6.3 and 5.9 Earthquakes Hit Christchurch New Zealand February 22 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

[Pathfinder]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

One dead, over 30 trapped in Pyne Gould Corp building

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 5:10p.m.

The Pyne Gould Corp building has been devastated

At least one person is dead and more than 30 are trapped in the Pyne Gould Corp (PGC) business building in central Christchurch.

The four-storey building collapsed in the magnitude 6.3 quake, which struck at 12.51pm today.

Labour leader Phil Goff said from outside the building at least 30 people were trapped inside. "I know that there is one person who is fatally injured but they still cannot extract them," he told Radio New Zealand.

"This is a 1960s building, it's not one of the old brick buildings, and I was told by the police that there may be a dozen buildings like this around Christchurch - dozens of people trapped and the fatalities may be much higher than we imagined.

"We hope not but we know that at least there will be a significant number of casualties. I'm told that bodies have been recovered from buildings.

"It's a real tragedy for Christchurch."

...
http://www.3news.co.nz/One-dead-ove...lding/tabid/423/articleID/199332/Default.aspx

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Christchurch quake: Govt accepts foreign help

Excerpt:

The Dean of Christchurch Cathedral says the partial destruction of the iconic building is unimportant in light of the great human cost the disaster will incur.

Dean Peter Beck said there were visitors inside the building when the earthquake hit and it could not be confirmed whether anyone was still trapped beneath the rubble.

“We just don’t know if there were people underneath so all we can do now is just pray and wait while the emergency services get in there. We just don’t know.”
...

The Government has accepted international help for expertise for rescue operations.

http://www.3news.co.nz/Christchurch...-help/tabid/423/articleID/199310/Default.aspx

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

New Zealand PM Says 65 Dead In Christchurch Quake - TV One

WELLINGTON (Dow Jones)--New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key said that 65 people have been confirmed dead in the devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake that hit New Zealand's second-largest city of Christchurch earlier Tuesday.

The prime minister traveled to Christchurch late Tuesday and was speaking to TVNZ's One News program. The government's Ministry of Civil Defence, however, has confirmed that there are 17 fatalities.

more...

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110222-700047.html

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

See: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4688231/65-dead-in-devastating-Christchurch-quake

the above article contains good photos and lots of details, including:

FELT MORE STRONGLY THAN SEPTEMBER QUAKE

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.

.

 

[gsgs]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

"damage from this new event will exceed $1 Billion (USD). "

says Eqecat


-------edit 2011/02/23-------------
> insurable damage in the range of $1.5 to $4 billion USD

------------edit 23.2---again-------------
Die US-Firma AIR Worldwide, die auf die Schätzung von Naturkatastrophen-Schäden spezialisiert ist, bezifferte die voraussichtlichen Lasten für die Assekuranzen am Mittwoch auf 3,5 bis acht Milliarden Dollar

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

current list of primary quake and aftershocks:

4.1 2011/02/22 04:19:05 -43.600 172.750 15.0 SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND
4.4 2011/02/22 03:04:09 -43.570 172.650 12.0 SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND
NEW ZEALAND
5.6 2011/02/22 00:04:18 -43.580 172.798 6.7 SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND
6.3 2011/02/21 23:51:43 -43.600 172.710 5.0 SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/10/175_-45_eqs.php

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

another:

Magnitude 4.5
Date-Time Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 06:43:30 UTC
Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 07:43:30 PM at epicenter

Location 43.593?S, 172.859?E

Depth 5 km (3.1 miles)

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usb0001ilt.php

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

The best list of aftershocks is on the google map I listed above.

Newest one is a 5.0 - that could bring down more buildings.

.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

The Google earth photos haven't been updated to show the results, like they did for Haiti. Once that is done, it will give everyone a better idea of the scope of the damage. I checked Cathedral square and everything is still intact in the photos.

.

 

[Emily]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/newzealand/8339825/Christchurch-earthquake-65-people-dead-in-New-Zealands-darkest-day.html
The Telegraph
By Paul Chapman, in Wellington and Bonnie Malkin in Sydney 6:34AM GMT 22 Feb 2011

"Officials fear the death toll could double amid report that more than 200 were trapped in collapsed buildings and wreckage of homes. Bodies were seen lying in the streets, untended until emergency services were able to reach them.

Bystanders dug with bare hands to rescue survivors trapped under piles of rubble. Some reports said the city had ran out of ambulances, with rescuers forced to use private vehicles.

John Key, the prime minister who has flown to the city, described what he saw as "utter devastation".

"We may be witnessing New Zealand's darkest day," he told reporters. "

 

[Emily]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

http://www.geonet.org.nz/news/feb-2011-christchurch-badly-damaged-by-magnitude-6-3-earthquake.html

"Last updated February 22, 4:30 pm

Shaking intensity in the city was much greater for this earthquake than the magnitude 7.1 earthquake from last September, or any of the aftershocks. The highest shaking was recorded at Pages Road Pumping Station at 188 %g, with readings of 127 %g at Heathcote Valley Primary School and 107 %g at Hulverstone Road Pumping Station.

This is due to the proximity of the epicentre to the city and the shallow depth. The earthquake has a reverse faulting mechanism."

Ground acceleration reached nearly 2 g according to geologists on Twitter and that is considered very high - enough to topple modern buildings.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

One thing I've noticed is that some of the seemingly new buildings "pancaked", i.e. the roof collapsed and caused all the lower levels to pile up like a stack of pancakes. This should NOT happen in well designed and built structures. I've seen EQ codes that require the roof to be supported separately to the ground, thereby preventing its collapse and taking the rest of the building down.

If it's like other major quakes in modern towns, the fault can lie with the workmanship.

It's good to see that some large buildings like the Christchurch cathedral, have good structural support for the roof, but suffered a little fascade damage (except for the separate tower).

.

 

[Emily]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

I can't vouch for this but someone on Twitter said Google created a people-finder tool for the earthquake:

http://christchurch-2011.person-finder.appspot.com/

It does caution that all information entered will become public.
ETA: I noticed that was tweeted by the New Zealand Herald.
http://twitter.com/#!/nzherald
------------------------------------


Brisbanetimes photos:

Big Pictures: Earthquake again hits Christchurch

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/christchurch-earthquake/index.html

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

NZ earthquake causes ice to break off glacier .


CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand -- The earthquake that struck Christchurch has caused some 30 million tons of ice to break off from New Zealand's biggest glacier.



Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/02/22/2078750/nz-earthquake-causes-ice-to-break.html#ixzz1Eg9FKQhb

 

[Emily]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

One thing I've noticed is that some of the seemingly new buildings "pancaked", i.e. the roof collapsed and caused all the lower levels to pile up like a stack of pancakes. This should NOT happen in well designed and built structures. I've seen EQ codes that require the roof to be supported separately to the ground, thereby preventing its collapse and taking the rest of the building down.

If it's like other major quakes in modern towns, the fault can lie with the workmanship.

It's good to see that some large buildings like the Christchurch cathedral, have good structural support for the roof, but suffered a little fascade damage (except for the separate tower).

.

There is a video interview below and the man interviewed said that perhaps casualties were reduced because some of the least sound buildings were already damaged and condemned in the September quake. That meant that those buildings were not in use today.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/video.cfm?c_id=1&gal_cid=1&gallery_id=116920
Christchurch earthquake: A city destroyed
8:36 PM Tuesday Feb 22, 2011

 

[mixin]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Sally Furniss, Vice President of FluTrackers, and her family are ok. I spoke to her on the phone from Christchurch and she tells me:

1. She can smell burning rubber,
2. There are fires,
3. The water service is out,
4. Sewer lines are broken,
5. Some roads are impassable,
6. The bridges are out.

I'm so thankful Sally and her family are ok. I hope our other NZ members check in as soon as they are able.

 

[makoto]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

12 Japanese students remain trapped under rubble

Rescue workers in Christchurch in New Zealand have pulled out 9 Japanese students and 2 teachers trapped under the rubble of a building badly damaged in the quake.

Officials said on Tuesday that a 19-year-old Japanese student remains trapped under the rubble, and 11 others remain unaccounted for....

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 21:25 +0900 (JST)
nhk world http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/22_51.html

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sA156UOySLA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

#CHCH #EQNZ Quake Update 13

0218 hrs

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurred 10km south-east of Christchurch at 12:51, February 22, 2011. Depth (focal depth): 5km.

There have been 23 aftershocks greater than M4, with 4 greater than M5.

Considerable damage has been reported in the Christchurch CBD and in Lyttelton. A more thorough assessment of the damage will completed over the next 24 hours. Rescue work is likely to take days to complete.

Aftershocks are likely to continue and this could lead to further building damage or collapse.

See also: http://canterburyearthquake.org.nz/

Damage assessment:
The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM) is assessing information with the assistance of scientific advisors and Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Groups.

The National Crisis Management Centre has been activated.

• <LI type=disc>To minimise loading on the telecommunications network, people should use txt messaging to check if friends and family are safe <LI type=disc>There are reports of widespread building collapse (especially in the central city). <LI type=disc>There are 65 confirmed fatalities and numerous reports of injuries. This figure is likely to rise. <LI type=disc>The earthquake was felt widely across the South Island. <LI type=disc>Christchurch City declared a state of emergency at 1445 hrs. <LI type=disc>National agencies have been activated and are being coordinated via the National Crisis Management Centre.
• The National Crisis Management Centre is anticipating a need for temporary accommodation due to the extensive building damage.
  

Government help line
Call the Ministry of Social Development's Government help line 0800 779 997 for information about all government services and support.

Red Cross Person Enquiry Line now activated
The New Zealand Red Cross Person Enquiry Line is now activated.

People in New Zealand concerned about the wellbeing of friends and relatives in Christchurch should call 0800 REDCROSS (0800 733 276).

If you are unable to contact a friend or relative in the Christchurch area, call the Red Cross Person Enquiry Line. Red Cross will be able to tell you if they have registered with Civil Defence.

People are encouraged to do this before reporting friends and relatives missing.

People enquiring from outside New Zealand should call +64 7 850 2199.

Urban Search and Rescue
All 3 Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams are deployed. Task Force 2 (Christchurch) is operating at near full strength and non technical teams have also been deployed. Two USAR teams are on their way from Australia. New Zealand response teams are being mobilised to support USAR teams.

Hospitals and Medical Centres
Christchurch hospital is operational (contrary to some media reports) and one ward has been evacuated. Only attend A and E (accident and emergency) at the hospital if absolutely essential. For other injuries, contact your nearest after hours medical centre. The 24 hour surgery on Bealy Avenue is open.

Emergency triage centres for the injured are operating at Latimer Square, Canterbury University and the Sanitarium Building in Papanui.

The District Health Boards are communicating to coordinate support requirements.

Hospitals in other areas are prepared to receive patients if required.

Welfare centres
If you need emergency assistance and accommodation overnight, go to Burnside High School. A secondary welfare centre is also at Hagley Park North.

The welfare centre at Addington Raceway is closed due to high numbers.

Airport status
Christchurch International Airport is open for emergency flights only.

Port status
The harbour is closed for at least 24 hours. Some wharves have sustained serious damage.

Road status
All highways are open apart from Lyttelton Tunnel, State Highway 74 and Anzac Avenue Bridge for which a detour is available. There are reports of major damage to local roads in the city and liquefaction and surface flooding. There are also some road closures in the Selwyn District.

Electricity
Transpower reports that all supply is back in service. Orion is restoring power where possible and continuing to assess damage.

Telecomms
Vodafone and Telecom are advising customers to limit their calls or to use text only.

Water
There are reports of broken water pipes and associated flooding. Water supplies have been disrupted throughout most of the city. If it rains, residents are asked to collect water in buckets if possible.

Continue to boil water.

Waste water (sewerage)
There are reports of broken water pipes and associated flooding.

Police reinforcements
Police officers including those skilled in disaster victim identification roles are travelling to Christchurch as part of the emergency response.

About 200 staff have been mobilised as part of the immediate response with another 130 expected to travel in the next few days to support their Canterbury colleagues and other agencies.

Police are urging people to stay out of the Christchurch central city business area. Overnight rain is not helping the situation but emergency services and disaster response agencies are continuing all possible efforts to search buildings in the CBD and other parts of the city.

...
http://www.civildefence.govt.nz/

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Christchurch quake: Fears toll will rise sharply as night falls

12:13 AM Wednesday Feb 23, 2011

Rescue workers on the collapsed Pyne Gould Guiness Building in central Christchurch. Photo / Mark Mitchell
More photos: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/image.cfm?c_id=1&gal_objectid=10708102&gallery_id=116918#7380147


Excerpt:

Construction workers and search and rescue specialists are toiling under floodlights on a cold and wet night to dig out survivors and the dead from buildings flattened by the earthquake that ripped the city apart today...

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker tonight said more than 100 people were trapped in about six sites - but it was possible more were trapped in individual houses.

TV3 has had unconfirmed reports that the death toll could reach between 200 and 300.

The Government is holding a press conference at 5.30am this morning where more details will be revealed...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10708102

 

[Treyfish]

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

Re: 6.3 and 5.6 Earthquakes Hit ChristChurch New Zealand February 21 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths

pics :tiphat:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/image.cfm?c_id=1&gal_objectid=10707997&gallery_id=116912#7380552

Provincial Chambers