Diary of three earthquakes: we came through them all safe and well

This diary is as I wrote it in the heat of the moment, and is in chronological order. The time covered is ten months. Subsequent events, if serious, will be written at the end of this text.

Two more quakes

The September 4 earthquakes

 

 

Dust rises from the city after the quake struck.

 

We are safe and well and our house is untouched. You may have seen some terrible images on television. They are mostly of old, brick buildings. Although it was bad here, the most violent I have ever experienced—and I have felt many quakes—it was worse some 30 kilometres west of us. A blind fault broke through to the surface and moved four metres laterally at 4.35 am on Saturday September 4, 2010.

 

 It was dark. I leaped over to drag Judy to the floor, but she couldn’t move because she was holding on tight. I was yelling, "This is it! This is the Big One!" She has no memory of this. She decided to stay in bed throughout, and was perfectly safe. Trusting the integrity of the house to keep me safe, I went into my study to try to save my electronics equipment from flying objects. I found it a struggle to get into the study, and had to drag myself through the doorway. The objects had already flown, but without causing damage. The power went off a few seconds into the quake, and I dashed a few metres down our bucking hallway to get our emergency torch [flashlight]. Then I stood by the bedroom doorway, hanging on until the earthquake was over. It was 40 seconds long, we learned, but it felt very long. The ground was rumbling loudly and the house was creaking and crashing back and forwards. The noise was numbing. It was as if the house was in a small boat on a very rough sea. And then it stopped, or at least, settled down to a jelly-like tremble that continued for hours.

 We went out onto our deck to look around. It was frosty, and Judy slipped and fell, but came to no harm. She managed to get up and back into the relatively warm house.

 

The interior of the house was a mess. As soon as the quake hit, we lost electricity, phone, water and sewerage services, so Judy and I "went camping", using our prepared earthquake disaster kit. We had about 150 litres of water in two great plastic rubbish buckets stored outside. They had slopped over a bit, but were still upright, so we had no worrries about water supply. Some people had scoffed at our disaster box and our huge store of water, but it saved us a lot of stress. Because the house was cold, we fired up a gas heater, which we sat in front of until daylight. We set up a chemical toilet in the shower space.

 

When daylight arrived, I walked round the house to check it, and found it mercifully untouched. Our car was safe under what we call a car port, a roof on four poles, which a friend had thoughtfully strengthened some years before. Later, I thought it prudent to move the car into the open. The aftershocks continued every few minutes, with the ground trembling constantly and emitting rumbles. When we thought the worst was over we tidied up the house. We had books on the floor, some groceries too, and a few porcelain items had shot out of a cupboard. Not a window was cracked.

 

Though sunny and mild, it was a fairly grim day as we hung on from event to event. I dashed out in the car to check on some friends. Most were undamaged, though an unborn baby began to make his presence felt and was born that afternoon. Surely a day for the couple to remember!

 

The phone was out, but cellphone coverage remained. Some friends who had electricity and water invited us around for the evening meal and a bit of company. That was a relief. When we came home a few hours later, services had been restored, and life returned, for us, almost back to normal. We understand that we could possibly have a Richter Six (M6) follow-up some time, but what's a Six when you've had a 7.1? A Six is one thirtieth the power of a Seven.

 

The media arrived in front of one of the central city's trashed brick buildings and camped there for a week, giving the world a constant view of disaster. But most of the city was fine, thanks to strict building codes and recent strengthening.

 

The Mayor of Christchurch, Bob Parker, declared a state of Civil Emergency, and took control, putting the central city under night curfew. People living there were evacuated to designated shelters. Later the Army moved in and assisted the Police. In hours, power, water and sewerage was being reconnected progressively, but with a lot of repair work on the way. Ten days later, most people had all services.

 

Thousands of brick chimneys were damaged or fell through roofs into homes. One man only was injured by this. Nobody was killed. A few had minor glass injuries.

 

Knowledge gained through study of earthquakes stood us in good stead, and we knew what to expect and how bad it would be. We had been preparing for this event for many years. At times people thought us silly, maybe we thought so occasionally ourselves, but the day came. Many people suffered emotionally through ignorance. It was a rough week emotionally, to be sure, but we could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

A few days later, a huge landslide fell on State Highway One just south of Kaikoura, blocking the railway and the road, and forcing supply trucks to take a more difficult back road.

 

Many streets in the eastern suburbs and elsewhere have suffered cracking, liquefaction and sand fountains. Many houses have begun to collapse because their foundations have foundered in the mud. The Government has stepped in to fast-track legislation to help the people. Most have earthquake insurance which will give them $100,000. Private insurance is expected to provide enough for replacement homes.

 

The new fault, which was not known before, has thrust up to the surface in a 50-metre band of cracks and ridges that runs east-west for 21 km, crossing 20 farms. Another fault is believed to run under the city, according to seismography. A river changed its course, but was persuaded to behave by earthmoving machines.

 

We thank God for looking after us, even to the location of our home, which we chose some 35 years ago, on a slight rise, and well away from the coast, where there has been slumping and flooding. If you want more information, contact us.

 

 

Boxing Day, December 26, 2010 earthquake—we were overseas and missed it.

 

February 22 earthquakes

 

Newspaper headlines did not overstate.

 

Bulletin No 1, 22:10 February 22, 2011

The 6.3 quake struck at a few minutes to one in the afternoon. Though smaller than the September event, it was very close to the city—ten km south east, at Lyttelton, and shallow at five km deep. Consequently it was rough, and worse for buildings than last year's.

 

Judy and I were in a public swimming pool at the deep end. Our bodies were pummeled by the shocks, and large waves quickly rose. The building boomed and the earth rumbled. We were evacuated in our swimming togs out to the grass in front of the facility, into a cold, southerly wind. The staff looked after us well, particularly Judy, and I got the car round and we left for home, driving over flowing mud and distorted roads.

 

We found our home was still untouched, and there is no liquefaction.

 

We were invited to our friends' home for dinner—they had electricity and we did not. As we set our minds for a grim night the power came on, about 10pm, nine hours after the quake.

 

Serious aftershocks continue at this minute (22:10).

 

The seismologists told us last year there was a chance of this new quake happening, but we forgot about that. Many buildings in the CBD are wrecked and it is expected the death toll will rise from a confirmed 65 to hundreds.

 

 

Bulletin No 2, 20:40, 23 February 2011

As the aftershocks continue we are frequently startled, but beyond that, no harm is done. Today I bought bread and milk and meat. It is raining, and we have collected yet more water, and currently we have many litres. Water is a problem for the city, but we expect the half-dozen distribution points to be increased, and one to be sited closer to our suburb.

 

Driving is tricky, with many cars on the roads, in defiance of local government instructions and pleas. The roads in our suburb have bumps and wrinkles, and drying silt. Cars are lining up at petrol stations and blocking the passage of traffic. Some are behaving irrationally.

 

The lurid and telling pictures of our broken city are all round the world, and might cause some to advise us to leave. But there is much less stress for us by staying put where we are comfortable. When things settle down a little and travel becomes less of a major drama we will think seriously about having a break in some other city. We have had several offers of accommodation.

 

Bulletin No 3, 11.00, 25 February 2011

We now have all services, but the electricity central control has not yet restored water heating, probably due to restricted supply. Water pressure is low, but the Third World has that all the time. Our camping toilet served us well, but now is probably the time to revert to normal practice. The city is well supplied with food and fuel, though eastern suburbs are badly off for everything.

 

For us, life is almost normal. Last night was dark and very still because the central city is dead, with a tight cordon. Yesterday I didn't venture out. There was no need, and we are advised strongly to stay off the roads (which many disregard) for the access of emergency vehicles. Helicopters flew overhead.

 

Today I began to return to work! With frequent Magnitude 3 tremors and an occasional shake around 4, we know that this episode is going through its typical cycle, but you never know... So we stay prepared.

 

Bulletin No 4, 11.00, 27 February 2011

In the past few days we have fielded calls from many parts of the world from people who did not know of, or think of, this website. Some probably just wanted to hear our voices.

 

The aftershocks are diminishing, with the occasional surprise. For the last two nights we have been sleeping through most of them. It was sobering news to read that we are living just above a new fault that runs from the suburb of Halswell for 17 km to Taylor's mistake, a small bay just round the peninsula from Sumner. Have a look at this map by Geological and Nuclear Sciences, published in The Press, Christchurch.

 

Yesterday I drove to the supermarket with a longish list and found the place very busy with people who do not believe the official announcements that Christchurch has plenty of food and water and petrol. Shelves had been cleared of such things as instant meals and alcohol. Neither of those voids caused us any inconvenience. The shopping mall had not been seriously damaged, but its concrete floor had been widely cracked. Outside, the footpaths had been broken and were uneven.

 

Our suburban roads are uneven and lined with piles and piles of muddy clay and sand that bubbled from the depths during and after the earthquakes. A familiar road had been closed temporarily as front-end loaders scooped it all up and dumped it into the largest earth-moving truck and trailer I have ever seen.

 

We have had elderly neighbours visiting. They have no spiritual foundation and looked shocked. They are leaving the country for a while to visit family in Australia, where the natural hazards—many as they are—do not commonly include earthquakes.

 

Many people have left Christchurch and spread themselves around the country, some vowing never to return. But now that we have had such a big quake, the second big one, Christchurch must be the safest place in the country to live! Wellington should be shaking in its shoes as it was the favourite for a devastating quake. Auckland is sitting on dormant volcanism, as is Rotorua. The East Coast of the North Island is notoriously shaky (I experienced a 6.4 in Gisborne as a 23 year-old); if you go anywhere in the South Island there still remains the spectre of the Alpine Fault release, which could be as much as intensity 8. Even Invercargill has been bumped around in recent years. So the logical thing to do is to leave for Australia. And if that sounds too dangerous, remove to Britain, where you have to deal only with freezing winters.

 

Judy and I are staying put, for the present. A couple of nights ago someone stole our rubbish bin from the street. Looters are being arrested and jailed. We were burgled a couple of years ago, so I am more nervous about that than the moving earth. On Saturday 5 March, Judy will leave for our friends in Invercargill and spend some weeks there. I will remain at home to look after the house, do some work, network with our friends, and have a rest from being a carer.

 

Yesterday we were visited by Search and Rescue, working under the Disaster Plan. They were checking to see if we were OK, if we were coping, had food and fuel and what was the condition of our water supply. It was a comforting experience, and made us feel part of the event, which to a degree for us has been more of a media drama. We understand that SAR will be visiting everyone in the city.

 

Yesterday and today we had hot showers, thanks to boiled water and a solar shower bag.

 

We are instructed not to move around the city more than is necessary, so today I will cross our street and have a look at the high school, taking a stroll around the grounds for exercise and a bit of time with God alone and see what he has to say.

 

Bulletin No 5, 1 March 2011 20.00 hrs

Today is exactly one week after the quake struck. As we prayerfully observed the two minutes' silence, which was part of a short national remembrance service held in Hagley Park at 12.51 pm, we wept.

 

The words of the Bishop of Christchurch, Victoria Matthews, were formal but powerful. For once "Jesus Christ our Lord" received his full title and respect. He was called "the strong name".

 

The service seems to have become a watershed—in our minds at any rate—between the disaster and the recovery, the surreal and the real. We have pondered the experience. We were almost untouched, from the moment of the mighty shock, through the rash of fountaining mud, the sinking lands and the broken buildings. At one point last night, our trickle of water stopped. I took stock. We had plenty of water for now, but how long would it last, and then would I have to go and line up with the "refugees" and their bottles? In the morning, pressure was back, as the water geyser on Hackthorne Road was stifled.

 

Judy and I have concluded that our emotional survival has been in part due to our ability to endure disorder, and to live simply. Others have fled the city to havens of civilisation. We have long sought uncivilisation and camped out of reach of toilets, running water and electricity. For there in the silence we bonded with each other, and with Christ.

 

The foundation stone of our lives has been our confidence in the presence of the living, loving God, expressed by the Lord Jesus Christ. Some we know, those of no faith, have been knocked down. How we would give them what we have, and we have tried.

 

The National State of Emergency has been renewed for a further week. www.civildefence.govt.nz and http://canterburyearthquake.org.nz

 

Bulletin No 6, 2 March, 2011 23.00 hrs

I saw a chimney today that, having survived the September and Boxing Day quakes, had pitched forward and smashed its way through a tile roof. It was an ugly mess—all this out of the corner of my eye on the way to a farther-out suburban supermarket. A friend who visits supermarkets as part of his job had said that since three supermarkets had been closed down to the east many people were coming farther west for their supplies. Where we usually shop was very busy, he said, and I should go west. So I did.

 

At the delicatessen I asked a man where they kept the bread. Very shortly he told me he had come over the hill from Diamond Harbour, claimed his emergency Government handout and turned it into groceries. He pointed to a full trolley.

 

I fought my way to the car into the teeth of a hot nor' westerly gale. In town it whipped up the concrete dust and the dried muck that had flowed to the surface, and blew up a dust storm. People were wearing masks.  It was hardly the picture of our once-beautiful city in late summer—early autmn.

 

Judy and I think our half of the city may develop its own identity, "West Christchurch" perhaps. We didn't travel in the central city much, but it was nice to know it was there. It no longer serves us, and it may remain that way for some time. For us it was usually hospitals and doctors' appointments. We hope that reality returns.

 

Someone told us that the city was "out of water" according to "inside information". I checked the Internet. Not so; 120 teams were fixing the pipes. Some reservoirs are damaged, but Christchurch gets its water from numerous wells. After the September quake that same gossiper had said that the petrol tanks at Lyttelton had been damaged. They weren't. Gossip brings fear, and that is the last thing this city needs.

 

Today the water was at full pressure, then it stopped again, as the water people warned us it would. All the same, I turned the cold tap on and put a bucket under the trickle. That way I collected two buckets. Now I know more abut how precious water is. Then it came on again when my back was turned, just in time for West Christchurch to make dinner.

 

With power and water and sewerage the kitchen is normal. We thank God for our beautiful, undamaged home. We are deeply grateful for God's hand in our lives, and eavesdropping when we sometimes said, "I hope we aren't in the city in an earthquake."

 

Bulletin No 7, 6 March, 2011 21.00 hrs

Yesterday, autumn arrived on cue, with a southerly front, bringing rain and cooler temperatures. And what did I do? I collected two buckets of rainwater that ran off our summer awning. Am I a little paranoid about water? Perhaps. With earthquakes, there is always some uncertainty, despite the scientific models. Last evening we had a 4.8 aftershock, big enough to get your attention.  At our friends' house we looked up from the television for about ten seconds, then returned to the news. It had been a rumbly day, with about a dozen minor shocks.  Back home, as I went to bed, the aftershocks ceased. Today has been quiet, ominously so, though late this afternoon there was a 4.9 east of Kaikoura, up the coast and out to sea. Civil Defence allowed people back to one zone of the cordoned city. One hundred and sixty-six people are confirmed dead, with 200 expected. I have been thinking about getting a generator. Judy is in Invercargill, living on (currently) stable ground.

 

 Bulletin No 8, April 17, 2011

Yesterday the city was struck again by a 5.3 aftershock at 6.17 in the evening. It lasted about five seconds and dislodged small items in our home. Our dinner guests took it in their stride. It was a few minutes after that we got together in the lounge and compared notes. Looks varied from shock to resignation. The power and other services remained on. We had dinner (a pork roast with vegetables and apple sauce) with more aftershocks, one of them a 4.1. When the guests had gone I took a torch and did the rounds again, checking our two small series of grouting failures between the blocks of our cladding. One had lengthened a little. The carport had a long split in one support, so I took a cautious approach and parked the car out in the open. In the morning light I decided the split was not serious. Not yet. Who knows what the cumulative effect of hundreds or thousands of aftershocks is having! We take our hat off to the builder, Mr Geoff Creed, who raised our frame home some 35 years ago.

 

We have been told that our suburb will have no power cuts this winter, although the eastern suburbs will. So I have decided against buying a generator.

 

The city has more damage and, discouragingly, some eastern suburbs have had another flow of mud and water. Schools are still timesharing facilities. Television New Zealand is now out in a near suburb. Our window cleaners have a totally wrecked house. Sometimes we forget these continuing effects of our seismic past, until the earth reminds us.

 

Bulletin No. 9 Monday, 13 June 2011

This afternoon, June 13, Christchurch experienced another series of big earthquakes, with a 5.6 at 1.00 pm and 6.3 at 2.20 pm.

 

 udy and I were having a day off, and were at New Brighton beach in our car in an open car park facing the sea. The quake joggled the car from side to side. We thought it might tip us over. I took the car back a little more from the sea wall, in case it collapsed.

 

Then, thinking that it was all over, and that was the main shock, we went for some afternoon tea and were in the library building at New Brighton when the 6.3 struck.

 

We were very close to the epicentre.

 

I have never felt anything like it. It might have been the most intense experience we have ever felt. It began with a violent hammering beneath our feet. That was followed by a vertical, circular movement. To see the concrete blockhouse of a building jump up and down and then side to side was awesome. It was as if a dog were shaking its prey.

 

The cafe lost more crockery. Judy's coffee cup jumped into her lap then smashed on the floor. I watched the drama, eyed the thick window glass beside our table and hoped it would stay intact. Nothing serious broke. Somebody from the cafe helped Judy dab up the mess. We grabbed our eats, bought some lemonade with cash and left. A young man on the cafe staff showed me how to get the car past the barriers and right up to the door so that Judy didn't have to walk too far. Thanks, Hamish.

 

The trip home, among solid traffic, was long and slow, through flowing water and mud, and across rumpled and cracked roads.

 

A large van had its nose in a deep sink hole. Scaffolding at East Gate shopping centre was down. People were standing outside their flooded homes in groups. Some were crying. They all looked downcast. We peeled off and went through back streets, navigating by map, with Judy reading. We drove past what had been a tall, brick building, now collapsed across part of the road. It took an hour and a half to do what is usually a 30-minute trip.

 

The ground is booming and the aftershocks are continuing at this moment. But our trusty house is intact. We will keep this account up to date as we can. Seismologists say there is a 30% chance of Canterbury experiencing another quake of between Richter magnitude 6 and 7 in the next year. We have resolved not to live in fear, but to get on with life as we can.

 

Bulletin No. 10, December 23, 2011

Two strong earthquakes struck Christchurch today, December 23, 2011—at 1.58 pm a 5.8, and at 3.18 pm a 6.0.

We were at home and although everything got a good shake-up nothing broke, and we are safe and well. The existing cracks in the house cladding and lining got a little wider, but this is of no structural significance.

For many people this is more of the same, with similar conditions to those experienced before, but a little less severe.