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Topic: NZ Earthquake
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Snaggy
Sir Snaggalot!
Member # 123
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posted February 22, 2011 08:49
Terrible news. ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
My bother and his family just returned from there a month ago.
I met many good people when I was in Christchurch long ago. I hope they are all OK.
Q. Is there a precedent to a modern city having so many large quakes in a short period of time? (two major quakes since September, and over 4000 aftershocks)?
Posts: 7679 | From: Canada | Registered: Jan 2000
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Callipygous
BlabberMouth, a Blabber Odyssey
Member # 2071
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posted February 22, 2011 09:26
My lovely sister and her husband (and cats) live and work in Christchurch. We have not been able to contact them yet. The telecomms systems are very messed up there, so I am hoping that is the cause. My brother checked out her office building on Google Earth and at least it is not a tall building, but that's about all the good news I have had. I'm hoping selfishly that newspaper headlines are something that happens to other people, not my family.
It just looks horrible there.
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"Knowledge is Power. France is Bacon" - Milton
Posts: 2922 | From: Brighton - UK | Registered: Mar 2003
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Callipygous
BlabberMouth, a Blabber Odyssey
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posted February 22, 2011 10:21
Thanks Snaggy.
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"Knowledge is Power. France is Bacon" - Milton
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The Famous Druid
Gold Hearted SuperFan!
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posted February 22, 2011 13:21
Quite a shock (no pun intended).
I was out at lunch yesterday, walked into a TV shop, and there was a wall full of images of the devastation, including the building across the street from where Clan MacDruid stayed when we were there a couple of years ago. Somehow tragedy is much more real when it happens somewhere you've been.
Callipygous: hope your family members are well, not knowing must be torture for you. I'll be keeping my fingers in a strictly secular crossed configuration for them.
If memory serves, Skylar's SO is from Christchurch, same goes there, hope Clan MacSkylar-in-law are safe and well.
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If you watch 'The History Of NASA' backwards, it's about a space agency that has no manned spaceflight capability, then does low-orbit flights, then lands on the Moon.
Posts: 10312 | From: Melbourne, Australia | Registered: Oct 2002
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Callipygous
BlabberMouth, a Blabber Odyssey
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posted February 22, 2011 16:48
We have just heard from someone from elsewhere in NZ that my sister and her husband are fine. Their house is damaged, but they are OK. Massive relief. It's not really in good taste to celebrate, when many others will not be so lucky, so just a simple restrained yabber, a dabber, and a yes indeedy dooo. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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"Knowledge is Power. France is Bacon" - Milton
Posts: 2922 | From: Brighton - UK | Registered: Mar 2003
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Grummash
Gold Hearted SuperFan!
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posted February 23, 2011 06:48
Calli - glad to hear your news. It must be a massive relief.
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...and yet, across the gulf of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours regarded this earth with envious eyes...
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TheMoMan
BlabberMouth, a Blabber Odyssey
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posted February 23, 2011 07:41
____ However a good sigh of relief may be in order.
I am sure you are greatly relieved.
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If it don't glow it ain't Ham Radio
Posts: 5071 | From: Just South of the Huron National Forest, in the water shed of the Rifle River | Registered: Sep 2002
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The Famous Druid
Gold Hearted SuperFan!
Member # 1769
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posted February 23, 2011 09:14
quote:
Originally posted by Callipygous:
It's not really in good taste to celebrate
I dunno, I reckon these guys have a right to celebrate after 24 hours under the rubble.
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If you watch 'The History Of NASA' backwards, it's about a space agency that has no manned spaceflight capability, then does low-orbit flights, then lands on the Moon.
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Aditu
SuperBlabberMouth!
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posted February 25, 2011 01:34
I'm so glad they are safe. It hasn't been a good year for the southern hemisphere. My friend Diz has been forced from her home in Queensland twice now.
Posts: 1355 | From: Osten Ard | Registered: Aug 2003
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The Famous Druid
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posted February 26, 2011 07:59
The supermarket near work has a thing going where you can donate to the New Zealand earthquake appeal by just adding an amount to your bill at the checkout. Australia's had a hard time lately, plenty of excuse to adopt a "charity begins at home" attitude, and yet the 2 people ahead of me in the queue each donated amounts of $5 or more.
Faith in human nature: restored.
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If you watch 'The History Of NASA' backwards, it's about a space agency that has no manned spaceflight capability, then does low-orbit flights, then lands on the Moon.
Posts: 10312 | From: Melbourne, Australia | Registered: Oct 2002
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Callipygous
BlabberMouth, a Blabber Odyssey
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posted February 27, 2011 11:20
I finally got to speak with my sister yesterday. Interestingly she said that the pictures and TV reports make it look worse than it actually is. Naturally the experience was terrifying, (and she also told me a fairly hair raising story about a former work colleague escaping from a collapsing building), but outside the very centre of Christchurch, where many of the older buildings are, the damage was less than you might imagine. She works for Hertz, in an office building about 12 years old, built to withstand earthquakes, and it did. Her husband's workplace fared even better, the earthquake did not even cut off their electricity. Their home received some damage, mainly to the chimney, which made a mess, and of course everything fell off the shelves everywhere, so lots of broken glass, a smashed grandfather clock etc, but it is still structurally sound. Just about all the services disappeared, so no electricity, water, sewage, or telephones, but the gas was still there so they could cook. Telephones are now back up, the army has set up a desalination plant, so water is not such a problem and they have been issued with a portaloo, so they don't have go around digging holes in their garden any more. And both their cats are fine! Driving anywhere is tricky, as even if the road looks undamaged it can sometimes be just a rather fragile skin covering a large car eating hole.
So apart from the communications problems, which of course caused a lot of anxiety, there rest are inconveniences, but that’s all they really are, and as often happens in difficult situations people are really pulling together, and being good neighbours to each other. This type of experience can help you sort out the important stuff from the trivial. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, her experience is not unusual, she is a very friendly outgoing person with lots of friends, and she knows nobody either socially or from work who is in a much more difficult situation than she is, or whose home is damaged much worse.
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"Knowledge is Power. France is Bacon" - Milton
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