Forums > Social Chat > Earthquake near Christchurch

Posted: 3rd Sep 2010
I JUST SAW THIS!!! Idk, no tsunami warnings yet. But it was a 7.0 thats a BIG earthquake. MALCOLM! CAN YOU HEAR ME???? THE RESCUE TEAM IS COMING!!

If you can't stand the heat, get out of my way.

Posted: 3rd Sep 2010
Just saw a clip of this on the BBC news. Not a great deal of detail other than some buildings have collapsed'. Hope everyone and everything is ok.

Posted: 3rd Sep 2010
Flipping massive.

I'm up in the North Island, several hundred kilometres away from Christchurch, and I felt these this morning.

Buildings are down, there's two people critically injured (both 50 y/o males, one hit by a falling chimney and the other from falling glass).

There's been about seven, if not more, aftershocks, some around the 3.0 mark, some around the 5.3 mark, but nothing lower than a 3.

No water in most of the city, power's patchy at best, communications are in a state of disarray, particularly cell, since without power the cell sites are going onto battery power, and it's dropping down slowly. Thankfully, the two major telecoms in NZ are working together to restore power to each site, regardless of network affiliation, which is great.

There's been a crapload of damage, sewage pipes have burst in some places, old buildings are decimated, the usual earthquake stuff... Nobody dead though, which is a real bonus.

Posted: 3rd Sep 2010
I feel really lucky that I actually left Christchurch 2 days ago. I hope all you guys at HoP are doing o.k. (it was nice to meet you Malcolm btw!)

I was in Twizel when it hit and it most definitely woke me up. I'm in Dunedin right now, but I may head back up to Christchurch to see if I can help in any clean up operation that takes place. I've heard that the city centre is closed off at the moment though, so I'll wait and see what the news says before making the journey back there.

Heilige Scheiße, Batman kommt!

Reality is just a state of mind which occurs through a lack of lsd

XxX owned by devilsarmy XxX

O.B.E.S.E.

Posted: 3rd Sep 2010
Glad to hear y'all are okay & families too. Good luck w/ the cleanup, grew up in Southern California, well familiar w/ the mess a solid tembler can leave behind.
Spark Winters,
Texas

Posted: 4th Sep 2010
Yey - you're okay very good to hear... when I came aware of it I been so tired that I only managed to mumble into the keyboard...

All the best - thinking of you guys

the best smiles are the ones you lead to

Posted: 4th Sep 2010
Hello again... just quickly checking in to see if everyone's ok, and apparently you are. Phew!!!!

Sending lots of love and energy for the cleanup.

"vices are like genitals - most are ugly to behold, and yet we find that our own are dear to us."
(G.W. Dahlquist)

Owner of Dragosani's left half

Posted: 4th Sep 2010
Glad to hear everyone is ok and doing well. Lots of Love to you all and I hope everything gets back to normal soon for you all.

Happiness runs in a circular motion!!



G4dget

Posted: 4th Sep 2010
:MASSIVE HUGS:

I'm glad all is well with you and the fam.
Hope the other HoPpers there faired out as well, and HQ.

You are all strong and I know healing will come to your lovely city and it will be as grand as ever. <3

LOVE YOU!

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

Posted: 4th Sep 2010
Hang in there Malcolm. We're sending you good vibes. Sounds as if everything will be okay its just gonna really suck for awhile WE LOVE YOU!!

If you can't stand the heat, get out of my way.

Posted: 6th Sep 2010
2 days after the event and things are starting to get back to normal. Yesterday outside of the CBD most of the food-type places that would normally be open were. The exception was the large mall where shop keepers were in cleanup mode and no customers were allowed in.

Schools have been closed to at least Wednesday (the boys love that!), but Canty university is closed for the week while they assess all the health and safety aspects.

It seems that most of the damaged buildings were the old brick ones, where the old mortar seemed to crumble under the violent shaking. Old wooden houses are mostly ok except for those with brick fireplaces where many of them have fallen off sometimes taking things out in the process and sometimes not.

and boy was it violent! My wife & I were "cowering" in the bedroom doorway - I say cowering because we couln't stand. You know when you stand on a ships deck in rough seas you can stand ok by absorbing the rock and roll by flexing your legs?, well I was trying but it was impossibe and for several full minutes (seemed like about 15mins solid) we were thrown around at the mercy of nature. It was the roughest and scariest thing I have ever encountered (and I don't frighten easily)!

And the shaking continues. The aftershocks were expected to taper off by dawn this morning but even now as I type we are still having very strong aftershocks (4+ on the richter scale). The cat has been freaked out and in hiding for the last 2 days and only appeared in the last few hours. Within a few minutes of turning up there was another aftershock and he was straight back under the bed for another few hours!

In fact if anything the aftershocks seem to be increasing currently instead of tapering off.

But, everyone is alive - one exception - one gentleman died of a heart attack. But given the earthquake was the same scale as the Haiti one, we have been very lucky. Everything else is just money now.

The most amazing thing I thought was the people checking up on us to see if we were ok - the first 3 people who contacted me were from London, Kuwait and Nepal! And then the NZ people started checking. The modern world is indeed a wonderful place from that perspective.

thanks for all the support folks.

Written by: Doc Lightning talking about Marmite in Kichi's Intro thread

I have several large jars of the stuff. I actually like it... a little. And don't tell anyone I admitted to it.

Posted: 6th Sep 2010


some more background information

the best smiles are the ones you lead to

Posted: 6th Sep 2010
Originally Posted By: georgemcThe most amazing thing I thought was the people checking up on us to see if we were ok - the first 3 people who contacted me were from London, Kuwait and Nepal! And then the NZ people started checking. The modern world is indeed a wonderful place from that perspective.
That comment just reminded me of this...
https://xkcd.com/723/

Glad to hear everyone is ok :-)

Posted: 6th Sep 2010
Two more big ones hit within the last half hour... 5.2 and 5.4 respectively. They're in for a long night, I think... *sigh*

Blessings and prayer to anyone who's down there.

Posted: 6th Sep 2010
Take care all- glad you're all OK.

Posted: 21st Feb 2011
It happened again.

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck New Zealand's South Island, causing widespread minor damage and power cuts

BBC NEWS

Herald Sun

Daily Telegraph

Hope you guys are okay.

"I used to want to change the world, now I just wanna leave the room with a little dignity..." - Lotus Weinstock

Posted: 21st Feb 2011
HoP staff,

Please let us know you are ok. Thinking of you.

Regards,

Brendan.

&#2384;

Owner of burningoftheclavey
Owned by Lost83spy

Posted: 21st Feb 2011
My cousin lives in Christchurch Haven't heard anything from him as yet. All you New Zealanders take care!

Posted: 22nd Feb 2011
s

the best smiles are the ones you lead to

Posted: 22nd Feb 2011
Not again! Hope everyones okay x. *love*

random murbles

BELTANE FIRE FESTIVAL. 30th april ~ Calton hill - Edinburgh
SAMHUINN FESTIVAL. 31st October ~ Royal Mile - Edinburgh

Posted: 22nd Feb 2011
The news is scaring me. Praying for you all xx

random murbles

BELTANE FIRE FESTIVAL. 30th april ~ Calton hill - Edinburgh
SAMHUINN FESTIVAL. 31st October ~ Royal Mile - Edinburgh

Posted: 22nd Feb 2011
I really hope everything is ok for you guys.

Posted: 22nd Feb 2011
Yeah, let us know you're all OK, OK?

ohmygodlaserbeamspewpewpew!

Posted: 22nd Feb 2011
Thinking about you all...

So sorry to hear the news this morning.

Take care xx

Getting to the other side

Posted: 22nd Feb 2011
Glad to know you all are fine!

Posted: 22nd Feb 2011
Glad to hear that everyone at HoP is ok.
Big hugs Malcolm and George. Stay safe.

Lets steal a spaceship and head for the sun, and shoot the stars with a lemonade ray gun.

Posted: 22nd Feb 2011
healing and strength to you and all your people of Christchurch..Lesley .....Scotland

Posted: 22nd Feb 2011
glad to hear your safe. so sorry that this has happened to you guys again, all our love x

random murbles

BELTANE FIRE FESTIVAL. 30th april ~ Calton hill - Edinburgh
SAMHUINN FESTIVAL. 31st October ~ Royal Mile - Edinburgh

Posted: 22nd Feb 2011
Glad to hear you're all ok (again).

It would appear that earthquakes are like busses in NZ.
Lets all just hope that's it for a while.

Posted: 22nd Feb 2011
*huuuuuuugs* glad to hear the hop crew are okay - i hope your friends and family are all good too...the footage is awful :sad: my heart goes out to everyone over there in christchurch

do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good to eat!



if at first you do succeed, try not to look too astonished!



smile! :grin: it confuses people!