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 Sept 4 Darfield 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 quake shakes & "scumbags" impersonating rescue workers, recovery & earthquake 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? Cop, soldiers had martial law powers. I'd driven on quake damaged roads several times, like fetching Leah hours after the quake, family matters, getting petrol, shopping, helping Jake move from his quake 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 room for cars on quaked roads.
I was also concerned about the slow response of authorities to the hazards of old, brick & stone ghosts damaged by the 4 Sept Darfield Quake & condemning those ghosts & condemning similar undamaged brick bldgs. Despite horrors of the 4 Sept Darfield Quake & Boxing Day Quake, before the Feb 22 Killer Quake, Heritage hailers protested about saving seedy heritage bldgs.
Sadly 166 avoidable quake deaths post 22.02.11 Killer Quake, bldgs weren't adequately condemned & demolished in the 5+ months interim between the 4 Sept Darfield Quake & the Feb 22 Killer Quake. Authorities hadn't done their jobs properly. I expected ass covering post Feb 22 Killer Quake. (Final death toll: 185).
The Sept 4, M7.1 Darfield Quake epicentre, W of Christchurch, had been a warning. Christchurch was lucky, no one killed in the early morn M7.1 quake, causing old, brick & stone ghosts. The afternoon, 22 Feb, M6.3 Killer Quake was lethal when brick & stone ghosts left standing post Sept 4 Darfield Quake collapsed.
I'd blogged many pics of post Sept 4 Darfield Quake, brick & stone ghosts, some with gaping holes, boarded, nylon strapped, wood & steel braced, tarped walls & roofs, loose brick & stone projectiles hanging around for months, behind puny steel mesh fence cordons. Did engineers, architects, bldg inspectors, repair men, councillors, Heritage hailers, MPs think they could have saved those rotten bldgs? People who'd left brick & stone ghosts standing post Sept 4 Darfield Quake had much to answer for. They'd had more than 5 months to demolish.
Post Feb 22 Killer Quake, Heritage hailers still whined about quick demolitions of rotten, brick & stone bldgs, 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 had responded mostly compassionately to the Feb 22 Killer Quake. Phone lines were jammed, some 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 the Sept 4 Darfield Quake, my circadian rhythms were affected by Feb 22 Killer 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 Sept 4 Darfield Quake & Boxing Day Quake damages to old, brick & stone ghosts in Christchurch, 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 quake welfare refuge. So far, not much quake damage to bldgs & roads, not a quake 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 ghost. 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 quake 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, quake sinkhole, brown quakemire on the river bank, cars driving along the sloping bank. A grizzled, old man in slippers swept quakemire off the pavement. Wherever quakemire had oozed & been cleared, cloying dust polluted 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 ghost: brick gable & roof collapsed into church. Front facade, brick parapets collapsed, brick rubble on carpark. (Church would soon be demolished).
Across the road, Feb 22 Killer Quake damaged shops I'd coolpixed during the Sept 4 Darfield Quake State of Emergency were gone, including Simo's Moroccan restaurant where Luke's girlfriend had worked & lost her job post Sept 4 Darfield Quake, an empty demolition site. Modern built Nando's nearby, other modern shops still stood.
Across Colombo St, Filadelfio's restaurant, damaged, repaired post Sept 4 Darfield Quake, was slightly wall damaged in the Feb 22 Killer 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 pavement beside the house.
Colombo St / Brougham St crossing & further N along Colombo St: Sydenham businesses were guarded by NZDF soldiers, often in pairs at crossing cordons. Brown, camouflage 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 ghosts I'd coolpixed post Sept 4 Darfield 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 2 NZDF soldiers & taped off by white & red police DANGER tape. Bldg 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 2 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
N, in the distant CBD, I saw high rise Holiday Inn & Feb 22 Killer Quake trashed, Hotel Grand Chancellor, both would be demolished.
Buchan St / Wordsworth St crossing: Deserted playground & a garden bell. Back of Crown Masonic Centre ghost, brick wall peeled off, rubble on ground, plastic tape cordoned. I looked straight inside two large halls. The bldg would be demolished.
Wordsworth St: Serial quake trashed Ascot TV ghost, 2 orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldiers, by 2 blue portaloos, behind a steel mesh cordon. Ascot TV brick parapets fallen, 2nd 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 pavement 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: 2 martial arts bldgs: 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 opp 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: Quake trashed 2 storey, brick ghosts: 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 the temp depot. In the NO GO, CBD cordon, St John HQ, St Asaph St, was damaged by the Feb 22 Killer 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, matrix of grass & grey mud .
Durham St Sth: Quake damaged bldgs. Military cordons at crossings. Durham St South had more quakemire than parallel Buchan St. I couldn't see Colombo St quake damage 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 5 storey ghost, 2 orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldiers sat on chairs, behind plastic DANGER tape, fluttering in the breeze. Liquefaction dust in gutters & across the road. Quakemire heap on road cnr.
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, 2 storey brick bldg, 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 & 2 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 muddied by liquefaction, side streets too. Sept 4 Darfield Quake damaged, Selwyn St ghost shops were steel mesh fence cordoned right across the road. By MP Anderton's office, the shops had been closed, fence cordoned for months.
Selwyn St ghost 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 pavement, 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 Feb 22 Killer Quake. I found more quake 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 pavement.
27.02.11. Quake trashed graves, Addington Cemetery, Selywn St, national state of emergency
Riccarton Rd circle opp Hagley Park: 2 storey, brick ghost. Bottom floor windows boarded. 2nd storey, brick wall peeled off showing cnr "dolls house" room. Bldg would be demolished. Post quakes, the circle would be replaced by traffic lights.
Riccarton Rd: St Christopher's Dove Bookshop ghost, a 2 storey, brick, death trap. Steel mesh fence, red, plastic, road cone cordoned. A bricklayer had 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. 2nd 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 pavement by parked cars, while 2 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 2 weeks time. Jake had worked with his mom.
Stupid bldg inspectors, govt officials, council engineers, Earthquake Commission had 5+ months to condemn unstable bldgs since the Sept 4 Darfield Quake. This Feb 22 Killer 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 bldgs now demolished by the Feb 22 Killer Quake? 24 Feb 1:17pm.
Luke returned home 3 days post quake. Luke slept 2 nights camping outside a quake damaged New Brighton house, possessions wrecked, 80% kitchen stuff gone. Luke heard the rumbling aftershocks, never mind the shaking. Luke is gyppoed after his 3 day roaming. Warned him about dirty water. 24 Feb 2.48pm.
@John. Sorry. I like you, but dislike your rationale. I've no time for economics, gamble, stricter criteria arguments about collapsed bldgs. I doubt families who've lost loved ones in the Feb 22 Killer Quake would accept your rationale.
Too many people will be scurrying, covering their asses after allowing crappy, old, brick & stone bldgs to be around pre Sept 4 Darfield Quake & not properly sorted out in the 5+ months before the Feb 22 Killer Quake. 24 Feb 7:55pm.
@John, Alan, Sue, Averil. Arguments will rage for decades. Christchurch will be an example of good & bad, life saving / killing decisions. Post Sept 4 Darfield Quake some people cordoned & closed bldgs & relocated / folded businesses. Others didn't. e.g. Feb 22 Killer 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 S hemisphere according to GB Shaw) cordoned, closed, 2 towers fell. IMHO 1 dead is too many. 25 Feb 4:05am.
[Another e.g. Old, stone, Methodist Church, Durham St Nth, was damaged by the Sept 4 Darfield Quake. Three people killed inside when the Feb 22 Killer Quake trashed the church. Why were people allowed inside, fixing the organ, after the church had been cordoned, closed for months post Sept 4 Darfield Quake?]
@Richard. Toll rising, all those "missing."
@Danie. Why condone cover-ups with mawkish sentiment? We're now enduring soapy images of saved, crying women. Avoidable, if 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 bldg inspectors names be published. Let's hear their excuses. They had 5+ months between the Sept 4 Darfield Quake & Feb 22 Killer 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 3 major earthquakes, over 10 000 aftershocks [sic]. Come walk post quake Christchurch, as I have. You'll see more crappy, old brick & stone bldgs 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 Sept 4 Darfield Quake! Someone's gotta take responsibility soon! If you were here you would be as cross as I am. 98 dead, incl a baby, 226 missing, last count. 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 multistorey]. 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 the RSA, troll family had coat-tailed us from East London to Sumner. In 1994 SA, they'd solicited free info 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. The RSA troll family, inexperienced travellers & migrants: Soon after their 1995 arrival in Auckland, a Somali crashed his car into theirs'. Culture shocked, Colin & family followed us to Christchurch.
After Esslemonts had checked out Christchurch, the RSA troll family stalked us: Parents rented a house in Sumner near us, enrolled their 3 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, although we're one of the lucky suburbs with dirty water & power. I haven't showered since the quake, peeing outside, using toilet at a pinch, still have liquefaction strained, grey toe nails, quite artistic. Leah & Luke have had showers.
Now using our emergency water, which I filled up in our wheelie bin post Sept 4 Darfield Quake. A lot slopped over the top when the Feb 22 Killer 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 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] Fri, once in a lifetime experience. Still muddy in places, mostly grey mud, some brown, lots of mud piles, cleared quakemire on roadsides. Not much flooding, water mostly gone.
Workmen going flat out clearing streets, saw an earth mover clearing mud on Cranford St near Jake's new [garage] flat: scooped mud into a truck alongside. Thousands of tons of mud on Chch 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 piles. Dried mud will be a health issue, moving vehicles throw up dust clouds, some people wearing masks. Soldiers at cordons, traffic directors at crossings.
Last night's news: 50% of Chch connected to water. We're lucky, connected, just have to boil water. Saw water tanks in Waltham & Phillipstown, Friday, citizens filling containers. Had my first shower this Sat morning, post Tues 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. Have to get water from transported roadside tanks. 26 Feb 3:36am.
Helped Jake move goods from their quake flooded Waltham Rd flat across town to a garage flat through gridlocked Stanmore Rd (nearby 4 Avenues in CBD shut down by cops & military in the National State of Emergency). Bumpy trip, dodging quake 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. Woke up this morn, Sat, with a 2am+ aftershock. M5.5 aftershock while on Facebook now, joltingç shaking. 26 Feb 4:14am.
Fri, drove Christchurch 1st time since quakes. Old bldgs collapsed, worse than Sept 4 Darfield Quake damages:
Bealey Ave / Colombo St: Pharmacy collapsed. [Later demolished].
Bealey Ave / Fitzgerald Ave: Part of military cordon around CBD.
London St, Stanmore Rd: By Leah's school, now gridlocked main roads round cordoned CBD.
Stanmore Rd / Worcester St: Bad. [2 people killed, Wicks Fish, later demolished].
Worcester St: Jake's Under The Red Verandah restaurant, 3 walls gone. Tables set like Marie Celeste, window glass gone, furniture jumbled, wire cordoned. 26 Feb 4:29am.
More old, buggered bldgs I saw collapsed on my Fri trek, towing Jake's flatting gear:
Ferry Rd / Aldwins Rd: Behind parked boat, old, brick bldg damaged. [later demolished].
Ferry Rd: "Laughing ladies" mural bldg, old, brick shops kaput. [Later demolished, rebuilt, new "laughing ladies" mural].
Percy St: Old, 2 storey house, walls peeled off, "dolls house" inside. [Later demolished]. Saw several "dolls houses" that Fri afternoon, 3 days post quake.
Cashel St: Old, brick Samoan Church, saw right through the church nave, curtains waving on opp, holed wall. [Later demolished].
Tuam St: The Pump House, old brick wall, roof collapsed.
Worcester St: Old house collapsed near Jake's restaurant. [Both later demolished]. Brick rubble heap, huge quakemire heap near JoJo's Massage, 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 bldgs, fence cordoned, obstructed foot, 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. Can't relocate. Money! My mom-in-law says, "You make your bed, you sleep in it." 26 Feb 8:10am.
Sat latest: 123 dead, about 200 missing. [We later heard our family was "missing," as a Melbourne friend had contacted Aussie Red Cross, after unsuccessfully trying to phone us. LANSAR lady knocked on our door finding us unmissing].
Mayor Parker jabbered on TV, 10:00: "There's no shortage of fuel." More than an hour ago I drove to Wairakei Rd Shell & Clyde Rd BP, no premium fuel I use. [Shell & BP were finessing a shortage to increase prices, as fuel prices soon rose in NZ, but not in Chch]. Drove to Mobil Creyke Rd, got my fuel. 26 Feb 8:15am.
TV news: 1/3 of CBD bldgs need demolishing. 1/2 of brick bldgs need demolishing. CBD 4 Avenues cordon, indefinite National State of Emergency closure.
All human remains must be dug out. Demolishing done before any objective scrutiny allowed. Nice to have indefinite State of Emergency, guarded by soldiers & cops for insiders to plot & feed outsiders plausible excuses. 26 Feb 1:36pm.
[5+ months post Feb 22 Killer Quake, NZ National govt 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 bldgs collapsed, killing 185 people. NZ National govt's excuse was that families of the dead had a Commission liaison person & Commissioners would discuss things with families. But NZ National govt allowed free funding for families of the dead to be fairly, legally represented in the Pike River Mine disaster, Commission of Inquiry.
Snag with integrity of the future Royal Commission was that the only people allowed into the post Feb 22 Killer Quake, CBD cordon to check out damaged bldgs were the very people who would be covering their asses in the Commission, if called to testify: geotechnicians, engineers, demolishers, councillors... Bldg owners were not allowed into the military cordon. USAR / TF teams, medics, foreign cops, soldiers long gone.]
@David, Alan. Dunno about corruption, but there were many crap, brick & stone bldgs in Chch, Victorian era, diff bldg regulations (cheap rents) before the Sept 4 Darfield Quake & a reluctance thereafter to demolish fast. Seedy Heritage bldg debate for 5+ months post Sept 4 Darfield Quake, then the Feb 22 Killer Quake struck!
I spent hours snapping quaked bldgs, putting my life at risk, going back months later seeing them still standing with wooden bracing after many aftershocks, should've been demolished. Peaches & Cream bldg pertained, red Light district, Manchester St / Tuam St . Authorities had enough time to identify good bldgs from bad before the Feb 22 Killer Quake. Funny how defensive people get when shit hits the fan. We're literally in it, in streets, in rivers, in drinking water. Pongy walking around. 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 Chch. "Rogue"? Rogue seismologists, bldg regulators, inspectors! Rogue landlords 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 HS, 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 Chch today, I got close to the CBD cordon, cops, soldiers guarding. Brougham St busy with traffic. Hagley Park buzzing with people ignoring media cops who'd ordered, "Stay off the roads!" 27 Feb 11:57am.
@Cassidy. Couple of young male looters stealing communication equipment & electricity generators. Cops & a judge jabbering 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 2 "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 judgmental fear-mongering caused every citizen 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 cops & soldiers guarded their patches. Angers me that I must feel guilty satisfying my curiosity about what's going on, not accepting media waffle!
How effective are NZ cops & military when they get Aussie cops to help them patrol post quake? Implication: Christchurch citizens who have 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 Sun morning. Christian busybodies getting in the way, young rubberneckers gloating over others' misfortunes. 27 Feb 2:09pm.
[Paraphrased, expat 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 had 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 Chch 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 to enter 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 Sept 4 Darfield 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. Go figure. Colin Facebook attacked, after we'd rejected his wife's invite to Nelson, a day's drive from Chch. We had family responsibilities: Jake who lost everything in the quake, best friend, job, flat, possessions. And Luke who went walkabout at New Brighton for 3 days post quake! 28 Feb 1:55pm.
@Sean. Roads holed & lumpy cause erratic driving. Cordons all over cause gridlock. 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, grumbling by. Every time we drive our cars it's chaos outside. Broken roads. Our Burnside suburb got off lightly. Mar 1 at 6:16am.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
I gave permission to the Taupo District Council to publish the first pic in this post - the Spreydon water girls - in Taupo's, Quarterly Connect Community News, Nov 2013 - Jan 2014.
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