Christchurch, NZ (pic heavy article)

[Recursion]

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/02/christchurch_earthquake.html

I know there's a lot going on in the world, but the NZ earthquake probably deserves some attention too.

With hundreds still missing, and 75 already confirmed dead, rescuers struggled to find survivors on the second night after a devastating earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand's second largest city Tuesday. Buildings crumbled into the streets after the 6.3 magnitude earthquake, which geologists consider an aftershock to a 7.1 earthquake that caused no casualties in September. Tuesday’s temblor was more devastating and deadly because it was centered only six miles from the city's center and hit during the middle of a workday. The Government has declared a national state of emergency. Officials estimated there could be 100 people trapped in the CTV building alone.

[Warpy]

1. Here are some before and after pictures

http://www.news.com.au/world/christchurch-cathedral-before-and-after/story-e6frfl00-1226010081646 Click on the red line and drag it back and forth.

Online friends talk about buildings they were in that still had cracks from the September quake that gave way completely with this one and of people sleeping outdoors in the parks in the rain, outdoor temperatures in the 50s, because they're terrified to go indoors to what might be houses that could collapse in the next aftershock.

Still, as dreadful as this is, it's the first world. Haiti looks worse and hasn't improved that much since their big one. Big difference.

It's just frustrating being so far away and unable to give hands on help.

[kentauros]

7. There's a rather telling comment in this article, too:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10708360

The energy from the earthquake created the greatest ground acceleration in New Zealand history, said Dr Hamish Campbell of GNS Science.

"No wonder so many stone churches were destroyed. They are simply not designed to be thrown up in the air and then go into freefall."

[MedicalAdmin]

2. Oh Sweet Jeebus.

Christchurch just might be the prettiest little city in the world. This is tragic.

Those poor people. I hope my uncle is OK. I gotta make a call. ... OK - uncle Bert is OK.





And that red line thing in the next post is the coolest thing I've seen this year.

[snappyturtle]

3. Thanks for posting....I appreciate it because I have seen next to nothing on teevee after

the initial announcement.

[KamaAina]

4. Also more devastating because it was half the depth of the first one

the closer to the surface, the worse the quake.

Also, many buildings sustained some damage in the first quake, leaving them sitting ducks for this one. :scared:

[jpak]

5. Did the tunnel to Lyttleton collapse?

any damage there?

[kentauros]

6. I haven't read of it collapsing, but it is closed.

Lyttleton got quite a lot of the damage, too, being at the epicentre. I know their port was closed, though it was supposed to open again today.

[jpak]

8. Was the NBP there????

:shrug:

[kentauros]

11. I don't know

because, I'm not there, and can't get my gf to txt me back. All I know is from either the Guardian or the NZ Herald.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/newzealand
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/

[friendly_iconoclast]

9. I have a couple of friends that live there- they're OK, fortunately

Gotta admit I was very worried until I heard from B. that he and K. are fine. I just hope B. still has a job- the place he works

at was damaged in last year's quake.

[Recursion]

12. My boss is there for some conference or another

Either trying to get American beef imported again into New Zealand or New Zealand beef imported again into America, I forget which one. Right now they're all just trying to organize relief supplies, and since I'm basically their only IT resource sleep has been a rare thing...

[AsahinaKimi]

10. Noticed that most of the damage were to brick buildings

San Francisco had this problem during the 1906 earthquake. Since then the city planners have found different ways for making buildings a bit safer, during earthquakes. I was 15 years old during the 1989 Earthquake in San Francisco. While it was pretty bad, it could have been far, far worse.


1906 SF City Hall.

Building Inspectors have been making sure that many of the buildings in San Francisco are up to date with the current building codes. I have a feeling that in the near future, there will be some visitors from New Zealand coming to check on how we do things here. I hope this city can help them, when they rebuild, to make sure their buildings are a bit more safe.

[Recursion]

13. There's footage of a church being lofted three feet into the air

...or more accurately the ground jumping down three feet in two seconds. These stone churches were designed to handle their own weight but not their own weight after three feet of free-fall. Modern buildings like in Cali or Japan are designed to keep the building tight to the ground, not just keep it up, if that makes sense; they didn't think about that in 1820.

But, yes, hopefully they will rebuild with more earthquake-safe material and plans. The Southern Island was settled very early in New Zealand's European colonial history (it was more populous until about 1900, but is much less populated now) and a lot of the buildings never got upgraded :(