left). We could see big dust plumes rising up from where Castle Rock used to be, though. Relatives all fine, although aunt and uncle in town have lost power and water again. Just lost water here.
   • Inventory2 8.1

     13 June 2011 at 3:42 pm

     Hang in there Lanthanide
     • Lanthanide 8.1.1

       13 June 2011 at 3:50 pm

       I’ve been barely affected by any of the quakes. So it’s all a bit surreal.
9. Pascal's bookie 9

   13 June 2011 at 3:51 pm

   Hang tight there little cantabs. They can’t bloody go on forever, and every one that happens gets you one closer till the end of ’em.
10. happynz 10

    13 June 2011 at 4:10 pm

    First biggie at 13:00 – ‘alright class settle down.’ Second whopper at 14:20 – ‘That’s it. Time to go home. You all take care now…’

    A lot of walls down in Riccarton, Fendalton and Merivale that somehow made it through the September and February events. More of that nasty liquefaction in my St Albans neighbourhood, but not as bad as in February.
11. belladonna 11

    13 June 2011 at 4:20 pm

    My thoughts are with all the Cantabs as are my tears. Beautiful Christchurch, such a lovely city.
    Be strong everyone, it will come to an end one day.
12. Treetop 12

    13 June 2011 at 4:39 pm

    Relentless earthquakes are very unsettling for the people of Christchurch and the surrounding area. In fact so much is uncertain, regarding damage from all of the earthquakes. The aftermath is ongoing.

    Certainty is required and where certainty can be given it must be given without further delay by Brownlee.
13. Lanthanide 13

    13 June 2011 at 4:40 pm

    My boyfriend noted that we probably would’ve been better off if the Grand Chancelor had come down in these last quakes. Probably end up being cheaper in the long run.
14. Treetop 14

    13 June 2011 at 4:54 pm

    I am concerned about those who have lost power. It is my understanding that the Red Cross is giving out $100 per month to the elderly for electricity. A wool rest and a woollen inner duvet surely would make the situation a bit more bearable as they do not require electricity. Money for campervans but not for essential bedding to keep a person warm and to prevent having to see the GP.
    • Lanthanide 14.1

      13 June 2011 at 5:07 pm

      I would think the Red Cross would already have given out suitable bedding for any that didn’t already have it. It’s not like they’re *only* giving out money for electricity and nothing else. I’d also suggest that most elderly people would probably have warm bedding, them being old and wise and having lived through much worse economic times than we have today.
      • Treetop 14.1.1

        13 June 2011 at 5:35 pm

        I hope you are right because warm bedding is something that can be sorted for those who need it. An electric blanket and a hot water bottle is redundant with a power cut.
    • Treetop 14.2

      14 June 2011 at 3:48 pm

      “Three elderly people were admitted to hospital with hypothermia last night.”
      http://www.starcanterbury.co.nz/local/news/christchurch-got-off-lightly/3955697/

      OK I do not know the facts of the bedding of the three elderly people, but I do know this. WOOLLEN bedding is required. Woollen bedding e.g. as in duvets and bed rests are often not donated. The cost of woollen is much dearer compared to synthetic fibre; a person on NZ Super may purchase an inferior bedrest or duvet. I find that woollen blankets are also very expensive and they are not readily stocked in family stores.

      There have been problems with young babies not being dressed in wool as well, because the cold goes through syntheic fibre, even with layers. Layers are what keep young babies warm, but unless a woollen layer is added the cold generally gets in.

      Something can be done about WOOLLEN bedding for the young, sick and elderly. Duck and goose down is another option, but is not suitable for babies.
15. prism 15

    13 June 2011 at 6:02 pm

    The earthquakes were said by seismologists to be continuing to a destructive level, rightly. It seems unwise to try and rebuild Christcurch in the same area, something smaller needs to be planned for the near city with a ‘New town’ away from the quake areas where the people from the east can resettle. Otherwise advancement will be painfully slow with rebuilds of repairs and vice versa.

    Rolleston was being talked about as it wasn’t expected to suffer liquefaction. But the quakes seem to be coming from the south. The west of the Christchurch suburbs are not getting anything like the effects in the east. If proper town planning procedures are now followed, this won’t happen again to those who will live in the future more sparsely populated east.
16. Robert Atack 16

    13 June 2011 at 7:53 pm

    Maybe there is a god?
    And He/She has decided it is about time to rid this rock of humans, what with , Japan/Fukushima, The Gulf of Mexico (that isn’t over yet) E-coli , ‘damp’ Australia, and the cane toads, Peak Oil, CO2, masses of people crammed into places fast running out of food, John Key, the whole system is imploding.
    You would think at some point the people of Christchurch (and maybe all of NZ) would get the hint, and just abandon the city, it could be years before the ‘rebuild’ starts, if ever. We are fast going to learn that there is just not enough ‘stuff’ left to rebuild what we have. Solid Rimu doors and full copper hot water systems come to mind
    • ZeeBop 16.1

      13 June 2011 at 9:07 pm

      Christchurch needs to write some first class prose, then maybe, just maybe it too can avoid the ongoing treatments of lobotomy raising its grey walls and muddying the back passage.
17. RedLogix 17

    13 June 2011 at 9:16 pm

    The real worry here is going to be the unknown. People hate uncertainty, especially when it comes to investing in their future.

    I just turned down a probably job in ChCh this last week, partly because it didn’t quite fit, and partly because I know what quakes are like and I know I don’t like them much. At all.

    But that’s nothing compared to what’s going through many people’s minds tonight. It’s nine months of this so far and no end in sight. Many, many would leave town if they could… but one thing or another keeps them trapped there.

    I really hope Roger Sutton (CERA) fulfills the promise many have put in him, because there is one hell of job ahead of them and this beautiful, broken city. My heart goes out to you all.
18. Lanthanide 18

    14 June 2011 at 12:05 pm

    GNS has revised the magnitudes of both quakes up: 5.7 and 6.3.
     
    The first one definitely felt stronger than 5.5 so I’m not surprised by that.
     
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/5139229/GNS-upgrades-earthquake-strengths
19. RedLogix 19

    14 June 2011 at 8:53 pm

    What is showing up here badly is the fundamental weakness of our system of property ownership. I’ve long advocated that all residential land should be leasehold, owned by the Crown with the lease managed by the local TA (ie you pay rent instead of rates).

    The biggest advantage is that it would prevent banks from bankrolling speculation and bubbles in land prices.

    Another is that it would greatly ease the planning and implementation of public works.

    And in the case of emergencies like this one, it would be so much simpler to simply open a new development in a safe location and declare the old damaged one to be progressively closed down. Insurance companies would only have to cover damaged buildings and chattels… not the cost of the land. Which given that the over-inflated land prices is the largest cost and risk, should substantially reduce premiums.

    Truly you have to feel very sorry for ordinary folks trapped by damaged properties, desperate to move on with their lives, but unable to do so because the banks, insurers and authorities are struggling to make timely decisions.
    • Armchair Critic 19.1

      14 June 2011 at 9:25 pm

      The insurers will be wanting to hold onto their money for as long as they can reasonably do so, and will delay paying out for as long as possible. The interest on the sums of money involved for the larger payouts is phenomenal, so every day is valuable for the insurers. And the insured, of course, but right now the insurers have the money and the power to dictate.
      • RedLogix 19.1.1

        14 June 2011 at 9:55 pm

        Exactly. And the point is it’s fairly straightforward to determine is a house is to written off or not.

        But to determine if the land it is sitting on is no longer fit for purpose appears to be a much harder decision and that seems to be the crux of the problem here. The system has so much money invested in now useless land that it creates real problems to abandon so much of it all at once.

        My thought is that if the Crown owned it, no-one would have a vested interest in dragging the process out. Simply declare the land and suburb closed and open new locations for people to move into. The only cost to the Crown is the cost of providing roading and services to the new suburbs… a risk that can be easily collectively spread across the public purse.
        • vto 19.1.1.1

          15 June 2011 at 9:18 am

          As much pressure as can be brought to bear must now be so brought. Onto the insurers then immediately onto the politicians. Before the general election. Decisions and payouts have to happen super-quick smart now. For a whole bunch of reasons.

          Mr Logix, that idea may have some merit in some loose wide kind of way. Will have to apply me shaken brainwaves when they settle back out. (hopefully they will settle out better than they were before ha ha).

          I think we may be joining the Chch homeless too now…
          • Pascal's bookie 19.1.1.1.1

            15 June 2011 at 9:36 am

            Sad to hear about the house v.
          • HC 19.1.1.1.2

            15 June 2011 at 12:10 pm

            Brownlee is stuck at his pie cart and Don Key runs around like a headless chicken trying to keep its beak twisted to represent some kind of weird smile for the media cameras.

            We have a government that his over stressed and has no real answers. Let alone any clue about how to address the despair and immense distress many Christchurch residents are now under.

            Scientific reports already exist. It may take a little bit of time to get totally reliable information about some areas, but other ones, particularly in the Easter Suburbs, are already clearly earmarked for being unsuitable for future residential development.

            So some areas will also need to be abandoned and residents will inevitably have to resettle.

            Why does this useless government not set up an agency that is especially dealing with this issue of residential properties in such areas having to be abandoned and new residential areas being required for new development, this being in more secure areas in the west and perhaps south and north of Christchurch?

            It should set up an agency that allows affected residents to register and sign over all insurance claims to that agency, so that the agency can sort insurance claims out with EQC, AMI and who else may be the insurer involved. That takes the worry and load of the residents and gives them time to reorganise.

            At the same time that agency should work with CH CH council and other regional councils in the neighbourhood to swiftly make available new development areas suitable for residential construction.

            The agency would pay out loans to residents to given them the financial means to go aheas as soon as possible with re-building in safer areas. Also may new and more concentrated construction of townhouses, small blocks of flats, small apartment blocks and so be planned, because future development must be so designed to meet future needs. Bear in mind the looming energy crisis, a needed change from private motor vehicles to more public transport in the main centres and so on.

            Then things would start moving.

            The Prime Minister did during an interview with television news last night hum and harr, he was unclear, unspecific, vague and did not want to give any proper assessment details and reveal any clear plans how to deal with the more critical and more pressing situation now. He is like an idiot in the wrong job, and this becomes clearer by the day now.

            Brownlee is struggling to cope as well, and that is nothing new.

            Action is needed, and it is not happening.

            It is nonsense for the Prime Minister to talk about the insurers having to deal with over 90 reinsurers overseas. That will take time but will be dealt with. The individual resident and home owner should not be forced to deal with challenges individually, but be enabled to deal with them by being assisted by such an agency as I mentioned. That would surely speed things up.

            Maybe Labour can use such an idea to make cosntructive headway and show how useless the National led Donkey government really is?
          • Colonial Viper 19.1.1.1.3

            15 June 2011 at 12:19 pm

            Damn. Sorry to hear that mate.
20. vto 20

    15 June 2011 at 9:20 am

    Unexpected Earthquake Observation #1,001;

    The most unexpected of events is now the expected. Let your imagination run wild…

    Quick slop of tsunami is up next

• Comments are now closed

• Log in
• Donate
• Contribute post

• Articles RSS