Monday, November 14, 2016

Midnight quake November 14

Wow, violent shaking that went on for AGES.

12:02, woke me up, thought hmm earthquake, ooh, big rolling shake, bathroom windchimes going like crazy, something falling...jaysus, monster shake.

Got up, heart pounding, checked house, picked up a few things, checked GeoNet and realised we were having a national event. Called mum, all good there. First quake coming in at 7.5 and only about 15 km deep. Then...quakes everywhere. About 1 am, the tsunami alert.

So sat up in the kitchen and drank tea and listened to Radio New Zealand and followed Twitter until 4 am. People on the streets in Wellington and tsunami sirens getting people out of bed and up to higher ground. Alert was from Dunedin to East Cape. Guy from work tweeted to me he could see the harbour from his place and the tide was high when it shouldn't be and the sea below looking 'odd'. Lyall Bay surging. Aftershocks up and down the country.

But no tsunami, phew.

Some building damage in the city, road cracks, rail out, liquefaction on the reclaimed dock area, lots of broken glass, people evacuated to higher ground. People told not to go to work in CBD and Lower Hutt today. I was too tired to go anyway.

Quake centred on Kaikoura, north of Christchurch, major damage to roads and buildings in and around Kaikoura. Hundreds of people displaced there today. Lots of slips on the main road Blenheim to Christchurch. It's not just the dirt on the road, it's what is sitting above it that has to be dealt with. Many landslides. One bit of rail line shifted 20 mt. Houses destroyed and two people dead. Not many injuries - NZ very lucky.

Looks like first quake triggered another so two quakes went off together. Many faults from lower South Island to mid North Island, so many aftershocks. We've had over 100 shakes since midnight throughout the country. Getting a shake every so often here. Geologists say aftershocks of 5-6 would fit a typical pattern after a major quake and will continue for days. Chance of another doozy currently about 10%.

PM on radio now saying cost of rebuild not an issue, he estimates a couple of billion, but 'massive clean up job' will take months.

Arlene, Alex and Lizzie dropped in. No school.



Everyone in slow mode today with the jitters...need fudge.








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