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http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/chr...186421/Quakes-cause-panic-across-Christchurch
Quakes cause panic across Christchurch
Last updated 05:00 24/12/2011
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Eastern suburbs following quakes
Earthquake strikes New Zealand
Camera rolls as 6.0 hits
Related Links
Offshore faults to blame for Christchurch shakes Months of hard work undone by quake Shops scramble to reopen tills Family rescued after watching cliffs fall Tremors will last for some time, GNS says Airport shutdown sparks travel chaos St John kept busy with falls and cardiac cases Swarm of quakes hits Christchurch Quake halts Addington racing Eastern suburbs following quakes Christchurch quake at Westfield Mall We have to keep going Camera rolls as 6.0 hits
Christchurch earthquake
Aftershock swarm rocks Canterbury Residents left scared and emotional Cathedral locates 'missing' bronze doors Officials delayed power network repairs Demo firms pitch in to help victims' kids Quake puts back revamp by year Cera insists on building safety checks Praise out of doors, but still under cover Shock as Sumner cafe ordered closed Bob Parker's email raises concern
A double-whammy of magnitude-5.8 and 6.0 earthquakes wreaked more damage and fear across Christchurch, panicking Christmas shoppers, disrupting travellers and covering parts of the eastern suburbs in silt.
Did you feel the quake? Email your news, video and photos to us at [email protected]
The earthquakes, which struck at 1.58pm and 3.18pm yesterday, abruptly ended six months of relative calm for the city and has further set back its recovery.
The quakes were centred in faults below Pegasus Bay, off the coast of Christchurch.
Residents hoping Christmas celebrations would be a brighter end to a bleak year are instead dealing with more damage to homes, infrastructure and businesses.
Ambulance staff treated about 60 people for quake-related injuries, including falls and heart problems, but none were known to be serious last night.
Retailers who have struggled to survive were dealt a major blow as stores packed with Christmas shoppers were evacuated. Some face being shut on the busiest trading days of Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.
At Westfield Riccarton, petrified shoppers ran for the exit after the first quake hit.
"You could see the panic on people's faces. That's the end of Christmas – it's so unfair," said florist Sue Joy.
In the eastern suburbs, liquefaction triggered by the jolts flooded streets and properties. Bexley resident Corey Trist, who is waiting to move from his red-zoned house into a yet to be built new home, faced a Christmas Eve of cleaning up. It was the fifth time his property had been hit by liquefaction.
"It's ruined [Christmas] for me."
Others like Avonside resident Bev Mulcay, whose house is also red-zoned, simply said: "I'm over it now. I've had enough."
Hundreds of travellers had their Christmas plans disrupted after Christchurch Airport was closed following the first quake.
The airport reopened at 5.30pm after the runways and terminal were cleared, but the backlog is not expected to be cleared until today.
Power was cut to 26,000 eastern suburb homes after the 3.18pm quake, but by last night there were only 5000 New Brighton homes without electricity.
Among buildings which suffered further damage was the already ruined Christ Church Cathedral in the central city. Its rose window had completely collapsed and more damage was feared after yesterday's quakes, said Dean Peter Beck.
Beck said the new quakes were a "huge emotional shock".
"We were starting to get traction again and now it feels like June 13 [which had 5.6 and 6.3 quakes] again," he said.
All Anglican services in greater Christchurch would be held outdoors this weekend.
Today's opening of the Cathedral walkway for the final time was cancelled.
In Sydenham, the 100-year-old former Post Office building was urgently demolished last night after sustaining further damage in yesterday's shake. The Blue Jean Cuisine building was already slated for demolition, but the work was brought forward.
Mayor Bob Parker said the quakes were a "hammer blow" for the city's residents.
Parker, who was on holiday in Taupo when the quakes hit, returned to the city at 7pm on an airforce plane last night.
He said the jolts were a "terrible, terrible psychological blow" following a long period without a major shake.
"This pushes us back, because a lot of rechecking needs to be done. I'd say there will be a few more buildings that will need to be demolished because of this."
He was optimistic that the city's residents would remain resilient.
"I think we will bounce back pretty quickly. For some people this will be a last straw, but I think the vast majority have shown they're here to stay."
He was concerned about the impact on businesses at a vital trading time.
He also hoped the quakes would not set insurance claims back. Initial comments from the insurance industry had been positive.
Two of the big insurance companies said it was too early to assess the impact of yesterday's aftershocks on the timing of the rebuild.
There has been optimism that the rebuild would begin in earnest from the middle of next year, but yesterday's aftershocks may have up set that expectation back.
Vero's spokeswoman said it was too early to tell what impact the aftershocks would have on the rebuild timeframe.
Vero customers needing to make safe repairs should contact the company.
IAG spokesman Craig Dowling said until IAG, whose main brands are State and NZI, heard from its customers it would be hard to assess the extent of further damage.
SHOPPERS FLEE MALLS
Terrified shoppers barged for the exits of packed Christchurch malls as lights and plaster fell on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
The magnitude 5.8 shake at 1.58pm yesterday forced shoppers and staff into the streets.
Police said there had been a report of one injury at the Eastgate Shopping Centre.
At Westfield Riccarton, shocked shoppers tried to call family and friends, while others burst into tears as they tried to cope with the city's latest setback.
Clothing store employees Kate Cottrell and Karlena Karlytzky were waiting for officials to examine the mall car park so they could get to their cars. Cottrell said some doors on the upper level of the mall were temporarily blocked as people ran for the exits.
"The torsos were falling down from their stands. Everyone was screaming and shouting," she said.
Karlytzky said plaster had fallen from the ceiling, and there was some damage at nearly every shop in the mall.
"Kids were freaking out, old people were freaking out, I was freaking out," she said.
Shopper Pania Burgess, 39, said lighting at the Pak 'n Save supermarket crashed to the floor as the quake hit.
"The most petrifying thing was the people screaming. People were just hysterical, barging through for the exits."
Her husband, Steve Burgess, was at another store with the couple's young child when the quake struck.
"I was close to the exit and people started running towards me. I thought there was going to be a stampede, that we would be stampeded by people panicking," he said.
Mall florist Sue Joy said she was overwhelmed by the noise of the quake.
"It was like we were in a cannon. I was trying to make out whether it was the building making the noise or the earthquake."
She believed more Christchurch residents would flee the city after the latest shakes.
"You could see the panic on people's faces. That's the end of Christmas. It's so unfair," she said.
A Westfield spokeswoman said the mall had been cleared of any structural damage and would reopen this morning after further service checks were carried out overnight.
Shoppers who had left their cars at the mall were now able to collect them, she said.
The Northlands Shopping Centre car park was choked with Christmas shoppers forced to evacuate the building after the first of yesterday's shakes.
Shopper Susan Newtown was sitting on the pavement outside the mall after the shake, crying and holding her abdomen while bystanders comforted her.
She was walking up the ramp towards the Countdown supermarket when the quake struck, throwing her into a metal handrail.
"I fell against the rail because I thought there was something coming up behind me," she said. "I don't really know what happened. It was so quick."
Newtown said her side was sore but she hoped it was nothing serious.
Gail Yerby was in the mall food court when the quake hit.
"The whole building shook. Luckily, I've done my Christmas shopping," she said.
At The Palms Shopping Centre, Fox and Ferret general manager Tom Cairns said the first quake could not have come at worst time, with the bar emptied of patrons on one of the busiest days of the year.
CITY'S INFRASTRUCTURE HOLDS UP
Most of Christchurch's infrastructure stood up well to yesterday's earthquakes, but power was cut and further liquefaction damage reported in the eastern suburbs.
Immediately after the 1.58pm quake, about 15,000 Orion customers in the hard-hit eastern suburbs were without power.
The magnitude-6.0 quake, centred beneath South New Brighton at 3.18pm, saw the number rise to 26,000.
The main areas affected were New Brighton and Dallington, while a pocket of Springston was without power for a couple of hours.
Orion chief executive Rob Jamieson said it appeared power had been cut because of the ground movement, rather than damage to equipment.
Power was restored to rural areas, including Springston, by 5.30pm, and to Dallington by 6pm, but about 13,000 homes, mainly in New Brighton, were still without power early last night.
"We ask residents to prepare for intermittent power supply over the next few days," Jamieson said.
Christchurch deputy mayor Ngaire Button said council staff were continuing to inspect roads and other infrastructure last night, but flooding had been noted in some areas, particularly in Pages Rd, and traffic lights were out in the eastern suburbs.
There did not appear to be any damage to bridges across the city, including the Moorhouse Ave overbridge and the Bridge St and Gayhurst Rd bridges, and the Lyttelton tunnel remained open.
Some stopbanks along the Avon River and in Kaiapoi had been damaged, but no breaches had been reported last night.
Civil Defence reported a sewage overflow into the Avon River and asked people to avoid contact with the river and the Avon-Heathcote Estuary for 48 hours.
Christchurch's treatment plants were working and there was no apparent damage to water infrastructure.
Residents were not advised to boil water at this stage.
A Chorus spokeswoman said there was no major damage to power equipment.
Some cell towers were damaged, but emergency battery and generator power ensured that lines were kept open.
Telecom and Vodafone reported no major disruption, though both experienced congestion as people rushed to call loved ones.
QUAKES VINDICATE LAND DECISIONS - BROWNLEE
Prime Minister John Key says yesterday's earthquakes are "frightening and disheartening" for the people of Christchurch and Canterbury, particularly so close to the holiday season.
"My heart goes out to the people of Christchurch and Canterbury at this time," Key said.
"However, residents can be confident that the authorities are on to the situation and government resources stand ready to assist wherever they are needed. The Government's resolve to work with the people of Christchurch and Canterbury to rebuild remains unchanged following [yesterday's] aftershocks," he said.
Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee said the latest earthquakes would put Christchurch residents back on edge.
Brownlee cut short a family holiday yesterday.
He said the latest quake swarm caused about 30 per cent to 40 per cent of the damage caused on June 13 when magnitude-6.0 and 5.5 earthquakes rocked the city.
"This is part of an unwinding seismic event," he said.
Brownlee said the latest earthquakes had vindicated the Government's decisions on land, as much of the damage would have occurred in red-zone areas. He would not speculate on whether additional areas would be classed as red zones, but there would be a "further look".
Labour earthquake recovery spokeswoman Lianne Dalziel said yesterday's quakes were a terrible way to end a terrible year.
"It is heartbreaking coming just two days before Christmas ... and although the liquefaction has returned in force to some suburbs, it hasn't impacted as heavily on others that were hard hit last time," she said.
- © Fairfax NZ News
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/chr...186421/Quakes-cause-panic-across-Christchurch
Quakes cause panic across Christchurch
Last updated 05:00 24/12/2011
Share
Text Size
0 of 0
Eastern suburbs following quakes
Earthquake strikes New Zealand
Camera rolls as 6.0 hits
Related Links
Offshore faults to blame for Christchurch shakes Months of hard work undone by quake Shops scramble to reopen tills Family rescued after watching cliffs fall Tremors will last for some time, GNS says Airport shutdown sparks travel chaos St John kept busy with falls and cardiac cases Swarm of quakes hits Christchurch Quake halts Addington racing Eastern suburbs following quakes Christchurch quake at Westfield Mall We have to keep going Camera rolls as 6.0 hits
Christchurch earthquake
Aftershock swarm rocks Canterbury Residents left scared and emotional Cathedral locates 'missing' bronze doors Officials delayed power network repairs Demo firms pitch in to help victims' kids Quake puts back revamp by year Cera insists on building safety checks Praise out of doors, but still under cover Shock as Sumner cafe ordered closed Bob Parker's email raises concern
A double-whammy of magnitude-5.8 and 6.0 earthquakes wreaked more damage and fear across Christchurch, panicking Christmas shoppers, disrupting travellers and covering parts of the eastern suburbs in silt.
Did you feel the quake? Email your news, video and photos to us at [email protected]
The earthquakes, which struck at 1.58pm and 3.18pm yesterday, abruptly ended six months of relative calm for the city and has further set back its recovery.
The quakes were centred in faults below Pegasus Bay, off the coast of Christchurch.
Residents hoping Christmas celebrations would be a brighter end to a bleak year are instead dealing with more damage to homes, infrastructure and businesses.
Ambulance staff treated about 60 people for quake-related injuries, including falls and heart problems, but none were known to be serious last night.
Retailers who have struggled to survive were dealt a major blow as stores packed with Christmas shoppers were evacuated. Some face being shut on the busiest trading days of Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.
At Westfield Riccarton, petrified shoppers ran for the exit after the first quake hit.
"You could see the panic on people's faces. That's the end of Christmas – it's so unfair," said florist Sue Joy.
In the eastern suburbs, liquefaction triggered by the jolts flooded streets and properties. Bexley resident Corey Trist, who is waiting to move from his red-zoned house into a yet to be built new home, faced a Christmas Eve of cleaning up. It was the fifth time his property had been hit by liquefaction.
"It's ruined [Christmas] for me."
Others like Avonside resident Bev Mulcay, whose house is also red-zoned, simply said: "I'm over it now. I've had enough."
Hundreds of travellers had their Christmas plans disrupted after Christchurch Airport was closed following the first quake.
The airport reopened at 5.30pm after the runways and terminal were cleared, but the backlog is not expected to be cleared until today.
Power was cut to 26,000 eastern suburb homes after the 3.18pm quake, but by last night there were only 5000 New Brighton homes without electricity.
Among buildings which suffered further damage was the already ruined Christ Church Cathedral in the central city. Its rose window had completely collapsed and more damage was feared after yesterday's quakes, said Dean Peter Beck.
Beck said the new quakes were a "huge emotional shock".
"We were starting to get traction again and now it feels like June 13 [which had 5.6 and 6.3 quakes] again," he said.
All Anglican services in greater Christchurch would be held outdoors this weekend.
Today's opening of the Cathedral walkway for the final time was cancelled.
In Sydenham, the 100-year-old former Post Office building was urgently demolished last night after sustaining further damage in yesterday's shake. The Blue Jean Cuisine building was already slated for demolition, but the work was brought forward.
Mayor Bob Parker said the quakes were a "hammer blow" for the city's residents.
Parker, who was on holiday in Taupo when the quakes hit, returned to the city at 7pm on an airforce plane last night.
He said the jolts were a "terrible, terrible psychological blow" following a long period without a major shake.
"This pushes us back, because a lot of rechecking needs to be done. I'd say there will be a few more buildings that will need to be demolished because of this."
He was optimistic that the city's residents would remain resilient.
"I think we will bounce back pretty quickly. For some people this will be a last straw, but I think the vast majority have shown they're here to stay."
He was concerned about the impact on businesses at a vital trading time.
He also hoped the quakes would not set insurance claims back. Initial comments from the insurance industry had been positive.
Two of the big insurance companies said it was too early to assess the impact of yesterday's aftershocks on the timing of the rebuild.
There has been optimism that the rebuild would begin in earnest from the middle of next year, but yesterday's aftershocks may have up set that expectation back.
Vero's spokeswoman said it was too early to tell what impact the aftershocks would have on the rebuild timeframe.
Vero customers needing to make safe repairs should contact the company.
IAG spokesman Craig Dowling said until IAG, whose main brands are State and NZI, heard from its customers it would be hard to assess the extent of further damage.
SHOPPERS FLEE MALLS
Terrified shoppers barged for the exits of packed Christchurch malls as lights and plaster fell on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
The magnitude 5.8 shake at 1.58pm yesterday forced shoppers and staff into the streets.
Police said there had been a report of one injury at the Eastgate Shopping Centre.
At Westfield Riccarton, shocked shoppers tried to call family and friends, while others burst into tears as they tried to cope with the city's latest setback.
Clothing store employees Kate Cottrell and Karlena Karlytzky were waiting for officials to examine the mall car park so they could get to their cars. Cottrell said some doors on the upper level of the mall were temporarily blocked as people ran for the exits.
"The torsos were falling down from their stands. Everyone was screaming and shouting," she said.
Karlytzky said plaster had fallen from the ceiling, and there was some damage at nearly every shop in the mall.
"Kids were freaking out, old people were freaking out, I was freaking out," she said.
Shopper Pania Burgess, 39, said lighting at the Pak 'n Save supermarket crashed to the floor as the quake hit.
"The most petrifying thing was the people screaming. People were just hysterical, barging through for the exits."
Her husband, Steve Burgess, was at another store with the couple's young child when the quake struck.
"I was close to the exit and people started running towards me. I thought there was going to be a stampede, that we would be stampeded by people panicking," he said.
Mall florist Sue Joy said she was overwhelmed by the noise of the quake.
"It was like we were in a cannon. I was trying to make out whether it was the building making the noise or the earthquake."
She believed more Christchurch residents would flee the city after the latest shakes.
"You could see the panic on people's faces. That's the end of Christmas. It's so unfair," she said.
A Westfield spokeswoman said the mall had been cleared of any structural damage and would reopen this morning after further service checks were carried out overnight.
Shoppers who had left their cars at the mall were now able to collect them, she said.
The Northlands Shopping Centre car park was choked with Christmas shoppers forced to evacuate the building after the first of yesterday's shakes.
Shopper Susan Newtown was sitting on the pavement outside the mall after the shake, crying and holding her abdomen while bystanders comforted her.
She was walking up the ramp towards the Countdown supermarket when the quake struck, throwing her into a metal handrail.
"I fell against the rail because I thought there was something coming up behind me," she said. "I don't really know what happened. It was so quick."
Newtown said her side was sore but she hoped it was nothing serious.
Gail Yerby was in the mall food court when the quake hit.
"The whole building shook. Luckily, I've done my Christmas shopping," she said.
At The Palms Shopping Centre, Fox and Ferret general manager Tom Cairns said the first quake could not have come at worst time, with the bar emptied of patrons on one of the busiest days of the year.
CITY'S INFRASTRUCTURE HOLDS UP
Most of Christchurch's infrastructure stood up well to yesterday's earthquakes, but power was cut and further liquefaction damage reported in the eastern suburbs.
Immediately after the 1.58pm quake, about 15,000 Orion customers in the hard-hit eastern suburbs were without power.
The magnitude-6.0 quake, centred beneath South New Brighton at 3.18pm, saw the number rise to 26,000.
The main areas affected were New Brighton and Dallington, while a pocket of Springston was without power for a couple of hours.
Orion chief executive Rob Jamieson said it appeared power had been cut because of the ground movement, rather than damage to equipment.
Power was restored to rural areas, including Springston, by 5.30pm, and to Dallington by 6pm, but about 13,000 homes, mainly in New Brighton, were still without power early last night.
"We ask residents to prepare for intermittent power supply over the next few days," Jamieson said.
Christchurch deputy mayor Ngaire Button said council staff were continuing to inspect roads and other infrastructure last night, but flooding had been noted in some areas, particularly in Pages Rd, and traffic lights were out in the eastern suburbs.
There did not appear to be any damage to bridges across the city, including the Moorhouse Ave overbridge and the Bridge St and Gayhurst Rd bridges, and the Lyttelton tunnel remained open.
Some stopbanks along the Avon River and in Kaiapoi had been damaged, but no breaches had been reported last night.
Civil Defence reported a sewage overflow into the Avon River and asked people to avoid contact with the river and the Avon-Heathcote Estuary for 48 hours.
Christchurch's treatment plants were working and there was no apparent damage to water infrastructure.
Residents were not advised to boil water at this stage.
A Chorus spokeswoman said there was no major damage to power equipment.
Some cell towers were damaged, but emergency battery and generator power ensured that lines were kept open.
Telecom and Vodafone reported no major disruption, though both experienced congestion as people rushed to call loved ones.
QUAKES VINDICATE LAND DECISIONS - BROWNLEE
Prime Minister John Key says yesterday's earthquakes are "frightening and disheartening" for the people of Christchurch and Canterbury, particularly so close to the holiday season.
"My heart goes out to the people of Christchurch and Canterbury at this time," Key said.
"However, residents can be confident that the authorities are on to the situation and government resources stand ready to assist wherever they are needed. The Government's resolve to work with the people of Christchurch and Canterbury to rebuild remains unchanged following [yesterday's] aftershocks," he said.
Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee said the latest earthquakes would put Christchurch residents back on edge.
Brownlee cut short a family holiday yesterday.
He said the latest quake swarm caused about 30 per cent to 40 per cent of the damage caused on June 13 when magnitude-6.0 and 5.5 earthquakes rocked the city.
"This is part of an unwinding seismic event," he said.
Brownlee said the latest earthquakes had vindicated the Government's decisions on land, as much of the damage would have occurred in red-zone areas. He would not speculate on whether additional areas would be classed as red zones, but there would be a "further look".
Labour earthquake recovery spokeswoman Lianne Dalziel said yesterday's quakes were a terrible way to end a terrible year.
"It is heartbreaking coming just two days before Christmas ... and although the liquefaction has returned in force to some suburbs, it hasn't impacted as heavily on others that were hard hit last time," she said.
- © Fairfax NZ News
