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R U Visiting NZ soon? Chch Earthquake.

waynelake

Member
I read a few days ago, maybe on the Sony Board, someone was visiting NZ soon.

So thought I'd mention Christchurch had a 7.1 earthquake, centered very close to the city. 300 000 people live there. No one died. Now is about 5 days later and the place is in state of emergency, there was a 7PM curfew, uncertain about now. Most water/power restored... 100 000 buildings are damaged or being pulled down before they fall down. The strongest after shocks each day are 5+, about 5.5 and some are causing huge cracks in the ground........ there is or was flooding in places from ground water surfacing, a child on tv digging into the ground as lost his bike, ground liquified swallowed the bike..... new and old houses/buildings torn in 2...

Anyway, Do not want to put anyone off visiting, its all uncertain, but if planning on visiting Christchurch, I'd double check everything... (or maybe avoid, concerning such visit to the city.... its a mess... there were/are parts of city/roads, closed off because of building damage...) although no doubt much unaffected.....

There is a back road going around the city. ?Day travel only? as it seems to be, worst affected area. There most likely has been road repairs, but there was big cracks/bent roads...

Photos.
http://www.google.co.nz/images?num=...=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1541&bih=905

Click on this, let it run a few minutes...you'll see the aftershocks/magnitude...
http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/

Wayne
PS: I'm in Queenstown, 6 hours drive south west...

"If was planning to visit, I'd visit... last I heard the airport was open :) "​
 

Terry

New member
Even with all of the damage, from what I've read without the very stringent building requirements that are in place it would have been much, much worse. Amazing that there was not a loss of life.

Best wishes to your country to get back the rest of your "essential services" and hopefully back to a sense normalcy.
 

waynelake

Member
Thanks... can not remember how much, but it wiped out a lot or greater percentage of power/water, but mostly all back now. Still some areas without, with generators/water tankers...

the concerns seem to be to bring down buildings now before an after shock does, people without housing, and government paying companies to pay employees NZ$350/week for upto 2 months, which in some cases is the end of their work at that place...

they said the cost was 2 billion, and now is 4 billion NZ dollars. Someone said the last quake was 16 000 years ago. The area is all flat plains and evidence eroded. Was quite unexpected, they expected a big quake along the length of West Coast which could do building damage to east coast cities. That fault line one of 3 most active in world....

The people are happy with the Mayor, (election time maybe postponed) who is "...having a reassuring/calming effect..."

A new 4 million dollar home is a loss, maybe the ground turned to quick sand, not literally, but the foundations all out of shape... It will bring a lot of work, with those higher building standards... There was huge employment in Queenstown, like people were saying years of, in several projects, in building industry, then hardly any due to the world wide/local economy... so despite damage, the down side, there will be years of more work available...
 
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