2 weeks on from the quake now and we are still getting aftershocks - some around 4.5 on the richter thing! So whilst we hope that the worst is over and we look forward to getting back to some semblance of normality, we are constantly reminded of what we have all been through and there is always a slight doubt that the Big One is still to happen!
My previous blog probably made out that there had not been much in the way of damage or suffering - but as the dust settled and the aftershocks continued, it was clear that certain parts of Christchurch had taken a real battering. The city centre was cordoned off for best part of 2 weeks whilst engineers painstakingly checked every building for damage, etc. Quite a lot of the older buildings suffered damage and have been condemned and are already being pulled down.
Out on the East side of town where some new housing estates had been built on reclaimed land, they have experienced severe damage to properties. Matt and Lou have also discovered that despite their house remaining upright with only slight damage, the ground on which it stands has been declared unfit - so it's got to come down and they have to find somewhere else to live!! We could be having some lodgers?!
It still is remarkable that no-one died as a result of the quake. The timing played a key role in that fact. Any time during the daytime would have resulted in lots of casualties, no doubt.
Anyway, it was back to work for me on the following Monday - trying to help with organising the Company's response to the emergency - though it soon became eveident that had an emergency plan in place and it wasn't long before I was back to 'business as usual' - whatever that is?!
Sarah's school was shut for a week - along with more or less all schools in the area. They didn't experience too much damage - just some ground shift under the music department which has resulted in setting up some temporary music rooms.
Chris reported that McDonalds saw it's greatest takings on the day of the quake! I think it was because no-one has water or power for so long - so they all stopped of for cheeseburger and chips on the way to the safety of the mountains!
Talking of mountains, I don't think I got to mention that I actually got up to Mount Hutt again the week before the quake - to do some skiing. Chris was working so couldn't get there - Maria and Sarah were still in the UK - so I went along with Rob Sherman and his son Drew. Apart from a wipe-out (which hurt!) we had an enjoyable time. The drive up to the slopes was not as scary as last time - must be because Maria was at the wheel previously?!
I've decided that I'm going to do the Source to Sea bike race - a 160km effort along the Buller gorge at the end of November - along with a few work colleagues. We have had a few weekend outings in preparation. Last weekend saw us ride a 140km circuit around Kaiapoi (badly hit by the quake), Rangiora, Ashley Gorge and Ohoka. It was a 5 hour grueller - quite flat - but just long. I was exhausted at the end. I have often wondered whether I could do an Ironman Triathlon....well after getting off my bike after only 140km I could barely walk to the bathroom, nevermind run a marathon!
There are plans tomorrow for a bit of a hilly ride - Long Bays with a trip out to Purau Bay tagged on, plus a Summit Road finish as Sumner Road is closed due to quake damage. Apparently the climb from Gebbies Pass up to the Summit Road is known locally as 'Bastard Hill' - because it is one! I'm looking forward to that treat - NOT! I've actually bought a new (2nd hand) bike today to help me with the hill climbing - a bit lighter and a compact front gear.
Maria has headed up to Kaikoura this weekend to help Nicky prepare Shearwater Lodge for the forthcoming season. There's a small possee gone in - I think it will be a work hard and play hard weekend! I hope the storm that has been forecasted hasn't hit the high country and spoilt there weekend.
Saturday 18 September 2010
Saturday 4 September 2010
Living in a Disaster Zone!
OK, so we knew we were going on an adventure, but we didn't count on being caught up in the biggest NZ earthquake for a few decades!
4.35am on 4th September - unlikely to forget that bit of information in a hurry - plus the 7.1 richter measurement bit - plus the 2 minutes of shake, rattle and roll!
It was seriously scary :-0
I've heard a few descriptions from people interviewed on TV of it sounding like a train hitting the house and of then spending a couple of minutes in a very noisy tumble dryer. I think that more or less captures it.
There were a few expletives as we jumped out of bed. I shouted at Maria to get under the bed quickly - then realised we wouldn't fit! Maria went off in search of Sarah who was shouting out - probably only marginally more scared than us! Remember, it's half 4 in the morning - pitch black - the power is off - and your being thrown around the room. Actually, good job it was dark as I was stark naked and I'm sure not a pretty sight for our impressionable daughter, despite the predicament we found ourselves in!
So as the girls met on the landing and then headed downstairs towards shelter under the sturdy dining roon table, I dived into the underpant drawer for emergency supplies and then quickly followed!
We huddled under the table whilst the earthquake did it's best to shake the house down. It failed, thank God! So after 3 wintery months of complaining about the lack of double glazing and central heating in these wooden frame dolls-houses that Kiwi's call home, I'm thankful for the lack of rigid brickwork of a sturdy, well insulated UK style house - which would probably have come crashing down on top of us!
The shaking stopped and we wondered what to do next. Then it shook again, but fortunately not as violently this time and for not as long.
A bit more calm and we suddenly realised that we were cold - so I made a dash for some blankets from the bedroom. More shaking as I returned and I quickly resumed my position of hugging the table leg (Maria and Sarah has secured the central section of the underside of the table and left me perched at the edge - a sort of women and children first set up I suppose!).
Still pitch black remember.
The tremors started to subside a little and the gaps between them were lengthening. I pulled one of the sofas over to the table to provide further shelter - plus we grabbed the cushions for a bit more comfort.
We probably stayed under there for the next 20 minutes or so - discussing how bad our emergency prepartions had been - no torches to hand, limited supplies packed 'in case' (despite constant reminders from Government via TV ads, etc!) - and going to bed naked (too much detail, I know!).
Once it seemed to have settled down, we headed back to bed. Suitably dressed this time! I sent a few texts - one to Chris - who was at work - making sure he was OK. He was. Plus I let my bro' John know as I guessed he may pick up the news on the web.
There continued to be small after-shocks, but nothing as severe as the first shake. We managed to sleep a little until around 7am when it quickly went light. A few texts came in from fellow Christchurch dwellers asking if we were OK. Nicky - the landlady - enquired about our wellbeing plus any property damage. We didn't know - we were still in bed! We do like our Saturday morning lie-ins, earthquake or no earthquake!
Once we had got up we surveyed the scene. Some plaster damage and debris on the carpet in the living room, kitchen drawers open but contents all OK....in fact all looked remarkably OK on first inspection. A wander outside was soon to reveal that there had been some damage to the house structure plus a lot of ground shift. In a nut shell, it looked as though the extension (garage and overhead bedrooms and bathroom) had tried to detatch itself from the original house.
There was a large crack uo the side of the house - at the join - plus a similarly large crack along the garage floor. Looking at the ground around the house, it also appeared that there was a fault line running straight through the line of the extension join - which continued across both neighbours properties with quite startling effects - one involving a rather contorted swimming pool and the other the strange sight of scaffolding dangling unsupported over a deep void! A sizeable gap had also appeared in the wall between our properties.
We still had no power and the water supply was off too. So we decided to get on the bikes and head for town - in search of some hot coffee and information! That in itself was an trial - the garage door is electronically controlled - so I had to fumble about in the dark searching for bikes and helmets and then wheel them through the house.
There was some noticeable damage to some of the houses in the locale, mainly stemming from falling chimnies. One of our neighbours had a stack that had not toppled but resembled the end-game of a round of Jenga!
Some of the paths through Hagley Park were cracked and buckled plus there was quite a covering of silt in places which had been washed over from the nearby boating lake - a mini tsunami must have taken place!
We spotted a bit of damage to the Arts Centre and the Canterbury Club - mainly due to falling masonary.
Nothing too severe though. Cathedral Square seemed unscathed but the police had cordoned off a nearby area of the CBD where there had been some more serious damage. We couldn't find a coffee and there wasn't much information to be had too, so we decided to head on back to Desmond Street to get the camping stove out!
We actually spent the next hour in the campervan - drinking coffee and listening to the radio - where we first learned of the extent of the quake and what was happening about thye place. A State of Emergency had been declared - not sure what that meant - but it sounded good! We sat there commenting upon the fact that you usually observe these types of events from the comfort of your own home via the miracle that is TV (not actually a miracle - being an engineer I can explain how TV works but I won't at the moment whilst I talk about the quake - if that's OK!) - but here we were - right slap bang in the middle of it! Gulp!
Anyway, we then thought we should go and do some panic buying as we didn't have a pantry full of provisions like we were supposed to and headed off to Pak'N save at Riccarton. Shut, of course. There had just been an earthquake - hadn't we heard?
We did manage to find a petrol station that was open on the way back home and decided to do a panic fill-up, plus buy a few bottles of lemonade just in case we ran out of water!
And then as we passed along Riccarton Road we spotted that the Sushi bar and GFC cafe were open. Whoopi - real coffee! Well, you wouldn't have thought that there was a State of Emergency in there! Very relaxed - apart from the hard working kitchen staff who were busily trying to prepare all the brunch and coffee orders. No, definitely no State of Emergency there!
So, armed with Sushi and Flat Whites, we headed back to Desmond Street again to decide upon our next course of action.
It actually turned out to be putting the kettle on - power had been restored - as Matt and Lou turned up and we decided that a good cup of tea was the order of the moment - very British!
The aftershocks continued throughout the afternoon, but again, very small in comparison to earlier. With power regained, we were able to vacuum up the plaster debris plus we caught some of the TV coverage of the quake - it certainly looked impressive on the news!
I discovered that we had a mains water leak which explained our lack of running water - it's still out now on Sunday afternoon - we're waiting for a plumber to come and look at it!
Matt and Lou remained without both power and water for the day so they decided to stay with us for the night. Essential supplies of beer, gin, tonic and chocolate cake were brought by Matt and Lou - at least the survivors party would go with a swing! Various references to drinking ourselves under the table were made by our UK FB friends once our safety strategy had been explained!
Needless to say, the tremors continued throughout the night, but some of us (me!) had quite a good, gin-soaked night's sleep!
To be continued.....
4.35am on 4th September - unlikely to forget that bit of information in a hurry - plus the 7.1 richter measurement bit - plus the 2 minutes of shake, rattle and roll!
It was seriously scary :-0
I've heard a few descriptions from people interviewed on TV of it sounding like a train hitting the house and of then spending a couple of minutes in a very noisy tumble dryer. I think that more or less captures it.
There were a few expletives as we jumped out of bed. I shouted at Maria to get under the bed quickly - then realised we wouldn't fit! Maria went off in search of Sarah who was shouting out - probably only marginally more scared than us! Remember, it's half 4 in the morning - pitch black - the power is off - and your being thrown around the room. Actually, good job it was dark as I was stark naked and I'm sure not a pretty sight for our impressionable daughter, despite the predicament we found ourselves in!
So as the girls met on the landing and then headed downstairs towards shelter under the sturdy dining roon table, I dived into the underpant drawer for emergency supplies and then quickly followed!
We huddled under the table whilst the earthquake did it's best to shake the house down. It failed, thank God! So after 3 wintery months of complaining about the lack of double glazing and central heating in these wooden frame dolls-houses that Kiwi's call home, I'm thankful for the lack of rigid brickwork of a sturdy, well insulated UK style house - which would probably have come crashing down on top of us!
The shaking stopped and we wondered what to do next. Then it shook again, but fortunately not as violently this time and for not as long.
A bit more calm and we suddenly realised that we were cold - so I made a dash for some blankets from the bedroom. More shaking as I returned and I quickly resumed my position of hugging the table leg (Maria and Sarah has secured the central section of the underside of the table and left me perched at the edge - a sort of women and children first set up I suppose!).
Still pitch black remember.
The tremors started to subside a little and the gaps between them were lengthening. I pulled one of the sofas over to the table to provide further shelter - plus we grabbed the cushions for a bit more comfort.
We probably stayed under there for the next 20 minutes or so - discussing how bad our emergency prepartions had been - no torches to hand, limited supplies packed 'in case' (despite constant reminders from Government via TV ads, etc!) - and going to bed naked (too much detail, I know!).
Once it seemed to have settled down, we headed back to bed. Suitably dressed this time! I sent a few texts - one to Chris - who was at work - making sure he was OK. He was. Plus I let my bro' John know as I guessed he may pick up the news on the web.
There continued to be small after-shocks, but nothing as severe as the first shake. We managed to sleep a little until around 7am when it quickly went light. A few texts came in from fellow Christchurch dwellers asking if we were OK. Nicky - the landlady - enquired about our wellbeing plus any property damage. We didn't know - we were still in bed! We do like our Saturday morning lie-ins, earthquake or no earthquake!
Once we had got up we surveyed the scene. Some plaster damage and debris on the carpet in the living room, kitchen drawers open but contents all OK....in fact all looked remarkably OK on first inspection. A wander outside was soon to reveal that there had been some damage to the house structure plus a lot of ground shift. In a nut shell, it looked as though the extension (garage and overhead bedrooms and bathroom) had tried to detatch itself from the original house.
There was a large crack uo the side of the house - at the join - plus a similarly large crack along the garage floor. Looking at the ground around the house, it also appeared that there was a fault line running straight through the line of the extension join - which continued across both neighbours properties with quite startling effects - one involving a rather contorted swimming pool and the other the strange sight of scaffolding dangling unsupported over a deep void! A sizeable gap had also appeared in the wall between our properties.
We still had no power and the water supply was off too. So we decided to get on the bikes and head for town - in search of some hot coffee and information! That in itself was an trial - the garage door is electronically controlled - so I had to fumble about in the dark searching for bikes and helmets and then wheel them through the house.
There was some noticeable damage to some of the houses in the locale, mainly stemming from falling chimnies. One of our neighbours had a stack that had not toppled but resembled the end-game of a round of Jenga!
Some of the paths through Hagley Park were cracked and buckled plus there was quite a covering of silt in places which had been washed over from the nearby boating lake - a mini tsunami must have taken place!
We spotted a bit of damage to the Arts Centre and the Canterbury Club - mainly due to falling masonary.
Nothing too severe though. Cathedral Square seemed unscathed but the police had cordoned off a nearby area of the CBD where there had been some more serious damage. We couldn't find a coffee and there wasn't much information to be had too, so we decided to head on back to Desmond Street to get the camping stove out!
We actually spent the next hour in the campervan - drinking coffee and listening to the radio - where we first learned of the extent of the quake and what was happening about thye place. A State of Emergency had been declared - not sure what that meant - but it sounded good! We sat there commenting upon the fact that you usually observe these types of events from the comfort of your own home via the miracle that is TV (not actually a miracle - being an engineer I can explain how TV works but I won't at the moment whilst I talk about the quake - if that's OK!) - but here we were - right slap bang in the middle of it! Gulp!
Anyway, we then thought we should go and do some panic buying as we didn't have a pantry full of provisions like we were supposed to and headed off to Pak'N save at Riccarton. Shut, of course. There had just been an earthquake - hadn't we heard?
We did manage to find a petrol station that was open on the way back home and decided to do a panic fill-up, plus buy a few bottles of lemonade just in case we ran out of water!
And then as we passed along Riccarton Road we spotted that the Sushi bar and GFC cafe were open. Whoopi - real coffee! Well, you wouldn't have thought that there was a State of Emergency in there! Very relaxed - apart from the hard working kitchen staff who were busily trying to prepare all the brunch and coffee orders. No, definitely no State of Emergency there!
So, armed with Sushi and Flat Whites, we headed back to Desmond Street again to decide upon our next course of action.
It actually turned out to be putting the kettle on - power had been restored - as Matt and Lou turned up and we decided that a good cup of tea was the order of the moment - very British!
The aftershocks continued throughout the afternoon, but again, very small in comparison to earlier. With power regained, we were able to vacuum up the plaster debris plus we caught some of the TV coverage of the quake - it certainly looked impressive on the news!
I discovered that we had a mains water leak which explained our lack of running water - it's still out now on Sunday afternoon - we're waiting for a plumber to come and look at it!
Matt and Lou remained without both power and water for the day so they decided to stay with us for the night. Essential supplies of beer, gin, tonic and chocolate cake were brought by Matt and Lou - at least the survivors party would go with a swing! Various references to drinking ourselves under the table were made by our UK FB friends once our safety strategy had been explained!
Needless to say, the tremors continued throughout the night, but some of us (me!) had quite a good, gin-soaked night's sleep!
To be continued.....
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