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New Zealand Earth Quake


TheCrow
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TerranoNZ text messaged me right after it happened, but I have not heard from him since.

 

I did not realize the amount of damage this one did until this morning :unsure:

 

 

http://www.duluthnew...icle/id/192075/

At least 65 killed in New Zealand earthquake (includes video)

A powerful earthquake slammed New Zealand's already-bruised city of Christchurch on Tuesday, killing at least 65 people, and sending rescuers scrambling to help people trapped under collapsed buildings. By: Associated Press report, Associated Press

 

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — A powerful earthquake collapsed buildings at the height of a busy workday in New Zealand's city of Christchurch, killing at least 65 people and trapping dozens today in one of the country's worst natural disasters.

 

"It is a just a scene of utter devastation," Prime Minister John Key said after rushing to the city within hours of the quake. He said the death toll was 65, and may rise. "This may be New Zealand's darkest day," he told TV One News.

 

It was the second time a major quake hit the city of 350,000 in five months. Today's 6.3-magnitude temblor struck closer to downtown than a quake that heavily damaged Christchurch last September but caused no deaths when it struck before dawn on a weekend.

 

Video footage showed some multistory buildings collapsed in on themselves, and others with walls that had collapsed into the streets, strewn with bricks and shattered concrete. Sidewalks and roads were cracked and split, and dazed, screaming and crying residents wandered through the streets as sirens blared.

 

Groups of people helped victims clutching bleeding wounds, and others were carried to private vehicles in makeshift stretchers fashioned from rugs or bits of debris.

 

The spire of the iconic stone Christchurch Cathedral toppled into a central city square.

 

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker declared a state of emergency and ordered people to evacuate the city center. Troops were deployed to help people get out and to throw up a security cordon around the stricken area, said Deputy Prime Minister Bill English.

 

The airport was closed, and Christchurch Hospital was briefly evacuated before it was deemed safe and patients were returned. Power and telephone lines were knocked out, and pipes burst, flooding the streets with water. Some cars parked on the street were buried under rubble.

 

Some people were stuck in office towers and firefighters climbed extension ladders to pluck people trapped on roofs to safety. A crane lifted a team of rescuers on a platform to one group of survivors in a high-rise. Plumes of gray smoke drifted into the air at several points around the city from fires burning in the rubble.

 

Key held an emergency Cabinet meeting, then rushed to the stricken city to observe the scene.

 

He said eight or nine buildings had collapsed, and that officials were working as fast as they can to free an unknown number of people who were trapped.

 

New Zealand police said in a statement that reports of fatalities included that two buses had been crushed by falling buildings.

 

Gary Moore said he and 19 other colleagues were trapped in their 12th-floor office after the stairwell collapsed in the quake. He did not know if people on other floors were trapped.

 

"We watched the cathedral collapse out our window while we were holding onto the walls," Moore said. "Every aftershock sends us rushing under the desks. It's very unnerving but we can clearly see there are other priorities out the window. There has been a lot of damage and I guess people are attending to that before they come and get us."

 

The multistory Pyne Gould Guinness Building, housing more than 200 workers, collapsed and an unknown number of people are trapped inside. Television pictures showed rescuers, many of them office workers, dragging severely injured people from the rubble. Many had blood streaming down their faces. Screams could be heard from those still trapped.

 

Parker, the mayor, said he was on the top floor of the city council building when the quake hit just before 1 p.m. local time, throwing him across the room.

 

"I got down onto the street and there were scenes of great confusion, a lot of very upset people," he said. "I know of people in our building who are injured and I've had some reports of serious injuries throughout the city."

 

The U.S. Geological Survey said the temblor was centered 3 miles from the city at a depth of 2.5 miles. Two large aftershocks — one magnitude 5.6 and another 5.5 — hit the city within two hours, and officials warned people to stay away from damaged buildings because of the danger of further collapses.

 

A search and rescue team was being flown in from Australia to help in the recovery, and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she had offered Key any other support he requested.

 

The USGS said the latest quake was part of the "aftershock sequence" following the 7.1 magnitude earthquake on Sept. 4 last year. That quake wrecked hundreds of buildings, inflicted an estimated 4 billion New Zealand dollars ($3 billion U.S.) in damage, but caused no deaths.

 

A strong aftershock in December caused further damage to buildings. The city, considered a tourist center, was still rebuilding from those quakes when Tuesday's temblor hit.

 

The USGS said the latest quake hit "significantly closer to the main population center of Christchurch" than the September quake, which was centered 25 miles west of city.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opsiKirDfdE

 

WARNING: Graphic content

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfcWraeZvcw

 

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Gods, I just heard about it this morning, and I also didn't realize it was that bad. Buildings were already damaged/weakened from the big one 6 months ago, not they have anothe strong one damn near in the city and everything is toppling. Poor bastages haven't built to withstand that kind of abuse.

 

Good luck, people of New Zealand and get the hell out of there Tex!! Atlantis is on it's way back down!!

 

B

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WAVEY

 

Well, what a last day at work. I was in the middle of our tilt slab building when it hit.

scarpering for the door through our messy workshop I got dumped on the floor just as a large concrete mixer looking thing was heading for me.

2 of the other guys were unloading BIG I beam's off a truck with a gantry crane, fork knows how they weren't killed.

Here's a pic of our press brake that weighs a metric shet load, it had moved a good 3ft.

 

Image0242.jpg

 

We all went home early, roads were already starting to flood.

Just after I took this pic Kiwipete drove past me.

 

Image0243.jpg

 

Image0244.jpg

 

Got to my sisters place after about 3 hours in traffic, neither her or my Mum could get hold of me, so she broke down when she saw me.

I went with my flatmate to see if his folks were ok, road was blocked off.... Damned if I know why.

 

Image0245.jpg

 

Yes the car next to the bus is nose down in the tarmac.

His folks live on the hills, THEY were ok

 

Image0246.jpg

 

After that we spent until 2:30am refueling the pumps and driving out of town to refuel the tanker.

My knee slowly starting to seize up after landing on it, damn it hurts to bend it either way.

The tanker is now on it's way to City care to make sure they have enough diesel.

Rodney and his GF are ok too, I'm make sure he stops by this thread.

 

:beer: & :hugs:

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Glad to hear ur Ok Tex.

 

I've been in a bubble since i got home Saturday. Heard about it on the radio driving to work this morning.

 

If you and the other Kiwi's could do me a favor, there are always relief groups that pop up out of nowhere to collect money for tragedies like what your experiencing. If you personally see groups actually spending the money they collect and helping the people who need it the most. Please give them an "attaboy" and tell us their names. It's a lot easier to make a donation knowing that it's being used for the intended purpose.

 

Dag

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sweet, glad you guys made it through that. I was watching the news last night when ........ when down, there is some pretty crazy footage flying around the tubes right now.

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Glad to hear ur Ok Tex.

 

I've been in a bubble since i got home Saturday. Heard about it on the radio driving to work this morning.

 

If you and the other Kiwi's could do me a favor, there are always relief groups that pop up out of nowhere to collect money for tragedies like what your experiencing. If you personally see groups actually spending the money they collect and helping the people who need it the most. Please give them an "attaboy" and tell us their names. It's a lot easier to make a donation knowing that it's being used for the intended purpose.

 

Dag

This is an excellent point. I hate to donate to a non profit charity so the director can make $200k/yr

 

B

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i stopped by the thread tex!

was rough at work (BNT) too, parts off the shelves all over the place. buildings fine though.

gf's house has no running water and is a mission getting out there as she is only 3-400 meters from the first downed building.

went and rescued tex and our flatmate in avonside after they dropped the fuel trailer into a huge crack in the road.

terrano went for a swim in the avonriver/road to get there. roads are vertually covered in silt and looks like a grey beach.

feeling a bit helpless sitting at home when there are people stuck in collapsed buildings.

thoughts are with the families of the deceased.

Rodney

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Glad to hear ur Ok Tex.

 

I've been in a bubble since i got home Saturday. Heard about it on the radio driving to work this morning.

 

If you and the other Kiwi's could do me a favor, there are always relief groups that pop up out of nowhere to collect money for tragedies like what your experiencing. If you personally see groups actually spending the money they collect and helping the people who need it the most. Please give them an "attaboy" and tell us their names. It's a lot easier to make a donation knowing that it's being used for the intended purpose.

 

Dag

 

Cheers Dagg and everyone else in my overseas family :D

As for donations, I don't really know much about them.

So I heard after the last one people could get a Red cross grant $1000 if you'd been to the doctor...

There are some people that just try to get a few quick $$ and need a P...

Like the family living in a shelter for weeks, even though their house was ok to live in :rant2:

But not all are like that.

 

i stopped by the thread tex!

was rough at work (BNT) too, parts off the shelves all over the place. buildings fine though.

gf's house has no running water and is a mission getting out there as she is only 3-400 meters from the first downed building.

went and rescued tex and our flatmate in avonside after they dropped the fuel trailer into a huge crack in the road.

terrano went for a swim in the avonriver/road to get there. roads are vertually covered in silt and looks like a grey beach.

feeling a bit helpless sitting at home when there are people stuck in collapsed buildings.

thoughts are with the families of the deceased.

Rodney

 

Never been so happy to see you :lol:

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Well I'm happy to hear that our extended family made it thru that shake. When I first saw that it happened in Christchurch my first thoughts were of you guys. I can only hope that you guys can recover from mother natures temper. If there's anything I can do for you guys let me know.

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I just tried to get gas seeing as I'm bone dry. Oh guess what, every bastagie has bleed the tanks dry. A$#holes filling cars+jerry cans.... WHY? You $#@$#@@#@$#@$@@@.

Why do I get the feeling that they are sitting at home with their full gas tanks, rather that frickin helping people P...

Like some stupid itch my flatmate saw with a box filling up on bottled water.

I hate people, most of them are just scum :rant2:

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Events like this bring out the best and worst in people. Some people get selfish and greedy to help only themselves, while others go out of there way and give all they can to help others. Just the nature of the human beast.

 

Good to hear all you sheep lovers made it through this one! :aok:

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Interestingly enough, it's the hoarders that are usually totally unprepared for adverse conditions. Suddenly they realize that they may not be able to simply go down the street to purchase what they need, so they over react and 'stock up', depleting the limited resources.

 

I always have bottled water stored, food for a few weeks, propane heaters/stoves and now with the new house, I'll have a water filter and probably a small generator. Not a survival set up, but enough that I can manage to take care of me and mine for a little while without outside help. You never know...

 

B

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Interestingly enough, it's the hoarders that are usually totally unprepared for adverse conditions. Suddenly they realize that they may not be able to simply go down the street to purchase what they need, so they over react and 'stock up', depleting the limited resources.

 

I always have bottled water stored, food for a few weeks, propane heaters/stoves and now with the new house, I'll have a water filter and probably a small generator. Not a survival set up, but enough that I can manage to take care of me and mine for a little while without outside help. You never know...

 

B

 

Good points. After the 1st one I bought a few extra cans of baked beans and the like, for emergencies.

Thankfully the gas station has been resupplied. $60 per person only (Emergency staff are exempt, as they should be)

I called over to see Kiwipete's place, Linda was home and doing very well. BBQ, tent, beds in the garage, freezer full of food and a generator Pete dropped off.

They are by no means hoarders, they had the stuff before the quake. They are also offering food to others, really fantastic people.

As Ryan said the best and worst are coming out. It's a beautiful thing how some people are helping others :hugs:

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When Katrina hit New Orleans the locally owned gas stations would only sell you $20 gas. It wouldn't fill your car up, but it helped the locals who didn't need to fill up. The chain stores were sold out and waiting for re-fills. I appreciated it; on the flip side there were people driving to our town from 100miles away just to get gas. it was a tough few weeks until the power got somewhat stable.

 

I'm really disappointed in the US media coverage of NZ. It's almost like it didn't happen. I realize Egypt and Libya are big stories, but they aren't exactly our friends. My heart continues to go out to you guys, keep your chin up. You won't be forgotten on NPORA.

 

Dag

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I'm really disappointed in the US media coverage of NZ. It's almost like it didn't happen. I realize Egypt and Libya are big stories, but they aren't exactly our friends. My heart continues to go out to you guys, keep your chin up. You won't be forgotten on NPORA.

 

Dag

Yeah, they spent 5 minutes on it the morning after and nothing else. Guess not enough people died for them to give a crap. Remember Haiti? :rolleyes:

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