Friday, December 23, 2011 1:21:07 AM
F6, Christchurch hit AGAIN! .. 5.8 .. 6 .. aftershocks ..
Buildings damaged as two major earthquakes rock Christchurch
by: NewsCore, AFP
From: NewsCore, Herald Sun, AFP
December 23, 2011 12:21PM
8 comments
Embedded video
Watch .. Earthquake strikes New Zealand ..
As it happened: More pictures and reports as locals are rattled again
Sam Law posted this picture on Twitter with the following caption: 'Standing in Stevens while glasses and
plates break and people scream and run. My hands are shaking but I'm ok. Picture: Twitter/SamLaw Supplied
UPDATE 4.40pm: THE earthquake-devastated city of Christchurch has been rocked by two powerful 5.8 and 6.0 magnitude tremors, sending terrified residents onto the streets and forcing the airport to close.
The first quake struck at 1.58 pm (11.58am AEDT) as stores were packed with Christmas shoppers, turning their festive mood into panic as stock fell from shelves.
The second 5.8 quake came 70 minutes later as inner-city streets were gridlocked by people desperate to get home.
Two lesser quakes measuring 5.3 and 5.0 followed centred offshore, between 10km and 20km east of the city, at depths between 6km and 10km, according to GNS Science. They were felt widely around the South Island but there was no threat of a tsunami.
Local news media reported people fleeing in fear as the quake and a series of strong aftershocks rattled the city.
"You can't underestimate the ongoing stress this has created for people,'' Mayor Bob Parker said, as the city continues to recover from a 6.3-magnitude quake in February that killed 181 people and destroyed much of the downtown.
Related
Earthquakes rock Christchurch .. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/photo-gallery/gallery-e6frf94x-1226229439641
Earthquake strikes New Zealand .. http://video.heraldsun.com.au/2179717479
Nervy Christchurch locals rattled again ..
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/nervy-christchurch-rattled-again/story-e6frf7jo-1226229313914
Three unoccupied buildings collapsed and there have been a dozens of minor injuries.
One person was rushed to hospital after being injured in a shopping mall and the National Crisis Management Centre was activated.
There were widespread evacuations of shopping malls, buildings and Christchurch Airport and traffic congestion as people hit the roads to get home.
Residents at Windsor Hospital rest home in New Brighton were evacuated by the Fire Service.
The eastern suburbs, which were hard-hit by February's devastating quake, were again hit by significant liquefaction and flooding.
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority chief executive Roger Sutton told Radio New Zealand he had flown over the city and seen liquefaction in the CBD as well as in the eastern suburbs.
The Christchurch Cathedral appeared to have suffered more damage, he said.
A partly demolished building in the central city had collapsed along with a vacant house in the suburb of Hillsborough and a red-stickered house in Oram Ave, New Brighton.
St John Ambulance says it received around 150 emergency calls and it attended treated about 60 people for incidents such as heart attacks, collapses and panic attacks.
Power company Orion said an estimated 26,000 connections lost power in the eastern suburbs.
Christchurch Airport was evacuated after the quake, but was expected to reopen at 5.20pm (7.20pm AEDT) with flights to resume at 6pm (8pm AEDT).
All available police units were mobilised to check on safety and damage across the city of more than 360,000 and people were urged to stay away from hill suburbs because of the risk of rockfalls.
Scientists had warned last month of an increased probability that another powerful earthquake would hit Christchurch.
"We knew to expect aftershocks and one in the range around about 6.0 was expected over the next 12 months and that appears to have arrived,'' Parker said.
INSERT: [ NOTE: SEE MORE OF NEW ZEALAND INSIDE .. it's a good one of those you move around with your hand .. lol .. ]
Christchurch Central City Business Association manager Paul Lonsdale told Fairfax the quakes came at the worst possible time for retailers, as people completed their Christmas shopping.
"It's really the last thing we needed - a shake just before Christmas,'' he said.
"We've had a hell of a year really in many respects. We thought it was close to being over, but perhaps not quite.''
Newstalk ZB radio reporter Jo Scott said the tremors were "absolutely frightening".
"My husband was outside the Catholic Cathedral on Barbados [Street] and there were big bits of rubble falling down on that again, so there will certainly be damage to those buildings," she said.
"It's absolutely frightening. My children are literally shaking and sobbing in my arms. That's the worst bit. But we're tough and we have a strong house and we'll be OK."
Local woman Juliet McVeigh told AAP the quake was loud and was the first quake to actually wake her toddler Otto.
"He woke screaming, which he has never done," she said.
"It was violent, some are long and slow. This one was violent and then three or four aftershocks."
Christchurch resident Jo Davis told Fairfax News her neighbours were screaming.
"I was terrified, I guess just because it's been so long since we've had a decent one. We've had a TV and glasses fall over but no repeat of liquefaction (when earth becomes fluid) like in June, so I guess it's not so bad.''
As it happened: More pictures and reports as nervy locals are rattled again ..
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/nervy-christchurch-rattled-again/story-e6frf7jo-1226229313914
Local power company Orion confirmed there were power outages and phone lines were jammed.
Telecom asked customers to keep mobile phones free for emergency use and asked people to text rather than call.
Twitter reports said household items were smashed as the quake was felt as far south as Dunedin.
Government seismologists said both 5.8 quakes were shallow.
The series of shakes are the largest to hit the region in about three months.
New Zealand sits on the so-called "Ring of Fire'', the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/christchurch-suffers-another-quake/story-fn7x8me2-1226229273635
.. so far no reports of significant casualties or significant damage this time .. thank goodness for that ..
Buildings damaged as two major earthquakes rock Christchurch
by: NewsCore, AFP
From: NewsCore, Herald Sun, AFP
December 23, 2011 12:21PM
8 comments
Embedded video
Watch .. Earthquake strikes New Zealand ..
As it happened: More pictures and reports as locals are rattled again
Sam Law posted this picture on Twitter with the following caption: 'Standing in Stevens while glasses and
plates break and people scream and run. My hands are shaking but I'm ok. Picture: Twitter/SamLaw Supplied
UPDATE 4.40pm: THE earthquake-devastated city of Christchurch has been rocked by two powerful 5.8 and 6.0 magnitude tremors, sending terrified residents onto the streets and forcing the airport to close.
The first quake struck at 1.58 pm (11.58am AEDT) as stores were packed with Christmas shoppers, turning their festive mood into panic as stock fell from shelves.
The second 5.8 quake came 70 minutes later as inner-city streets were gridlocked by people desperate to get home.
Two lesser quakes measuring 5.3 and 5.0 followed centred offshore, between 10km and 20km east of the city, at depths between 6km and 10km, according to GNS Science. They were felt widely around the South Island but there was no threat of a tsunami.
Local news media reported people fleeing in fear as the quake and a series of strong aftershocks rattled the city.
"You can't underestimate the ongoing stress this has created for people,'' Mayor Bob Parker said, as the city continues to recover from a 6.3-magnitude quake in February that killed 181 people and destroyed much of the downtown.
Related
Earthquakes rock Christchurch .. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/photo-gallery/gallery-e6frf94x-1226229439641
Earthquake strikes New Zealand .. http://video.heraldsun.com.au/2179717479
Nervy Christchurch locals rattled again ..
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/nervy-christchurch-rattled-again/story-e6frf7jo-1226229313914
Three unoccupied buildings collapsed and there have been a dozens of minor injuries.
One person was rushed to hospital after being injured in a shopping mall and the National Crisis Management Centre was activated.
There were widespread evacuations of shopping malls, buildings and Christchurch Airport and traffic congestion as people hit the roads to get home.
Residents at Windsor Hospital rest home in New Brighton were evacuated by the Fire Service.
The eastern suburbs, which were hard-hit by February's devastating quake, were again hit by significant liquefaction and flooding.
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority chief executive Roger Sutton told Radio New Zealand he had flown over the city and seen liquefaction in the CBD as well as in the eastern suburbs.
The Christchurch Cathedral appeared to have suffered more damage, he said.
A partly demolished building in the central city had collapsed along with a vacant house in the suburb of Hillsborough and a red-stickered house in Oram Ave, New Brighton.
St John Ambulance says it received around 150 emergency calls and it attended treated about 60 people for incidents such as heart attacks, collapses and panic attacks.
Power company Orion said an estimated 26,000 connections lost power in the eastern suburbs.
Christchurch Airport was evacuated after the quake, but was expected to reopen at 5.20pm (7.20pm AEDT) with flights to resume at 6pm (8pm AEDT).
All available police units were mobilised to check on safety and damage across the city of more than 360,000 and people were urged to stay away from hill suburbs because of the risk of rockfalls.
Scientists had warned last month of an increased probability that another powerful earthquake would hit Christchurch.
"We knew to expect aftershocks and one in the range around about 6.0 was expected over the next 12 months and that appears to have arrived,'' Parker said.
INSERT: [ NOTE: SEE MORE OF NEW ZEALAND INSIDE .. it's a good one of those you move around with your hand .. lol .. ]
Christchurch Central City Business Association manager Paul Lonsdale told Fairfax the quakes came at the worst possible time for retailers, as people completed their Christmas shopping.
"It's really the last thing we needed - a shake just before Christmas,'' he said.
"We've had a hell of a year really in many respects. We thought it was close to being over, but perhaps not quite.''
Newstalk ZB radio reporter Jo Scott said the tremors were "absolutely frightening".
"My husband was outside the Catholic Cathedral on Barbados [Street] and there were big bits of rubble falling down on that again, so there will certainly be damage to those buildings," she said.
"It's absolutely frightening. My children are literally shaking and sobbing in my arms. That's the worst bit. But we're tough and we have a strong house and we'll be OK."
Local woman Juliet McVeigh told AAP the quake was loud and was the first quake to actually wake her toddler Otto.
"He woke screaming, which he has never done," she said.
"It was violent, some are long and slow. This one was violent and then three or four aftershocks."
Christchurch resident Jo Davis told Fairfax News her neighbours were screaming.
"I was terrified, I guess just because it's been so long since we've had a decent one. We've had a TV and glasses fall over but no repeat of liquefaction (when earth becomes fluid) like in June, so I guess it's not so bad.''
As it happened: More pictures and reports as nervy locals are rattled again ..
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/nervy-christchurch-rattled-again/story-e6frf7jo-1226229313914
Local power company Orion confirmed there were power outages and phone lines were jammed.
Telecom asked customers to keep mobile phones free for emergency use and asked people to text rather than call.
Twitter reports said household items were smashed as the quake was felt as far south as Dunedin.
Government seismologists said both 5.8 quakes were shallow.
The series of shakes are the largest to hit the region in about three months.
New Zealand sits on the so-called "Ring of Fire'', the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/christchurch-suffers-another-quake/story-fn7x8me2-1226229273635
.. so far no reports of significant casualties or significant damage this time .. thank goodness for that ..
A Peaceful Christmas .. A happy & prosperous New Year to you.
Join the InvestorsHub Community
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
