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Topic: Another Earthquake
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Graham Ritchie
Film God
Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted June 15, 2011 03:33 PM
Thought I might change the name of the topic ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif) got a bit stressed on Monday. One of the things regarding the house, is that being a wooden frame on concrete piles it will move, bounce, creak and crack ![[Eek!]](eek.gif) but not fall down. The stone work on the outside is not structural. I think all this goes back long ago as Eathquake wise this country has had a history of it, so the building codes were strict, however no one could imagine this kind of thing. In other countries where building codes are less strict everything would fall down I am sure of that.
Just after the 6:0 on Monday I went straight to the street and our neighbour was standing in the middle of the road almost in shock, even then you could see the power poles, trees everthing was still swaying, everything around you ground wise was still moving. I have to admit when all this silt "liquefaction" started to come up from the ground we felt shattered. It continued for at least 20 minutes after the shake until the ground would settle.
The experts did say that there was a 23% of one around the 5-6 mark withen the next 12 months now they say its 30% of another between 6 to 7 within the year. Our neighbour and us are sitting on a time bomb with that huge hole in there back yard, another big one and that hole will spew that silt out like old faithfull at Yellowstone park and there is nothing any of us can do to stop it. Many people who are renting in this area are leaving and I cant blame them, for the rest of us who own our properties we are stuck...so would anyone here like to buy a cheap house complete with large sand pit as extra ![[Smile]](smile.gif) We were in a hardware store the other day and they were selling all kinds of spirit levels, I said is this a joke as nothing in this area is.
As far as aftershocks they contiue still and will for some time and test eveyones nerves as long as the bigger ones dont hit we will be ok, well sort of.
Our neighbour was in tears on Tuesday with the help from total strangers who came to help, she wanted to pay them but they refused they just wanted to help. One other lady came back with coffee and cake and drinks for everyone, in times like this you see the best and worst in people and those that helped were the best.
Graham.
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Graham Ritchie
Film God
Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted June 27, 2011 12:04 AM
Hi Folks
Hope you are enjoying your summer, its winter out here ![[Frown]](frown.gif) well the latest news is the Government has announced that properties in what they call in the "red zone" will be bought out, around 5000 homes will be flattened because of the land they are not worth fixing. In some ways this is good news, as those worst effected can take the money and move on, hopefully to ground a lot more stable.
As for us and our neighbours its looking like at the moment we will be staying put, just outside that zone so things will be hopefully fixed, although still very uneasy about what we are sitting on and what a good shake might do to old faithfull "the hole" next door
Anyway with three active fault lines, everyone in this city takes a turn getting a good jolt. Last week the other side of town got one, as our part time projectionist was going home after the last sessions finished dark and late at night he cut across the park "spooky at the best of times" when he entered the underground walk tunnel under the railway just when the 5:3 hit, he said it sounded like a train and the tunnel started shaking, he ran through it, then looked back...no train..and the ground was still moving
Well the good news after a zillion repairs to our street water mains they are going to spend the next six weeks putting new water pipes in. I really feel sorry for those guys they would fix things then another shake would come along and wreck it. I hope the new pipes are the flexy type they will need to be.
Just got a copy of "Chubbchubbs" from Derann so I must watch it tonight.
Graham.
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Graham Ritchie
Film God
Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted July 25, 2011 01:49 AM
Thanks Pasquale
One thing we have all learned since September is to be better prepared with such things as a battery radio, three days of drinking water, plus tin food, gas heater and gas camping stove etc "a back up plan" everyone should have. I used to not think of those things so much, but not anymore and appreciate running water and things like that a lot lot more. What has been hard is the thought that it might not again happen for 100 years but could be tonight or tommorow you just dont no and with that level of uncertainty and the track record of aftershocks since September 7:1 no one can be sure.
The effect on people is that many tend to be on edge every time a small one comes through especially at night, when its been quiet, when there is little activity, thats the time I get uneasy, as often the pressure has been building in one of those fault lines. The energy released is down right scary and there is nothing anyone can do except hang on and hope its not a big one. I have lived in this city since 1973 and its been a real shame to see level of damage and the effect it has had on people lives. Even at the cinema where I work we have the school holidays at the moment and just the thought of anything like what has happend here as just aftershocks with full cinemas of kids during the day makes me feel very uneasy. At the end of the night I am glad to shut things down and get away from the place as it becomes plum spooky up in that projection room.
As to the future, living somewhere else sounds a good idea however even if we wanted to move we couldn't as no one is going to buy into this place even if they could get insurance, so we are stuck...anyway we do have our spare room and projectors and plenty of Super8 film to enjoy next week the lions club wants me to put on a mystery film evening, even though I dont belong to their club they keep coming back every year.
Graham.
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