Mayor Parker: "There is no shortage of fuel." An hour before, I'd driven to BP & Shell garages searching for premium fuel before I filled up at a Mobil garage. The day before I'd queued for more than 20 minutes at Mobil for fuel. It was the first time in my life in several countries' driving I'd queued for fuel. Were BP & Shell finessing shortages to increase prices?
TV Cop & TV announcer: Blathered about "Looters". Petty thieves yes, but looting? Cops jabbered about "looters" post 4 September 2010 quake too. After that 2010 State-of-Emergency, "looters" vanished & became thieves or burglars again.
26.02.11. The Star editor Clarke fear-mongered about quakes & "scumbags" impersonating rescue-workers & quake-recovery officials: 'I hope those army boys show a bit of cold steel if they catch anyone up to no good'. [Incitement!] 'The sheer power of this quake is staggering, and the aftershocks are very, very frightening.'
TV Cop: "Stay off the roads as cars get in the way of service vehicles." Really? During a State-of-Emergency, cops & soldiers had martial-law powers. I'd driven on damaged roads several times, like fetching Leah from her work during the quake, shopping, getting petrol, helping Jake move from his flooded flat to another flat. How else was I supposed to do those things? I saw cop-cars, fire-engines, ambulances, cranes, earth-movers, plenty of room for cars on quaked-roads.
I was also concerned about the slow response of authorities to hazardous, old, brick & stone ruins damaged by the 4 September 2010 quake & condemning those ruins & condemning similar undamaged brick-buildings. Despite horrors of the 4 September 2010 quake & Boxing Day Quake, before the 22 February quake, Heritage-hailers protested about saving seedy heritage-buildings. Never mind deaths caused by old fallen buildings!
Sadly 166 avoidable deaths post 22 February 2o11 quake, buildings weren't adequately condemned & demolished in the fivw months interim between the 4 September 2010 quake & the 22 February 2011 quake. Authorities hadn't done their jobs properly. I expected ass-covering post 22 February 2011 quake. (Final death toll: 185).
The 4 September 2010 quake, M7.1, epicentre, west of Christchurch, was a warning. Christchurch was lucky, no one was killed in the early moring of the M7.1 quake, causing old, brick & stone ruins. The afternoon 22 February 2011 quake, M6.3, was lethal when brick & stone ruinss left standing post 4 September 2010 quake collapsed.
I'd blogged many pics of 4 September 2010 ruins, some with gaping holes, boarded, nylon-strapped, wood-braced & steel-braced, with tarped- walls &tarped-roofs, loose brick & stone projectiles hanging around for months, behind puny steel-mesh-fence-cordons. Did engineers, architects, building-inspectors, repair-men, councillors, Heritage-hailers & MPs think they could have saved those rotten buildings? People who'd left brick & stone ruins standing post 4 September 2010 had much to answer for. They'd had more than five months to demolish!
Post 22 February 2010,, Heritage-hailers still whined about quick demolitions of rotten, brick & stone buildings, during the National State- of-Emergency. They complained about demolitions, while bodies were still unidentified in CTV & PGC rubble & the Burnham morgue.
Facebook friends & family responded to the 22 February 2011 quake. Phone-lines were jammed, some people took days to get through to us: calls from NZ, SA, USA, Scotland, Australia. Some folks delayed calls, knowing landlines were jammed. A Melbourne mate called Aussie Red Cross to search for us, as he'd battled for days to call us. We were listed "Missing Persons," until found by a LANSAR lady knocking on our front door.
Like during 4 September 2010 quake times, my Circadian Rhythms were affected by 22 February 2011 quake. I didn't sleep the first night after the Tuesday quake. Thereafter I crashed early & woke at sparrow's 3-5am for a week. Vigilant.
As I'd already blogged 4 September 2010 & Boxing Day quake damages to old, brick & stone ruins, I was curious to see more. I would see many new cordons that sunny day, after a couple of gloomy, overcast days. I drove across town: Clyde Rd, Riccarton Rd, Wharenui Rd, Blenheim Rd, Wrights Rd, Lyttelton St past Pioneer Stadium, converted to a refuge. So far, not much damage to buildings & roads, not a service-vehicle in sight.
Many private-vehicles drove on the roads. Survivors ignored the TV cop who'd ordered us to stay off roads. What martial-law goons wanted in Christchurch & what Kiwis wanted didn't match. Goons dictated to citizens, via media, in an indefinite, National State-of-Emergency. Citizens saw strangers descending on Christchurch, like Aussie cops, hired & sworn in to patrol Christchurch suburbs: citizens weren't trusted, after enduring quakes & aftershocks. Priests were invited to grieve at Christ Church Cathedral ruin. Citizens weren't invited to that mawkish media-party.
27.02.11. Girl water bearers, West Spreydon School, Lyttelton St, national state of emergency. Taupo District Council would publish the pic in its Quarterly Connect Community News, Nov 2013 - Jan 2014
Lyttelton St, West Spreydon School: More liquefaction mud-heaps appeared the closer I drove to Heathcote River. At West Spreydon School I asked a dad's permission to snap two girls offering roadside water from a steel-tank on their dad's parked ute to anyone in need. I would give permission to Taupo District Council to publish my Spreydon Water Girls pic in Taupo's Quarterly Connect Community News, Nov 2013-Jan 2014.
Cashmere Rd: A Southbridge water-driller parked a big, green, plastic, water-tank on the back of his ute, offering water to those in need. Kiwis helping each other. Tank message:
WATER
FRESH
from SOUTHBRIDGE
Green-plastic-tanks would soon be on suburban roadsides, as sewage storage-tanks, receiving shit from 1 000s of chemical-toilets from broken- homes.
27.02.11. Southbridge water bearer, Cashmere Rd, by sewage polluted Heathcote River, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Man sweeping liquefaction silt off Ashgrove Tce pavement, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Liquefaction sinkhole, Ashgrove Tce by Heathcote River, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Liquefaction silt, slumping of Heathcote River bank, Ashgrove Tce, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Demolition site where Beckenham shops once stood, destroyed by the Sept 4 quake. Colombo St, national state of emergency
Barrington St, Port Hills: Red-plastic-road-cone-cordon, so I couldn't approach Colombo St that way.
Ashgrove Tce: Sewage-polluted Heathcote River. Cars weaved around a water-filled sinkhole, brown quakemire on the river-bank, cars driving along the sloping bank. A grizzled, old man in slippers swept quakemire off the footpath. Wherever quakemire had oozed & been cleared, dust polluted the streets.
27.02.11. Liquefaction silt, Colombo St, nr Southey St crossing, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Filadelfio's restaurant sign, Colombo St, Beckenham, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Filadelfio's restaurant, Colombo St, Beckenham, damaged in the Sept 4 quake, repaired, damaged again in the Feb 22 quake, as in pic, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Beckenham Baptist Church, Colombo St, Feb 22 quake damaged, soon demolished, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Red stickered coffee shop, Colombo St, next to quake damaged Beckenham Baptist Church, national state of emergency
Colombo St: Quakemire piles near Southey St crossing. Near southern Christchurch cop-shop, a red-stickered restaurant. Beckenham Baptist Church ruin: brick-gable & roof collapsed into church. Front-facade, brick-parapets collapsed, brick-rubble on carpark. (Church ruin would soon be demolished).
Across the road, 22 February 2011 damaged-shops I'd coolpixed during the 4 September 2010 State-of-Emergency were gone, including Simo's Moroccan restaurant where Luke's girlfriend had worked & lost her job post 4 September 2010, an empty demolition-site. Modern-built Nando's was nearby. Other modern shops still stood OK.
Across Colombo St, Filadelfio's restaurant was damaged & repaired post 4 September 2010, but was again wall-damaged in the 22 February 2011 quake. Hand-written, Filadelfio's window-sign:
Closed
Sorry
Just need water
supply
Building fine & safe
Hoping to OPEN
MONDAY 28th FEB
Thanks
Tony
Colombo St / Hutcheson St: I parked my car on the quake-crumpled-road, beside a quaked brick-house, red wall-parapet gone. Quakemire- piles lay roadside, a big mud-mound sprawled on the footpath beside the house.
Colombo St / Brougham St crossing & further north along Colombo St: Sydenham businesses were guarded by NZDF soldiers, often in pairs at crossing-cordons. Camouflage-brown-uniformed, NZDF soldiers wore orange, Hi-Vis vests.
27.02.11. Orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldiers, Colombo St / Brougham St, demolished stone Sydenham Heritage Church, a rubble heap. Pre quakes, the church was unused for years.
Colombo St / Brougham St: Orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldiers stood by Sydenham Heritage Church rubble-heap, an orange-digger, behind plastic-tape & fence-cordon. (Sydenham Heritage Church was unused for years pre-quakes). Across the road by Sydenham Park, another orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldier directed traffic, Colombo St / Brougham St, by moving orange-plastic-road-cones & talking to drivers.
27.02.11. Orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldier directing traffic, Colombo St / Brougham St, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Quake damaged brick house, Hutcheson St, national state of emergency
Brougham St: I crossed a quakemired-lot & trekked deserted Buchan St, parallel to Colombo St. I wanted to see Sydenham cordon-ruins I'd coolpixed post 4 September 2010 quake.
27.02.11. DANGER. White, plastic tape cordon. Liquefactioned lot, Brougham St / Buchan St, Sydenham, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Quake broken, concrete curb, Buchan St, Sydenham, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Liquefactioned Buchan St, Sydenham, national state of emergency
Buchan St: I could've easily entered the cordon, as each crossing was only manned by two NZDF soldiers & taped off by white & red police DANGER tape. Building gaps between crossings were only DANGER taped, not enough military-goons. But If I'd entered the gaps, I could've been arrested, due to the National State-of-Emergency, which curtailed citizens' freedom of movement. There were night-curfews too. Little did we know, Christchurch CBD would be occupied by NZDF for another two years!
27.02.11. Brick wall ripped off Crown Masonic Centre by a playground, Buchan St / Wordsworth St, national state of emergency. The bldg would be demolished
Northwards, in the distant CBD, I saw high-rise Holiday Inn ruin & 22 February 2011 ruined Hotel Grand Chancellor, both would be demolished.
Buchan St / Wordsworth St crossing: Deserted playground & a garden bell. Back of Crown Masonic Centre ruin, brick-wall peeled off, rubble on ground, plastic-tape-cordoned. I looked straight inside two large halls. The building would be demolished.
Wordsworth St: Ascot TV ruin, two orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldiers guarded near two blue portaloos, behind a steel-mesh-cordon. Ascot TV brick-parapets fallen, second storey brick-wall peeled off exposing "dolls house" rooms. 30 km/h speed-limit sign in front of cordon. Ascot TV would be demolished.
27.02.11. Serial quake trashed, Ascot TV, Sydenham cordon, Wordsworth St / Colombo St, national state of emergency. Ascot TV would be demolished
27.02.11. Orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldier, 2 green portaloos, 30 km/h speed limit sign, Sydenham cordon, Wordsworth St / Colombo St, national state of emergency
27.02.11. City Mission, Buchan St, Sydenham, national state of emergency
Buchan St: City Mission: Metal goods, cardboard boxes lay in front of a locked, glass-door.
27.02.11. Liquefactioned Mullany's, Buchan St, Sydenham, national state of emergency
Buchan St: Red-stickered, Mullany's Soft Furnishings Studio: Quakemire by front-wall & on footpath by a Telecom pole.
27.02.11. Quake damaged brick gable, Chan's Martial Arts, Buchan St, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Quake damaged brick parapet, Mixed Martial Arts, Buchan St, national state of emergency
Buchan St: Deserted, wet Penbury St carpark: two martial arts buildings: Chan's Martial Arts, parapet-bricks flung onto an adjoining roof. (Mon 28.02.11, 7.55am, M4.1 aftershock, while I typed. GeoNet). Breeze-block-parapet damaged on opposite Academy of Mixed Martial Arts, blue-blocks hanging above an alley. Martial Arts, useless against quakes.
27.02.11. Buchan St / Byron St, Sydenham, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Buchan St, W view, Sydenham orange, plastic, road cone, steel mesh fence cordon. Orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldier, Byron St & Colombo St crossing, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Quake damaged, brick wall, Buchan St, Sydenham, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Two orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldiers, cordon patrol, Buchan St, Sydenham, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Quake bricked car, Buchan St, Sydenham, national state of emergency
Buchan St / Byron St crossing: Two orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldiers guarded behind a steel-mesh-fence-cordon. Orange-plastic-road-cones, 30 km/h speed-limit sign in front. Cars drove slowly on Buchan St, past quakemire piles. No pedestrians, except me. Two orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldiers patrolled the street, past bricks fallen from a gable onto a lower roof & a brick-bashed car.
27.02.11. Quake damaged Carlyle St, fallen brick walls, exposed rooms, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Red, plastic, tape cordon. Quake damaged bldg, fallen brick parapet & wall, room exposed. Carlyle St with Colombo St beyond, national state of emergency
Buchan St / Carlyle St view to Colombo St: Two-storey, brick-ruins: parapets & upper brick-walls peeled off, "dolls house" rooms, rubble on road behind red-plastic-tape-cordon.
Carlyle St: St John ambulances coming & going from their temporary depot. In the NO GO, CBD-cordon, St John HQ, St Asaph St, was damaged by the 22 February 2011 quake.
27.02.11. Steel mesh fence cordon obstructing Brougham St, E bound traffic, Brougham St / Colombo St, national state of emergency. The bldg would be demolished
27.02.11. White, plastic taped, orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldier & orange digger, Sydenham cordon, Brougham St / Colombo St, national state of emergency. The bldg would be demolished
27.02.11. White, plastic taped, orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldier & orange digger by demolished Sydenham Heritage Church (unused for years) Brougham St / Colombo St, national state of emergency. The bldg right would be demolished
27.02.11. White, plastic taped, orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldier on cordon duty by demolished Sydenham Heritage Church (unused for years) Brougham St, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Liquefactioned Sydenham Park, Brougham St, national state of emergency
Brougham St again, liquefactioned Sydenham Park: Two orange, Hi-Vis vested blokes inspected quakemired-grass, a matrix of grass & grey-mud .
Durham St Sth: Damaged buildings. Military-cordons at crossings. Durham St South had more quakemire than parallel Buchan St. I couldn't see Colombo St damages from parallel streets, due to the NZDF-cordon.
27.02.11. Deserted, liquefactioned Durham St South, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Rubbish & liquefaction silt, Durham St South, national state of emergency
Durham St Sth / Elgin St: Near WINZ five-storey ruin, two orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldiers sat on chairs, behind plastic DANGER tape, fluttering in the breeze. Liquefaction-dust lay in gutters & across the road. Quakemire-heap on road corner.
27.02.11. WINZ bldg, Sydenham cordon, Elgin St, national state of emergency
27.02.11. White, plastic taped, orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Two seated, orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldiers, Sydenham cordon, Elgin St, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Liquefaction mud heap, 2 orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldiers, Sydenham cordon, Elgin St, national state of emergency
Durham St Sth: Deserted. Grey quakemire-heaps roadside. Grey liquefaction-dust everywhere. Blackheath, two-storey brick-building, white- plastic-tape-cordoned. KB's bakery: Parked-bus painted with Christian-symbols, busybody Christians gawped inside bakery, scoffing KB's pies & tarts. Lost rubberneckers, they'd already blocked traffic on Colombo St. The Christian bus tried entering the CBD-cordon, Durham St Sth / Sandyford St, by the railway overbridge, guarded by a yellow, Hi-Vis vested cop & two orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldiers. The cop directed rubbernecking Christians elsewhere.
27.02.11. Quake damaged, brick bldgs, white, plastic, tape cordoned, Durham St South
27.02.11. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Yellow, Hi-Vis vested cop directing a bus away from Sydenham cordon, Sandyford St / Durham St South, national state of emergency. Orange, Hi- Vis vested, NZDF soldiers by the cop car
Durham St Sth / Battersea St St view: Liquefaction mud heaps on Battersea St. Quake crack on pavement at my feet. Zoom view, distant Churchills Tavern ghost, where I'd snapped close ups during the Sept 4 Darfield Quake State of Emergency. Churchills Tavern 2nd storey, brick wall collapsed, fallen window entangled by awning. Churchills Tavern would be demolished.
27.02.11. Churchills Tavern, damaged in the Sept 4 quake, trashed in the 22.02.11 quake, Battersea St, Sydenham cordon, national state of emergency. Churchills Tavern would be demolished
27.02.11. Liquefaction mud heaps, Durham St South, national state of emergency
Selwyn St via Coronation St: Heavily liquefaction-muddied, side-streets too. 4 September 2010 quake-ruined, Selwyn St shops were steel-mesh-fence-cordoned right across the road. By MP Anderton's office, the shops were closed, fence-cordoned for months.
Selwyn St ruined-shops: Steel-mesh-cordoned. Awnings collapsed. Fallen parapet-bricks on road. The shops would be demolished, replaced by apartments.
Wooden, garden-fence-sign:
EARTHQUAKE:
GO AWAY!!!
WE'VE HAD
ENUFF!!
27.02.11. Quake fence sign, Selwyn St, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Post Feb 22 quake, steel mesh fence cordon across Selwyn St, national state of emergency. Shops would be demolished
27.02.11. Steel mesh fence cordoned, Selwyn St brick shops, damaged in Sept 4 quake, trashed in Feb 22 quake, national state of emergency. Shops would be demolished
27.02.11. Selwyn St brick shops trashed in Sept 4 & Feb 22 quakes, national state of emergency. Shops would be demolished
Brougham St again. Near the motorway exit, digital-road-sign:
EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE AHEAD
CAUTION REDUCE SPEED
I found a one dollar coin on the footpath, quake-souvenir. Two girls in a van giggled at my joy.
27.02.11. Wood braced headstone tilted by Feb 22 quake, Addington Cemetery, Selwyn St, national state of emergency
Selwyn St, Addington Cemetery: I'd snapped there just before the 22 February 2011 quake. I found more damaged headstones & memorials: broken, toppled, twisted, cracked, one of a pair of angels I'd previously snapped, toppled, gouging another grave. Some grey, granite obelisks were vertically rotated on their grey granite bases. Two headstones, propped by wooden-poles, leaned on a chain-fence by Selwyn St footpath.
27.02.11. Quake trashed graves, Addington Cemetery, Selywn St, national state of emergency
Riccarton Rd circle opposite Hagley Park: Two-storey, brick-ruin. Bottom-floor windows boarded. Second-storey, brick-wall peeled off showing corner "dolls house" room. Building would be demolished. Post-quakes, the circle would be replaced by traffic-lights.
Riccarton Rd: St Christopher's Dove Bookshop ruin, a two-storey, brick, death-stap. Steel-mesh-fence, red-plastic-road-cone- cordoned. A bricklayer died there, his parked-car crushed by bricks flung from Dove Bookshop. On the fence: Flowers, handwritten tributes on wooden, painted hearts, family letters. A woman wept. Others paid respects by the cordon. At the crushed-car site, corrugated-aluminium roof- sheets had collapsed in a skirt on top of the rubble. Second-storey, brick-walls ripped off, showed dark rooms & roof-trusses.
27.02.11. White, plastic taped, orange plastic, road coned, steel mesh fence cordoned, brick rubble. Fallen brick gable & wall, St Christopher's Dove Bookshop, Riccarton Rd, 22.02.11 Killer Quake. Corrugated aluminium roof sheets hanging over the rublle. A man died here, his parked car crushed by falling bricks. National State of Emergency. The bldg would be demolished
Fence letter:
Died 22/02/2011
Love
Nadine
Daddy I have had
the utmost privilege
of you being my father
for 43 years. You lived
by the brick, as a brick
layer and died by the
brick. The most unfortunate
way to go. I looked to
you as not only my
father, but my mentor,
and the most honourable, humble
human being I have ever known.
I love you daddy and miss
you so much.
x Nadine xx
A shrine for people to visit, outside the CBD cordon. The bldg would be demolished.
27.02.11. White, plastic taped, orange, plastic, road coned, steel mesh fence cordoned, brick rubble. People paying respects to a bricklayer killed in his parked car, by St Christopher's Dove Bookshop, brick gable & wall fallen in the 22.02.11 quake. Corrugated aluminium roof sheets hanging over the rubble. Riccarton Rd, national state of emergency. The bldg would be demolished
27.02.11. White, plastic taped, orange, plastic, road coned, steel mesh fence cordon. Mod bldg left, survived Sept 4 & Feb 22 quakes. Old, brick, St Christopher's Dove Bookshop collapsed in the Feb 22 quake, killing a man. Riccarton Rd, national state of emergency. The bldg would be demolished
27.02.11. Quake broken window, Riccarton Rd, national state of emergency
Riccarton Ave: Saddened & angered at the death & many others, I drove to Christchurch Hospital, plastic-tape / road-cone-cordoned, two cop-cars in view. An orange HOSPITAL sign was on the road-island. Pedestrians wandered the footpath by parked cars, while two nurses puffed cigarettes below a tree.
27.02.11. Boarded, brick bldg after Sept 4 quake damage, smashed by the Feb 22 quake, later demolished. Riccarton Rd roundabout, national state of emergency
27.02.11. Hospital road sign, Riccarton Ave
Mon 28.02.11. Aftershock while I edited 10:36, M4.3. Another aftershock 10:44, M3.8. (GeoNet).
*Trekked Lyttelton St, Cashmere Rd, Ashgrove Tce, Colombo St, Hutcheson St, Buchan St, Brougham St, Durham St Sth, Selwyn St, Riccarton Rd, Riccarton Ave. 88 snaps.
Facebook:
After days of goodwill comments from friends & family, some personal attacks from trolls.
Jake's friend, who'd worked in a CBD-bar, perished in the quake. Jake would've moved into a flat with him in two weeks time. Jake had worked with his mom.
Stupid building-inspectors, government officials, council engineers, Earthquake Commission officials had more than five months to condemn unstable buildings since the 4 September 2010 quake. This 22 February 2011 quake did it for them. LIVES LOST. Blood on bastards' hands. When will they ever learn? 24 Feb 1:07pm.
Will anyone PUBLISH NAMES of inspectors who'd passed buildings now demolished by the 22 February 2011 quake? 24 Feb 1:17pm.
Luke returned home three days post-quake. Luke had slept two nights camping outside a damaged New Brighton house, possessions wrecked, 80% kitchen-stuff gone. Luke heard the rumbling aftershocks, never mind the shaking. Luke is gyppoed after his three-day roaming. Warned him about dirty water. 24 Feb 2.48pm.
@John. Sorry. I like you as a draughtsman, but dislike your rationale. I've no time for your "economics... gamble... stricter criteria..." arguments about collapsed buildings. I doubt families who've lost loved-ones in the 22 February 2011 quake would accept your rationale.
Too many people will be scurrying, covering their asses after allowing crappy, old, brick-buildings & stone-buildings to exist pre 4 September 2010 quake & not properly sorted out in the five months interim before the 22 February 2011 quake. 24 Feb 7:55pm.
@John, Alan, Sue, Averil. Post 4 September 2010 quake some people cordoned & closed buildings & relocated / folded businesses. Others didn't. e.g. 22 February 2011 quake: Christ Church Cathedral, Cathedral Sq, open, tower fell, 20 dead [false, the figure was quoted in the media for days until no bodies were found under the collapsed-tower]. Catholic Cathedral, Barbadoes St, (best in Southern hemisphere according to GB Shaw) cordoned, closed, two towers fell. IMHO:One dead is too many! 25 Feb 4:05am.
[Another e.g. Old, stone, Methodist Church, Durham St Nth, was damaged by the 4 September 2010 quake. Three people were killed inside when the 22 February 2011 quake trashed the church. Why were people allowed inside, fixing the organ, after the church had been cordoned & closed for months post 4 September 2010 uake?]
@Richard. Toll rising, all those "missing."
@Danie. Why condone cover-ups with sentiment? We're now enduring soapy TV images of saved, crying women. Avoidable, if building-inspectors had got it right with loads of time they had. You condone not pointing your "sacred finger" at desk-murderers, letting them get away with it. Would you face families who lost loved-ones & tell them your "sacred" excuses for the inexcusable? That's why I suggest building-inspectors' names be published. Let's hear their excuses. They had five months between the 4 September 2010 quake & 22 February 2011 quake to get it right. 25 Feb 7:04am.
@Colin. Cheap-shot about my "20/20 hindsight-vision"! You're not here! I was here during three major earthquakes & over 10 000 aftershocks! [sic] Come walk post-quake Christchurch, as I have. You'll see more crappy, old brick-buildings & stone-buildings collapsed than new. 26 Feb 1:36am.
@Margie. "Blame mode out of grief or sorrow?" You're no authority on MY emotions! Debate should've been done long ago, post 4 September 2010 quake! Someone's gotta take responsibility soon! If you were here you would be as cross as I am. Toll so far: 98 dead, including a baby, 226 missing. The Star's Friday headline: "Sister clings to dead brother's hand in the rubble" [He was Jake's friend]. "Doctor amputates trapped man's legs with hacksaw." [Collapsed PGC multi-storey]. 26 Feb 1:50am.
[This troll family wouldn't give it a rest. Days later, Colin and adult daughters continued personal attacks on Facebook. In 1995 this troll family coat-tailed us from East London to Sumner. In 1994, they'd solicited free migration information from me after my research-trip to NZ, without going on a research-trip themselves!
In 1981-82, Leah & I did an emigration dummy-run to UK & Israel. We'd also travelled extensively in southern Africa & Europe. This troll-family were inexperienced travellers & migrants: Soon after their 1995 arrival in Auckland, a Somali crashed his car into theirs'. Culture-shocked, Colin & troll-family followed us all the way from East London to Christchurch without ever visiting Christchurch before!
After Esslemonts had checked out Christchurch, the RSA troll family stalked us: Parents rented a house in Sumner near us, enrolled their three kids in Sumner School, after we'd enrolled Jake there. Soon after their arrival in Christchurch, they weren't shy about socializing with Leah's relatives in Parklands. They soon moved to Heathcote Valley, then Dallington. After battling to find professional work in Christchurch, by 1998 the family had moved to Nelson for good]!
@June. Sleeping like a dog. Leah & Luke still asleep now.
Problem now is water. We're one of the lucky suburbs with water & power. I haven't showered since the quake, peeing outside, using toilet at a pinch, still have liquefaction-stained, grey toe-nails, quite artistic. Leah & Luke have showered.
Now using our emergency-water, which I filled-up in our wheelie-bin post 4 September 2010 quake. A lot slopped over the top when the 22 February 2011 quake struck. (Mental note: Don't brim-fill next time). Now boiling drinking-water. If it runs out we must join a queue at a school to fetch water. Water being trucked to designated schools in Cronos tanks. 26 Feb 2:10am.
@Averil. Will take a while to normalize. Drove around town for the first time yesterday, Friday, outside the military-cordon, roads lumpy, bumpy. Must avoid water, mud, cracks, lumps, sinkholes, road-cones, fence-cordons. Dangerous, surreal. Traffic-lights now working.
Towed a trailer of Jake's relocation-goods across Christchurch yesterday [Waltham Rd to Cranford St] Friday, once in a lifetime experience. Still muddy in places, mostly grey-mud, some brown-mud, many mud-piles'. Cleared quakemire-heaps on roadsides. Not much flooding, water mostly gone.
Workmen clearing streets, saw an earthmover clearing mud on Cranford St near Jake's new [garage] flat: scooped mud into a truck alongside. Thousands of tons of mud on streets. [The Press 08.05.11 estimated 8 million tons demolition rubble, 1/2 million tons silt & sand].
Gangs of volunteer-students roaming with spades, digging mud into roadside-heaps. Dried-mud will be a health issue, as moving vehicles throw up dust-clouds, some people wearing masks. Soldiers at cordons are traffic-directors at crossings.
Last night's news: 50% of Christchurch is connected to water. We're lucky, connected, must boil water. Friday, I saw water-tanks in Waltham & Phillipstown, citizens filling containers. Had my first shower this Saturday morning, post Tuesday quake, was over-ripe. 26 Feb 2:28am.
@June. Will try water disinfection & tell Jake to do so. Their [garage] flat is in a waterless zone. He must get water from transported roadside-tanks. 26 Feb 3:36am.
Helped Jake move goods from their flooded Waltham Rd house-flat across town to a garage-flat through gridlocked Stanmore Rd (nearby Four Avenues in CBD shut down by cops & military in the National State-of-Emergency). Bumpy trip, dodging obstacles. Goods wet & stinky, much washing to do. Garage-flat liquefaction-damaged, cracked concrete-slab by garage, mud-mounds in garden. No power or water. No toilet. 26 Feb 3:48am.
@Keylim, Gary. Woken up this morning, Saturday, by a 2am+ aftershock. M5.5 aftershock while on Facebook now, jolting, shaking. 26 Feb 4:14am.
Friday, drove Christchurch first time since 22 February 2011 quakes began. Old buildings collapsed, worse than 4 September 2010 damages:
Bealey Ave / Colombo St: Pharmacy collapsed. [Later demolished].
Bealey Ave / Fitzgerald Ave: Saw part of military-cordon around CBD.
London St, Stanmore Rd: By Leah's school, now gridlocked main roads around military-cordoned-CBD.
Stanmore Rd / Worcester St: Bad. [two people killed, Wicks Fish, later demolished].
Worcester St: Jake's Under The Red Verandah restaurant, three walls gone. Tables set like Marie Celeste, window-glass gone, furniture-jumbled, wire-cordoned. 26 Feb 4:29am.
I saw more ruined-buildings on my Friday trek while towing Jake's flat-possessions:
Ferry Rd / Aldwins Rd: Old, brick-building damaged behind a parked boat. [Boat later removed. Building later demolished].
Ferry Rd: "Laughing ladies" mural building, old, brick-shops kaput. [Later demolished, rebuilt, new "laughing ladies" mural].
Percy St: Old, two-storey house, walls peeled off, "dolls house" inside. [Later demolished]. Saw several "dolls houses" that Friday afternoon, three days post-quake.
Cashel St: Old, brick Samoan Church, saw right through the church nave, curtains waving on opposite, holed wall. [Later demolished].
Tuam St: The Pump House, old brick-wall, roof collapsed.
Worcester St: Old house collapsed near Jake's Under The Red Verandah restaurant ruin. [Both later demolished]. Brick rubble-heap, huge quakemire-heap near JoJo's Massage, a quake-survivor.
Papanui Rd, Merivale: Several old "dolls house" shops, brick-walls peeled off, showing lower-storey shops & upper-storey goods, some lights still on. [Shops later demolished]. Many damaged-buildings, fence-cordoned, obstructing foot-traffic & vehicle-traffic. 26 Feb 4:51am.
Another aftershock 4:53am, while I type, computer shivers at the slightest shock, seat shudders too, monitor jerks. 26 Feb 4:55am.
@Averil. I can't relocate. Money! My mom-in-law says, "You make your bed, you sleep in it." 26 Feb 8:10am.
Saturday latest toll: 123 dead, about 200 missing. [We later heard our family was "missing," as a Melbourne friend contacted Aussie Red Cross, after unsuccessfully trying to phone us. Later a LANSAR lady knocked on our front-door finding us unmissing].
Mayor Parker jabbered on TV, 10:00: "There's no shortage of fuel." An hour ago I drove to Wairakei Rd Shell & Clyde Rd BP. There was no premium fuel I use. [Shell & BP were finessing a shortage to increase prices, as fuel prices soon rose in NZ, but not in Christchurch]. I drove to Mobil Creyke Rd for my fuel. 26 Feb 8:15am.
TV news: 1/3 of CBD buildings need demolishing. 1/2 of brick buildings need demolishing. CBD Four Avenues cordon: indefinite closure, National State-of- Emergency.br />
All human remains must be dug out. Demolishing must done before any objective scrutiny is allowed. Nice to have indefinite State-of-Emergency, guarded by NZDF soldiers & cops for insiders to plot & feed outsiders plausible excuses. 26 Feb 1:36pm.
[Five months post 22 February 2011 quake, NZ National government still would not allow free funding for families of those killed in the quake, to be fairly, legally represented in the Royal Commission of Inquiry, as to why Christchurch buildings collapsed, killing 185 people. NZ National government's excuse was that families of the dead had a Commission liaison person & Commissioners would discuss things with families. But years before the quakes, NZ National government had allowed free funding for families of the dead to be fairly, legally represented in the Pike River Mine disaster, Commission of Inquiry.
Building-owners were forbidden entry to the CBD-cordon. Integrity of the future Royal Commission was moot, as only people allowed into the post-quake, CBD-cordon to investigate damages were the very people who would be covering their asses in the Commission, if called to testify: geotechnicians, engineers, demolishers, councillors... Those also permitted CBD-cordon entry, USAR / TF teams, medics, foreign cops, soldiers would be long gone by the time the Commission investigated.]
@David, Alan. Dunno about corruption, but there were many brick-buildings & stone-buildings built in the Victorian era. Prior to the 4 September 2010 quakes there were different building regulations (& cheap rentals for old-buildings) & a reluctance post-quakes to demolish fast. Thhere was seedy Heritage-building debate, about saving old-buildings, for five months post 4 September 2010 quake, then the 22 February 2011 quake struck!
I spent hours snapping 4 September 2010 quake-ruins, putting my life at risk, going back months later & seeing ruins still standing with wooden-bracing after many aftershocks. Old brick & stone ruins should've been demolished. Peaches & Cream building pertained in the red-Light-district, Manchester St / Tuam St . Authorities had enough time to identify good buildings from bad before the 22 February 2011 quake struck! Funny how defensive people get when shit hits the fan. We're literally in it, in streets, in rivers, in drinking-water. My road-treks are quite pongy!. 27 Feb 4:51am.
Sat TV news: Confirmed 145 dead, 200+ missing. 1/3 CBD to be demolished.
Star article, 25 Feb: "New" fault "cemented" over by millennia between Taylors Mistake & Halswell, reflected seismic-waves off Port Hills rock, causing "rogue wave" damage in Christchurch. "Rogue" huh? Rogue seismologists! Rogue building-regulators! Rogue building-inspectors! Roguelandlords upping rents for CBD-businesses scrambling to relocate to suburbs! 27 Feb 5:11am.
Day 6 Sun, TV news: 75 000 properties no sewage-services.
65 000 properties no water.
Power needs conservation.
9 kg gas bottle refills - free various suburb points.
Welfare Centres open, like at Burnside High School, near home.
Our cat's better off than 1 000s of people now, nagged me out of bed for breakfast. 27 Feb 6:06am.
While driving around Christchurch today, I got close to the CBD-cordon, guarded by cops & soldiers. Brougham St was busy with traffic. Hagley Park was buzzing with people ignoring media-cops who'd ordered, "Stay off the roads!" 27 Feb 11:57am.
@Cassidy. Propaganda: Couple of young male looters stealing communication-equipment & electricity-generators. Cops & a judge jabbered in the media that "looting" was unacceptable, more spin than substance.
TV announcer aping on TV this morning that there were 14 cases of "looting". The judge opined that two "looters" were "looting" communication- equipment, while people were dying. What would the judge have said if there was no quake? He didn't ask why equipment was lying around in the first place, or effectiveness of military-cordons?
That fear-mongering caused civilians to be under suspicion of being a "looter," like me on my trek parallel to Colombo St -cordon this Sunday morning, through Sydenham. I was curious to see what went on: Some motorists cautiously drove around, while NZ-cops & NZ-soldiers guarded their patches. I'm annoyed I'm gaslit propaganda to feel guilty satisfying my curiosity about what's going on & not accepting media-waffle!
How effective are NZ-cops & NZ-military when they get Aussie-cops to help them patrol post-quake? Implication: Christchurch civilians who've survived major quakes & 1 000s of aftershocks are not trusted. 27 Feb 1:50pm.
@Cassidy, Fritz. Funny I saw a cop turn a "Christian" bus away from a cordon on Durham St Sth overbridge this Sunday morning. Those Christian busybodies were getting in the way, young rubberneckers gloating over others' misfortunes. 27 Feb 2:09pm.
[Paraphrased, "Christian" Colin's trolling:
1. Looters must be shot during a National State-of-Emergency, like in USA & RSA.
2. I must stop complaining, get off my Facebook arse & do something, like digging liquefaction-mud with students.
3. I was a sad person & a rubbernecker.
4. Christians don't gloat, but help.
5. Complaining was disrespectful to the dead & rescuers digging up bodies.
Colin's HELP was shooting "looters!" [Never mind that other Facebook family & friends encouraged my updates, as their media was lax].
@Colin. Fuck off! You haven't a clue! Go preach elsewhere! YOU are the SAD person preaching for yourself. Go see a psychiatrist, as you're a danger to yourself & others!
Never having commented to me on Facebook before, couple of days ago you made a stupid, insensitive comment on a status I'd made about Jake's best friend dying in the quake. Now you're scrambling to save face, showing your malign character.
If you wanna do something useful, stop massaging your ego here. Follow your own preaching. I haven't seen you in Christchurch yet. If you had any intelligence you'd've known anyone found in Christchurch's military State-of-Emergency-cordons would've been arrested. Those "helpful" Christians filled their faces at the only shop open on Durham St Sth, KB's, then tried entering the cordon. Lucky they weren't arrested, just turned away by the cop.
My family is my responsibility. I've been off my arse for months documenting quake-damages since the 4 September 2010 quake. Who's complaining here? You are. You've made an idiot of yourself. Go jump with your childish challenge! 28 Feb 3:31am.
[Two arrogant comments came from Colins's adult daughters, who soon deleted their Facebook comments after slagging me off. They didn't have the courage for others see what trolls they were].
Reckoning: Colin was a bastard Scot, with an adopted Afrikaner surname. Colin trolled after we'd rejected his wife's invite to Nelson, a day's drive from Christchurch. We had family responsibilities: Jake lost everything in the quake, best-friend, job, house-flat, possessions. Luke who went walkabout at New Brighton for three days post-quake! 28 Feb 1:55pm.
@Sean. Roads holed & lumpy cause erratic driving. Cordons all over cause gridlock. I have to find side-roads to avoid gridlock. Gritty liquefaction-dust everywhere, like on the beach, blotted out the sun this afternoon. 28 Feb 5:44pm.
Sat NZTV news: 147 dead, 200+ missing. 28 Feb 7.01pm.
@Averil. Sadly more to go, the crushed, unrecognisable "missing." 28 Feb 8:43pm.
@Maggie. Very sad. Still scary. Many aftershocks rumbling by. Every time we drive our cars it's chaos outside. Brokenroads. Our Burnside suburb got off lightly. Mar 1 at 6:16am.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
