8mm Forum: Earthquake Anniversary

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Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on February 21, 2012, 08:31 PM:

Well folks its been a strange day, marking the February 22nd 2011 Earthquake which killed 185 people. For most people its a time for reflection, where they were at the time it hit. Even though other very strong shakes were to continue in middle of last year and of late again in December. The Feburary one was the killer. Today we went into town and the journey there and back we noticed the road cones and they are everywhere, had flowers placed on them "a nice touch" I thought, here is a couple of photos just outside our place.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on February 22, 2012, 12:58 PM:

ThanX Graham for those photo's.

Earthquakes and other such "natural disasters" are those things that really remind us that no matter how much money we have; no matter how inflated our ego could even get or even how famous we may or may not be ...

... these disasters are the thing that "level's the playing field" and reminds us as to just how fragile each and every life is on this big ball O Mud (earth).

Posted by Pasquale DAlessio (Member # 2052) on February 22, 2012, 04:09 PM:

Graham

I think the flowers are a nice touch also. It kind of lightens the situation a bit.

Pat

Posted by Bryan Chernick (Member # 1998) on February 22, 2012, 05:01 PM:

Hopefully that was a once in a lifetime event and everyone can put it behind them now.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on February 22, 2012, 11:27 PM:

I hope so, but the track record since September 2010 has not been a good one, seems around five to six months between the big ones from 2010. The kind of energy released to move things like this is downright scary. If we get through this year without any more nasty repeats we will be very happy. The planet is just doing its thing, but I cant help but feel something much larger is brewing world wide hope I am wrong.

Graham.

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on February 23, 2012, 11:14 AM:

Graham I know first hand what an uneasy feeling you get living in earthquake country...never knowing when the next big one will hit. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I'm still traumatized from the 1989 quake that collapsed a double-decker freeway and a section of the Oakland Bay Bridge. I hope mother nature can give you a break for awhile.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on April 19, 2013, 11:53 PM:

Update...Well the last year has been a good one, no more shaking, although getting the house repaired is going to take a while. This week the experts arrived with some fancy gas filled device that checks the house for level [Roll Eyes]

..they quickly came to the conclusion its aint and its out by miles....I could have told them that... anyway, those experts said they will have to get engineers in to look at whats involved in foundation work etc.

The insurance and government agences have been terrible to deal with so far and have been dragging things out big time. I really dont think they want to know, as its going to be an a very expensive $$$$$ fix.

However our we home theatre is still intact though, although its down a bit on one side and cracks in the foundation but I will live with that [Smile]

my overkill "at the time" of the 10 inches of steel reinforce concrete for the projection box I put down for the Ernemann has paid off.

Graham.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on February 28, 2014, 02:10 AM:

Today at long last [Smile]

and its been one long haul [Frown]

getting to this point. I sat down with the construction company who will be responsible to oversee the repairs with the assigned builders.

At last a plan to strip most of the house, to lift and level the place, with new and improved concrete piles. To do the piles they are going to cut holes in the floor at certain places, so its going to be a big and messy job, that's for sure.

We move out at the end of March for seven weeks and they have guaranteed us, that it will be completed on time. Most of the foundation for the external stone cladding is getting replaced along with all internal repairs to cracks in the walls etc that are right through this place.

We are looking forward to leaving and handing over the keys and getting away. The last three years has been very tiring dealing with all the bureaucracy.

I have never been a person to give up, but to be honest, after years of getting the run around, I was at the stage of just giving up. If the builders can keep good the promise they have made to us "and they do have a good name" we will be very pleased.

Graham. [Smile]

Posted by Pasquale DAlessio (Member # 2052) on February 28, 2014, 08:50 AM:

Best of luck Graham! What about your theater?

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on February 28, 2014, 12:34 PM:

That's fine, although there is a crack in the concrete foundation and the place is no longer level. I have told them that I am OK with it as is.

We went overboard at the time we built it and the projection box itself has 10 inches of steel reinforced concrete and 100 meters of framing timber alone. Although everything in it went flying at the time, the structure came through with flying colors [Smile]

The builders etc did have a look at yesterday and went [Eek!]

....what's this? [Big Grin]

Its really the house that took the major hits over 2010/2011 and the land. They did discover yesterday that the liquefaction under the house has some kind of mould growing from it, that could be a health hazard for the builders, so they are getting people in to look at it and hopefully remove it before repairs can start.

Graham.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on March 29, 2014, 04:32 PM:

Well we are moving out at last in the next couple of weeks for repairs...but just a few moments ago and its now been a long time since the last shake, we got a good jolt this morning, mother nature giving us a wee reminder that she ain't finished with us...drat [Frown]

Graham.

Posted by Clay Smith (Member # 4122) on March 29, 2014, 05:33 PM:

Stay safe. A reminder to us in the San Francisco Bay Area, we stock up on fresh water, etc. but there's only so much one can do. And we try not to think about it too much. (But we do.) In St. Louis, where I grew up, it's near an even bigger fault line, the New Madrid in southeast Missouri along the Missisippi River. Anyway, hope the fixes work and that morning tremble was just an after thought by Mother Nature. All my best to you Graham.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on March 29, 2014, 06:26 PM:

Thanks Clay

Much appreciated [Smile]

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