h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There's been another big earthquake in Christchurch NZ. A smaller one than the one last year, but worse because it's shallow and it's cumulative on the big one last year and all the aftershocks since then.

The big one last year didn't kill anyone (happened in the wee hours). This one happened at lunchtime (a couple of hours ago). They're evacuating the police station, airport and maybe one of the hospitals. People have died this time (buried in the rubble).

I have friends living and working in central Chch (the area badly affected). I guess I'll hear later in the day how they are

The city is of course getting lots of aftershocks.

Rod has posted that he's ok (he lives north of Chch), but is waiting to hear about his son: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/F2893226?thread=7737329&post=106617684#p106617601

oh dear, i am so sorry
stay safe and remember...

Thanks fkf. I live in another part of the country so I'm well out of it.

Have had a very brief text from one friend asking me to call her folks and let them know she is ok. That means she's ok but doesn't know yet about her kids. They live a couple of blocks from buildings that have collapsed, but could easily be in town or anywhere (the youngest will be at school in the outer suburbs and most likely ok).

Just a quiet little 'I was thinking of you when I heard the news':



I was thinking of you when I heard the news. I'm glad to hear that you're okay, but sad to hear that some aren't.

Thanks anhaga

I've just realised where the epicentre of the quake was - in Lyttleton, a small harbour town just south of Chch. I can't get an exact location of the epicentre yet, but it was very shallow (less than 5km deep), and pretty close to Lyttleton. It's rare for us to have big quake epicentres under an actual built up area.

The Chch mayor has said they're holding grave fears for the people of Banks Peninsula because they haven't had any reports from anyone there yet. Banks Peninsula is the area south of Chch that includes Lyttleton, the Port Hills and some rural towns. Hopefully people are too busy to bother contacting the Mayor, but I would have expected Lyttleton to have reported to the CD The Lyttleton tunnel is closed, don't know if that's the earthquake or CD.

I feel fortunate that I happen to live in a place with no active volcanism or seismic activity for many millions of years.


Of course, we get tornadoes.


And pretty major cases of winter.


I hope the bad news is over and the rest will be good.

See I'd rather have earthquakes than tornados but I guess it's what one is used to.

Just heard from my other mate, she and her partner ok thankfully and on way home from CBD. First mate's kids are ok too.

Just waiting to hear about the last one now. She lives and works within the 4 Avs area that's been badly affected.

from what I've read, earthquakes of some magnitude are frighteningly common there.

Tornadoes only happen here in the summertime, and then, only rarely.


Although of the five most lethal tornadoes which have occurred in this country in my life time, I've been within spitting distance of three of them and a fourth was just a short way down the road.


But, never mind my tornado-godhood.

Again, I hope the rest of the news is good.

Another well wisher. I was thinking of you, Ivan and Rod this morning when I saw the news (it's currently 08:30). I didn't realise frenchbean is out there too.

I'm glad to see you posting and to hear of others being OK.

Thanks Vip.

Anhaga, there's been something like 20 odd quakes in Chch today. The big one and then the after shocks, some of them big enough to bring down more buildings. The big one today is technically an aftershock of the earthquake in September last year. It's on a different fault so I'm wondering if aftershocks are classified based on stats rather than something physically technical.

Some poor guy from GNS was on the TV before talking about how yesterday they did the maths and figured the probability of an earthquake above 6.0 in the next 4 weeks was 4% Stats like that don't really count for much after the event.

We haven't got to the good news bit yet. Rescue workers are working through the night digging people out. The official death toll is 65 but expected to be much higher over the next few days.

Rod hasn't posted again. I'm hoping that's because the internet is down rather than bad news for his family.

From what Rod's said on the other thread I think everyone's OK from his family?

I've posted this on the Shaky Isles thread, but I'll put it here as well for anyone who's missed it: http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/today

RF

I'm relieved that everyone I know in the Christchurch area appears to be OK. My boss spent lunchtime trying to get through to her mother and other relatives on the phone; most of them are also OK, which is good if inconclusive. Some of the younger people are studying in Christchurch and are not yet accounted for, but apparently they tend to wander off at the best of times.

The boss went home to use her own phone for her calls. How scrupulous of her. I think we'd have let her run up an international phone bill on this occasion.