What the Folk!

Apparently a HUGE earthquake struck near Christchurch early Saturday morning. Reports are that nobody was killed thank goodness. Aftershocks have been reported measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale. There's not much news on it right now. I hope everyone from this board (and really everyone on the South Island for that matter) is safe. That must have been really freaky, and not in a good way.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/0 ... 05040.html

Scroll down to read twitter feeds and links to other news sources.

I have a good friend down in CC. Shall be dropping her a line but not expecting to hear anything anytime soon if its knocked out power and stuff.

Thanks for telling us, mock. Hopefully your friend is okay, Sherry.
Thinking good thoughts.

It's OK, the country is still here - we haven't submerged or anything. It takes more than a 7.2 earthquake to knock us out! Christchurch is a little dented, but from the pics I've seen things are mostly OK. Christchurch isn't a massive tower block kind of place so no big building collapses - mostly older single storey brick buildings that couldn't hold it together any more kind of thing. It would've given a people a really good scare though - nothing like a good earthquake to get the adrenaline flowing!
Fingers crossed for your friend though Sherry - I'm sure she's fine.

Glad to hear the country's still standing Great H. It's a tribute to NZ architects that it wasn't a bigger deal. Still I'm sure some people are homeless right now. I know NZ gets a lot of earthquakes but 7.4! That's a big one.

Ok, it wouldn't be a relief effort, but is there a fund for rebuilding out there? I spent a few days in Christchurch about 35 years ago on our way home from Oz. Lovely city. It's also sentimental for me because it was the longtime home of Flying Nun Records in its early days...

I found it interesting that there has not been one word of any sort of relief effort being set up. Usually the news gives a number to call to help. Nothing so far.

There's been a few local ones set up - my donation's been made!
I think I read somewhere that the PM turned down UN relief though I could be imagining that. Watching the news here I've seen that the mess in ChCh is a lot bigger than I originally thought it was, but they/we definitely got off lightly compared to what it could easily have been. Only two injuries, no deaths (not counting one lemur in the zoo ) Quite incredible really since it was apparently equivalent to the Haiti earthquake, and look what happened there. Better building codes here and probably less population concentration too, I guess. But ChCh is still getting big aftershocks - they had a 5.1 this just morning, which while quite small by comparison, is enough to bring down a building that has already been damaged, so people are still on their toes down there.

Oh my gosh, Great H, a 5.1 can do a great amount of damage! And to be having aftershocks of that magnitude! That's really tough.

A lot of LA earthquakes are in the low 5s. I've been through a 6 and a 7. I don't wish an earthquake on anyone - it's frightening.

So glad you're okay, Great H.

Mousetraps eh?

I know I shouldn't be laughing, but that was funny as!

"unternetional ide" I can imagine the accent perfectly. Have the quakes subsided, Great H? The Conchords could perhaps hold a benefit concert for New Zealand and it's uncontrollable tremors. "Come on and make a donation and help our shaky nation."

Fintistic!

As they'd say in Boston, "Oh my Gawd"!
That is sad, but funny.
I loved that Australia was listed as an English-speaking country.

One day, maybe, people will know where New Zealand is...
*sigh*