September 03, 2010

• Tracicle reports that she is ok here: http://www.metafilter.com/95399/72-Wake-up-Call#3267112
• 7.2 is serious; the strongest earthquake I've been through in 50 years in California was the 6.7 Northridge quake which caused US$20BILLION in damage and 72 deaths, due to its epicenter being in the middle of suburban L.A. and its high "ground acceleration". I was 2.8 miles from the epicenter... in a waterbed... with a nervous wife and nervous dog. Thrill ride! Also, don't assume damage is worst near the epicenter. My apartment building was mostly undamaged; my father's, five miles farther away, was a total loss.
• All good although internet is getting spasmodic. Will disconnect for now, but no panic. Just want power and coffee!
• Amen to that Tracicle - glad to hear all is OK, hope you can get a coffee soon.
• Hope it's all sorted quickly and you don't suffer too many problems.
• Just been for a walk to the shops and back to warm up. Everything is closed while staff clean up and wait for power, but a lovely lady had somehow bought all of yesterday's bread from the bakery and was giving it out to passersby. We're going to my parents' place a couple of hours away until we know the water and sewer service are stable - power is back now.
• Glad to hear that the Monkeybashi Palace is still standing and that you and your family are safe, tracicle.
• Glad to hear you're okay, tracicle. Keep us posted.
• I'm too far north to have been woken by it, but my mum, further south, was. NZ (also known as the Shaky Isles) is prepared for them and we can handle magnitude 7s. The last one of this size was in 1968 (the Inangahua Quake) and only one died. Central city damage looks bad, mainly to older structures. The iconic Christchurch Cathedral was recently strengthened so that should be ok. One problem will be the time it takes to restore services to the rural areas, as Canterbury has a large dairy industry.
• My thoughts are with you! hang in there, and, you know, of course, if there is anything we can do, let us know!
• I hope you have power/water/other amenities back. Are your kids settling down and able to sleep? Poor wee mites--it's a tough happening for kidlets, especially when there are rough aftershocks. How bizarre about the river bed cracking and water sloshing over. Another strange happening one doesn't think of in terms of an earthquake--or at least I never have--being as I'm from relatively stable Idaho. *falls to ground and kisses dirt* Trackracken, I believe it's time you activated and used your earth power for good!
• The effect of earthquakes on lakes, rivers and reservoirs can be some of their bigger impacts. I remember a 6-point earthquake in the Valley suburbs of L.A. when I was a kid. The first thing I saw as I crept out of my room was the water sloshing out of our backyard in-ground swimming pool a minute after the shaking stopped. It lost at least 8-9 inches off the top. Meanwhile, there was a report of a reservoir at the north end of the valley showing cracks that, if it had burst (it didn't) would have devastated the suburbs around it and sent enough water to our location a dozen miles away to refill the pool easily. Amazingly, the concrete-banked "L.A. River" survived both that quake and the '94 biggie (and it passed less than a mile from the epicenter) without a scratch. But again, if that dam had burst, the water would have filled the usually-empty flood control "river" and kept on flooding everything for miles southward.
• Pics on the BBC web site.
• Animation of quake frequency since the big one. Blog from a resident. Part II Here.
• Holy rock and roll! That animation is freakin' amazing. Residents must either be totally staunch and nonchalant or complete nervous wrecks by now. New Zealand's major 7.0 earthquake disrupted supplies from one of the country's biggest breweries...operations may not return to normal for weeks. Just when the country needs beer most!
• One week later
• Just over two weeks later and we're all too tired to wake up for aftershocks now. Last night there was a 4.5 and I woke up, but not until after it was done. The kids sleep right through. Life is returning to normal, which only makes more of a jolt when you're driving down the road with music blaring, enjoying the sun, and pass another pile of rubble that used to be someone's business, or a church, or perhaps a home. Mind you, I don't know that any private homes have been demolished yet - although many have been seriously damaged they aren't endangering the public the way shop fronts can, and the owners are waiting for reports and inspections and claim follow-ups. My cousin and her husband had just finished building their dream home in Brooklands, near the lagoon, and were originally told they'd have to demolish. It turns out it's cheaper to repair than to rebuild - which is as lucky as they can get under the circumstances.
• Glad to hear that things are better. I guess if the kids can start thinking that a 4.5 earthquake is something to sleep through, that's good. I'm glad everyone can relax a bit. Keep that survival kit up to date and close to hand though, OK?!
• "it's cheaper to repair than to rebuild" I'm so for that!
• Absolutely, BlueHorse! One thing that concerned us was that we have an auto-door opener on our garage. It needs electricity to open or shut the door, and can only be disabled from inside the garage (ha). So we've taken steps to sort that, and have bought extra batteries for torches etc. Everything else actually worked really well when we needed it - bottled water, radio, lights. We're also going to buy a cheap LP gas heater which doesn't require power to run, and keep it in the garage just in case. Our house got very cold very quickly without power. Let this be a lesson: make sure you have the basics for emergency use, but think outside the square too, especially if you have young children. Heat was definitely an issue for us, and not exactly something you stock in a preparedness kit. Also make sure you always keep your prescription glasses on hand, because there's nothing like waking up at 4:30 to a dark shaking blur. We had a pretty good 4.5 again this morning, 10km away and 15km deep. I was already awake so it wasn't as wrenching as it could have been, but it was a sharp one. Things have slowed down but the intensity seems to be staying the same...
• Good on you, trac! It's pretty amazing how much we take for granted. One of the big step up transformers blew out at the power station and cut power for seven hours the other evening. Even knowing that the power is off doesn't keep me from automatically trying to flip the light switch Every. Damn. Time. Doh!!!
• One month later. Some of Christchurch's most beutiful buildings are about to disappear forever. The MLC building was one of the first multi-story buildings in Christchurch. Residents have experienced over 1300 aftershocks since the big one.
• 1550 last I heard from the neighbours. My next-door neighbour's 83-year-old mother is finally moving back into her own home tomorrow after getting the all-clear from the engineers. Had a couple of decent shakes (4.5-5.0) in the last few days, just to keep us on our toes.
• ACK! Trac-kracken, just settle down now!
• Earthquake hits Christchurch causing serious injuries
• 6.3 this time, seemingly less than the last one, but reports say it has caused more damage. It's possible; I was 2.5 miles from the epicenter of 1994 Northridge, CA quake, a mere 6.7 that had the "highest ever ground acceleration instrumentally recorded in an urban area in North America". My home was mostly undamaged, but my father's, at least 5 miles farther away, was a total loss. Now, I'm beginning to suspect the San Andreas Fault has moved to NZ, because it's been quiet - too quiet. Be careful out there, trac.
• And another one! Only one death (in a rest home) and a few minor injuries. But many have had enough and are packing up and leaving. Moata's blog gives the personal perpective.
• Scary stuff. There are so many things we take for granted...
• The Red Zone, which is the heaviest damaged area of the Christchurch CBD, is being opened up to bus tours for the next 6 weeks. Over 7000 have applied for tickets. Some have described as a very emotional experience, and say the damage is even greater than they expected. CERA have supplied a video commentary of the tour route.