Bash Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 Just a short note to mention that I awoke this morning to the news of the tragedy in Christchurch, NZ. My immediate thought was of our friend Mike Westgate. I mailed him immediately, and he is safe and OK (he is, of course, based in Aukland, North Island). What a week of world events!! Kindest regards to all, simon b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimPitot Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 Seconded. Pics coming out of Chch are pretty horrifying, RIP those that did not make it. Mike and Grant, our 2 NZ posters (that I am aware of!) hope you fellas are OK. Best, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engaudio Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 Seconded. Pics coming out of Chch are pretty horrifying, RIP those that did not make it. Mike and Grant, our 2 NZ posters (that I am aware of!) hope you fellas are OK. Best, Tim Tim, Thanks for your thoughts. (I'm in Auckland where our biggest worry is traffic and and a string of dormant volcanoes) All my family are ok, houses damaged but everyones alive. You can follow the media reports here: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ http://www.3news.co.nz/National/ChristchurchEarthquake/tabid/1438/Default.aspx & live via Radio New Zealand. http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/live/national/adaptive.asx Unfortunatly the CTV building collapsed, hopefully some make it out alive... Seeing as the earthquake hit around 1pm it's making it difficult to account for those "on site" and others out at lunch so It's still too early to confirm a lot of missing/deceased. Regards, Grant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Stalder Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 To you all in NZ. Best wishes from AUS. Our thoughts are with you. Rob stalder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Mega Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 All the best from Sydney. Australia is behind you. Good luck, Peter Mega Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikewest Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 Thanks all you guys ans a special thanks to Simon B. I'm Auckland based but Hammond Peek who got Oscars for "The Rings" lives down there. Will try and connect with him. Was in Christchurch for a new year break, already looked like a war zone Now old buildings that were damaged are down and even new buildings gone Cheers mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Isaacs Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 Mike & Grant - my thoughts are with you all. Is TVNZ Christchurch still standing? Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimPitot Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 *runs away* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikewest Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Hi Paul, Hope you and family are well!! TVNZ in CH was badly damaged, no one hurt but building looks very shaky. Have emailed Hammond but have not heard back. Many cell sites and phone lines out, 80% of water and sewage pipes destroyed, about 130 dead so far with 300 missing. Many tourists lost everything as they evacuated so no luggage or passports. Many aftershocks continue so central city is out of bounds and closed 6.30am/6.30pm Sumner pretty ravaged by falling rocks some as big as a small house. Lyttleton tunnel closed and it's central street old buildings destroyed. Head of CHTV amongst the dead and his house was robbed last night! Cheers for now mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Lightstone, CAS Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 Here is a post from someone who lives in Christchurch: "I sit here typing this as helicopters continually fly overhead. It feels a little like a Vietnam War movie. Copter after copter, some loaded with monsoon buckets - when I could go for for days and not see one. There are continual aftershocks. Huge jolting shakes - many over 5.0 on the Richter scale. 40% of the of our city of 400,000 is without power. 80% without running water or toilets. There is real fear of water borne disease as sewer and water pipes are ruptured all over the city. People are being asked to dig holes in their back gardens for toilets. The family is currently boling water and filling bottles for friends who have no water. There are massive queues in supermarkets, petrol stations and at emergency water stations. Farmers are bringing tanker trucks full of water to specified points in the city. The central city looks like it has been bombed. Buildings are down everywhere. The City's tallest building, The Grand Chancellor Hotel is leaning against a neighboring building and could collapse at any time. Nobody knows how many more buildings the "domino effect' could take down. The eastern suburbs are now a network of flooded buckled roads. The whole east side of Christchuch is built on swamp and water and sand is bubbling through everywhere as the quake and continual aftershocks have turned the ground to jelly. Many people in the East live week to week and they are suffering without power and water as food supplies run low. The affluent seaside suburb of Sumner and the port town of Lyttelton - where the quake was centered are in ruins. Boulders the size of trucks have careened down hillsides, right through houses. Roads are blocked through landslips all over the area and the Lyttelton Road Tunnel is out of service. This means Christchurch can't get petrol from the port and fuel is being trucked in from Timaru, 100 miles away. The official death toll is in the 70s, but there are over 300 people still missing and countless bodies are being left in the wreckage as rescue teams desperately try to find the still living. Very few of the dead have been identified. A friend of mine, Jo Giles is missing, believed to be the downed five story Canterbury TV building, which may hold more than 50 people. There are believed to be 20 people in the wrecked Christchurch Cathedral, an iconic city landmark. Teams from Australia, Britain, the US, Taiwan and other countries are working with our soldiers, police, fire and rescue services to rescue the living. We are all so grateful for this help. The last live person was pulled from rubble yesterday, but we are all hoping for miracles. Even our major rugby venue, the AMI stadium has been badly damaged. Our world champion Crusaders rugby team, has forgone their Super 15 match this weekend in Wellington, in solidarity with the suffering here. After the last big earthquake in September 2010, we were all hoping that this year's Rugby World Cup (which New Zealand is hosting) would bring much needed tourism into the city. That is now in real doubt as the central city is almost totally destroyed and many large hotels are badly damaged or completely wrecked. Last year's quake was estimated to have caused $4 to $8 million in damage. Estimates of a further $10 to $16 in damage are already being bandied about. Apart from my friend Jo, my family has been relatively untouched so far s. As casualties are named however I expect this to change. With several hundred deaths, in a small city, we will almost certainly know other victims. In terms of lives lost and economic damage, this will be New Zealand's biggest ever natural disaster. I am beginning to have some appreciation of how New Yorkers must have felt after 9/11. If you are planning an overseas vacation in the next year, please consider New Zealand. This is a beautiful country, with some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. All parts of the country offer stunning scenery and great tourist activities, especially the central North Island and much of the South Island. I've never met a tourist yet who didn't love this country and this great city. While Christchurch will struggle for awhile, we now have a chance to make this city even more beautiful. Don't forget Christchurch, when you visit. We will recover from this. Services will be up and running in a few weeks and we will look after you very well while you are here. Thanks for all your supportive messages. Thanks for the generous help that has already flowed into our city. Written on the verge of tears. Trevor Loudon" Posted 2-23-11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 Thanks for the powerful reminder Richard, or more so to Trevor. Where I live is earthquake prone like Christchurch and many other points on this planet. I am always aware of how fragile a building is and how strong the human spirit is. My thought n prayers to the people in Christchurch and all parts of this world suffering. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engaudio Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 For those that won't know, CTV or (Canterbury Television) is the regional station in Christchurch, TVNZ is the national broadcaster. I worked at CTV for about 3 years in the late 90's/ early 2k and know some of the missing. As sorry as I am for their loss, it can't be anything close to what their family is feeling. I'm one of the lucky ones, my Dad and Sisters' family are living under a tarpaulin at the rear of her house... Ironically, she was going to knock that kitchen wall out soon anyway. You can stream TVNZ here for the latest on the quake. http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/video-christchurch-earthquake-live-stream-4038290 Here's a video on youtube 1 minute after the first shake in the central city. Grant. Trevors email: Should read Billions (in $NZ) "...Last year's quake was estimated to have caused $4 to $8 million in damage. Estimates of a further $10 to $16 in damage are already being bandied about." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BVS Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/02/christchurch_earthquake.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimPitot Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 Wow, great link. Those pictures are amazing, they really give scale to the devastation. Very sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted February 28, 2011 Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 That's horrendous. Those of us in LA vividly remember the Northridge quake of '94. Christchurch's casualties are already up to about 150, with more than 200 missing. An awful tragedy. I went through 7 major hurricanes when I lived in Florida during the 1960s and 1970s, and at least then you got a few hours warning. With earthquakes, you get nothin' but "hold on and pray"... --Marc W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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