Another Earthquake

[b.walker5]

Another major earthquake has just hit Christchurch. 6.3, major damage, multi story buildings have collapsed in the centre of the city, major injuries and death. My brother works in the centre of the city, haven't been able to contact him. Please pray for us all.

[natemoen]

Thoughts and prayers for all of you over there! Hopefully your brother is ok!

[crazy steve]

Fate just isn't being very kind to you in NZ...

My thoughts are with you.

[slow mo]

mber of people are dead and scores trapped after a large quake struck Christchurch this afternoon.

Police said two buses had been crushed by falling debris, while witnesses said screams could be heard coming from the Pyne Gould Business building where up to 150 people were feared trapped.

The airport was closed after its tower had collapsed and Lyttelton tunnel was shut. Christchurch Hospital remained open but was also damaged.

On the corner of Lichfield and High Streets, a block of shops had completely collapsed and rescue services believed four or five people are trapped in the rubble.

One body had been pulled from the wreckage.


Amber Armitage said people were wandering around central Christchurch trying to get out but all exits from the city were blocked.

There was a strong smell of gas and clouds of dust.

A bus on Colombo St was "completely trapped under bricks" and people were working to free passengers trapped in it.

She said the quake felt much stronger than the 7.1 September 4 2010 earthquake and thought the city was "irreparable".

Former Blenheim woman Joh Bloomberg was working in Ballantynes department store in central Christchurch when the earthquake struck.

"I was clinging to this cupboard next to my desk. I thought it was going to be fine, but it got worse and worse, and went on for so long. It's the worst one I've felt."

She walked outside to nearby Lichfield St and saw a car flattened by a fallen section of building.

"I'm normally pretty calm with things like this but when I saw a huge concrete slab on top of that car ...

"It's squashed down to zero. You never think you'll see anything like that."

Everyone was screaming as they left the store.

A colleague of Miss Bloomberg's walked outside to Cashel St mall and saw people lying on the ground who she thought had been hit by falling rubble from a nearby cafe.

Before people were evacuated from the store to nearby Hagley Park because of a suspected gas leak, 25-year-old Miss Bloomberg said plaster from the store roof was falling and she could see the sky through the roof.

She was waiting in Hagley Park for her mother to collect her and take her home. The ground was very soft underneath, probably from liquefaction, and the Avon River was up extremely high.

Traffic in the area was "crazy", she said.

Christchurch resident Sean Scanlon said it was by far the biggest shake since the original September 4 quake. The power was out and phone lines jammed.

Kay Cowlishaw said there was destruction everywhere.

"There's just water pouring out and sewerage, the whole garage is filled with water. There are cracks in the road.

Malcolm, a policeman from Darfield, was driving in the city when the earthquake hit.

"I thought I had a flat tyre, then the place was shaking like hell."

He said oak trees in the Hagley Park had been uprooted and fallen across tents.
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"I'm shaken, I'm at Christ College now and the school is a shambles - there's a lot of damage to the buildings.

"All of the water pipes are burst and it looks like a tsunami coming across the park."

"It's just unbelievable - just the sheer power."

His daughter was at Rangi Ruru school and she said students were running around screaming.

Malcolm's wife Jenny said the mayor was on the radio telling people not to go outside.

"It doesn't sound good - it sounds like this time people injured," she said.

Today's 6.3 earthquake would have felt more powerful for Christchurch residents than the original quake on September 4.

GNS duty seismologist Bill Fry said the acceleration of today's earthquake was larger in Christchurch city than the magnitude 7 earthquake last year.

"Instantaneously, they would have felt the greatest amount of shaking today. But the duration would not have been as long."

The earthquake happened at a shallow depth of five to six kilometres below ground.

In the city, the acceleration measured the same as the force of gravity.

In September, the largest acceleration felt around the city was on its eastern side, and this measured 0.8 times the force of gravity.

Today's earthquake did not last as long as the September quake, but Dr Fry said its duration had not been confirmed yet.

- Stuff
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Christchurch quake: Running report
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[petejw]

i just heard, and watching it on the news at the moment,
Brian, im hoping ur brother is ok, let us know when u here
something.

[petejw]

also noticed subike is in christchurch,
hope ur ok to matey.

[DGXSER]

Hope all is well as it can be for the southern brothers. It has been a freaky crazy year for sure for this stuff.

Thoughts and prayer for all of you!

[DiverRay]

I hope you all make it OK! Thoughts and prayers for all our brothers in NZ.
Brian, I DO hope your brother is OK!

[Cobia]

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

[XSive Okie]

At a loss for words. May God shine His light on NZ during these dark times.

[b.walker5]

Thanks Guys.

Brother found okay but his eldest son, my nephew, is still missing. My wife also has family there that havent checked in yet. Stress is through the roof at the moment.

Pete, your right Subbike is in the city, but I think he's out in the Shirley area which appears, from news reports, to have been relatively unscathed. Hopefully he wasnt in the central city area where most of the damage appears to be.

Here's a poignant news clip from this mornings paper that gives an idea of the state of the city.



"The city of Christchurch looks like a war zone.

Buildings are flattened, streets are violently ruptured and dead bodies lay in Cashel Mall covered with old towels and T-shirts.

Water and silt has swamped areas of the city, and smoke and dust blanketed central Christchurch as dazed people wandered through the streets in shock. Helicopters were flying overhead carrying large water buckets to throw on smouldering buildings.

Bricks, glass and debris litter the streets and emergency service workers try desperately to rescue people trapped in the mountains of rubble.

A backpacker's body lay in a van, crushed from a fallen building in Gloucester St.

A building on the corner of Lichfield St and Manchester St was flattened and 30 emergency service workers sifted through the rubble for bodies.

One woman's body was dragged out of the destruction and lay on the side of the street covered in an old green towel as officials rushed around her to save others. People in sneakers and bike helmets were combing through the rubble, trying to help.

One young man watched as diggers dragged huge pieces of debris away from the site; he believed his brother was underneath the crumpled building.

A seriously injured man fell through the floor of a shop in Cashel Mall and was carried out by six members of the public.

One woman who worked in Cashel Mall had a broken pelvis and a severe gash to her face, exposing bone.

An ambulance could not reach her for more than an hour as emergency services were stretched to capacity.

I tried to help her, holding her pelvis together. She was screaming in pain. I left when her husband arrived.

Members of the public tried to comfort her, and one man said: "Put this on your face, try and hold your face together."

Emergency workers were pulled in from all areas of Canterbury to assist in the immediate search and recovery operation.

Ambulance, firefighters and police directed dazed residents out of the CBD and set up temporary cordons around it.

People shocked, crying and injured were gathering in groups to support one another on the outskirts of the city.

Cellphone lines and internet connections were cut in the aftermath of the quake and distressed residents struggled to reach loved ones.

The city continued to shake throughout the day and people stuck in the central city flocked to evacuation havens such as Latimer Square and Hagley Park.

Craig Stockdale, an advanced paramedic from St John Ambulance, said there were multiple deaths and serious injuries.

"People are on their own for the next 24 hours and we have a limited number of resources."

People who were seriously injured lay on blankets in Latimer Square waiting for medical attention.

St John Ambulance medics set up triage tents as more injured people continued to arrive.

People sat in groups, huddled beneath blankets and screaming as the aftershocks continued."

[natemoen]

Again, hope all your family and friends comes out ok!

[Toolmaker Tim]

NZ Earthquake

I found out about the quake after I got to work. Spent all evening wondering how you were Brian. Glad to hear you and your brother are ok . I remembered from the last quake your brother was in the city, but wasn't sure where you were in relation to the city. I hope your nephew and your wife's kin are ok. If memory serves me right, all that happened to Subbike the last time was some debris fell on his bikes. Hope the same this time. Please keep us posted. You and yours are in our prayers.

[b.walker5]

Just a quick update on our families. All members of my wife's and my family in the quake area have been accounted for and are okay. They have a very rough road ahead for a very long time, but at least they're okay. Going up there in the next couple of days to help out where I can.

Thanks for your thoughts and concerns, they are very much appreciated, and as a nation we are extremely greatful for the support recieved from around the world, including the over 70 disaster response team members from the US that arrived last night to assist. Thanks guys, and if you know anyone that is involved with these people please extend our utmost thanks for their efforts.

It's at times like this that you find out who your friends really are.

[foreda]

Family members

That's great news on the familiy!! Sounds like prayers were answered.