Monday, October 29, 2012

SA Dispatch, October 2012

In response to my observation that SA mining strikes were ongoing, after SA cops shot dead 34 striking miners at Marikana Mine on 16 August, Alleman's October 2012 dispatch:

"Jup we have had a month of strikes. They seem to be slowly coming to an end. Combination of complex issues:

1. Everything going up. Electricity, food, petrol. Low earners becoming short of cash.
2. People making too much debt. Cannot service.
3. Too many lending from illegal money lenders.
4. Lack of education by mine workers. Because they are now ignorant they are being incited by opportunists.
5. Opportunists like Malema, SA Socialist Party.
6. Loss of legitimacy of NUM (mine workers union).
7. Perception that management (especially whites) are unfairly "rich."
8. "Caving" of Implats. Upped salaries. Created perception that everyone going on strike will receive "rich" wages. Implats was immediately followed by rest of platinum, gold, coal, truck drivers [unions].
9. Harbour, personnel, municipal police and municipal workers now want to strike.

There is no relationship in SA between input and output. Recent survey showed that government workers were already earning 140 percent of some jobs in private sector. Productivity in the private sector was 400 percent higher for the same jobs in government.

Because the government education system has basically imploded in the last 10 years, society is being filled with half educated, ignorant people who will believe any nonsense.

Both the Eastern Cape and Northern Transvaal (Limpopo) have been placed under administration from the central government, as they have descended into chaos. That is why our poor private school is helping a government school on the platteland where there is low output, but teachers are earning huge salaries (compared to us)."

ANC slogan "Kill the farmer, kill the Boer" pertained to crime stats in SA. ANC's disgraced bully boy Malema had regularly incited white genocide by singing that ditty, ongoing since the 1990s during apartheid's demise. An ongoing court case in SA had forbidden Malema singing that song, so he altered it to "Kiss the Boer..."

SA cops were congratulating themselves for reducing dubious crime stats. Example: Reducing annual murders - 25965 murders p.a. 1994/95, to 15940 murders p.a. 2010/11 (South Africa News) to 15609 murders p.a. 2011/12 (SAPS).

15609 murders p.a. in SA!

ANC's Rainbow Nation, fascist utopia:

Since 1994, SA had transformed itself from white apartheid to black apartheid, from white nationalism to black nationalism, from white fascism to black fascism, from white police state to black police state, from white affirmative action to black affirmative action, from white corruption to black corruption, from poor whites - rich whites to poor blacks - rich blacks, from white racism to black racism, from white xenophobic killings to black xenophobic killings, from white on white violence & white on black violence to black on black violence & black on white violence.
 
Blaming whites for ongoing violence in SA was risible. Violence was ongoing in SA before apartheid & continued after apartheid. And we all knew who was responsible for that.

Copyright Mark JS Esslemont. 


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Year 2 CERA. Burwood Dump, Exclusion Zone. Reckoning: Coronial Inquest into CTV Collapse

Burwood Dump, Exclusion Zone, CTV Coronial Inquest focus. Wed 17.10.12. Since the 22.02.11 Killer Quake, Civil Defence & CERA had dumped 350 000 tonnes of quake rubble at Burwood Dump / landfill, in Bottle Lake Forest Park. CERA would continue to dump another 150 000 tonnes of rebuild rubble at Burwood Dump until 2017. (The Star 21.09.12).

The "rebuild" stat was misleading, as NZ National govt / CERA overrode Christchurch Council & the Resource Management Act to pollute Burwood with effluent & quake rubble. There would still be a lot of quake rubble to be dumped from slow demolitions in the red zone CBD & 1 000s of red zone house demolitions in the next 5 years.

So far, more than 2 years post 04.09.10 Darfield Quake, there was little rebuild in the red zone CBD, but CERA boasted about its Christchurch Central Development Unit, CCDU Blueprint for the CBD. Never mind no CERA Blueprint for quake trashed suburbs.

Burwood residents endured ongoing quakes & visual, noise & dust pollution from dump trucks rumbling along Burwood Rd, Waitikiri Dr & Landfill Rd to Burwood Dump.


17.10.12. Bottle Lake Forest view, Bower Ave carpark, Parklands & Port hills

I parked my car at the end of Bower Ave by Bottle Lake Forest Park, to see Burwood dump. A logger truck entered Bottle Lake Forest by Bower Ave gate. Pine logging went on by dunes close to housing. Bottle Lake Forest Park was on dunes, about 800ha+ area, 4X the size of Hagley Park. It was serviced by logging roads & horse, walking & cycling tracks. Bower Ave & nearby roads were liquefactioned by the 2011 Xmas Quake Swarm. Many of the houses were TC3 green zoned by CERA. Why were all those houses built on dunes & swampland?


17.10.12. Logger Truck, Bottle lake Forest Park, Bower Ave - Lima Ave gate


17.10.12. Bottle Lake Forest Park view, Parklands & Port Hills. Liquefaction sand remains, 10 months post 2011 Xmas quake swarm


The board map at the carpark had a threatening, red zone, EXCLUSION ZONE, on the E side of Bottle Lake Forest Park. I headed for the threatening EXCLUSION ZONE. Since the quakes, over more than 2 years, Canterbury citizens had endured NZ National govt threats & exclusions in many forms overseen by CERA & minister Brownlee. CERA had taken over coastal pine forest and polluted it with thousands of sucker truck loads of shit, megatons of quake rubble & forensic rubble from lethally collapsed bldgs in the 22.02.11 Killer Quake.
 

17.10.12. Bottle Lake Forest Park sign, Lima Ave gate


I trekked down Lima Ave in pine forest, then sidled through the forest towards Pacific dunes, as I wanted to trek around Burwood Dump & snap the mega quake dump. Leaving the pine forest, I trekked along grassy dune tracks & a bit of Pegasus Bay Track, which I'd done pre-quakes, from North New Brighton to Spencer Park, with views over Pegasus Bay.

From the top of a grassy dune I snapped 6 sucker trucks dumping quake effluent into a Burwood pond a few hundred metres from the beach. Sucker trucks had dumped shit & liquefaction sand, which had clogged broken sewage pipes, ever since the 22.02.11 Killer Quake. A liquefaction mud, dump truck drove up the dump hill & a bulldozer stood on top of the hill by a sand heap, ready for coverup.


17.10.12. Beach dune view, sucker trucks dumping quake effluent & liquefaction sand, Burwood Dump exclusion zone



 



17.10.12. Beach dune view, liquefaction mud, dump truck, Burwood Dump exclusion zone



 


17.10.12. Bulldozer rehabilitating Burwood Dump exclusion zone

Fence threat signs:

            BURWOOD
             LANDFILL
REHABILITATION WORK
         IN PROGRESS
            NO ENTRY


17.10.12. Burwood Landfill sign, E fence, Burwood Dump exclusion zone

Rehabilitation huh?

     BURWOOD
 LANDFILL SITE
            NO
PUBLIC ACCESS


17.10.12. Burwood Landfill signs, E fence, Burwood Dump exclusion zone


17.10.12. Bottle Lake Forest Sign, E fence, Burwood Dump exclusion zone

              DANGER
            NO ENTRY
        TRESPASSERS
WILL BE PROSECUTED


17.10.12. Danger No Entry sign, E fence, Burwood Dump exclusion zone



17.10.12. Road signs, E fence, Burwood Dump exclusion zone


If rehabilitation went on why ban public scrutiny? Would effluent belch explosive methane & pollute the Pacific with leachate?


17.10.12. Pegasus Bay Track sign, nr beach & E fence, Burwood Dump exclusion zone


17.10.12. Quake rubble, 20th Ave, E side, Burwood Dump exclusion zone

Another fence threat sign:

          BOTTLE LAKE
          FOREST PARK
               CLOSED
   STRICTLY NO PUBLIC
ACCESS DUE TO TRUCKS
     & HEAVY TRAFFIC


17.10.12. Locked gate signs, E fence, 20th Ave / Tango Rd, Burwood Dump exclusion zone



17.10.12. Road sign, E border, Burwood Dump exclusion zone

20th Ave / Tango Rd junction: I snapped NO ENTRY & CLOSED threat signs on a padlocked fence gate. Public were banned from 20th Ave by rubble dump fencing. I trekked a sandy horse trail through the pine forest to see the rubble dump.


17.10.12. Pine Forest, W view, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone










N, W & E, Burwood rubble dump was bordered by a great loop of pine forest, the guts of the loop logged out, to enable the quake rubble dump. On the S border, 20th Ave, a closed shingle road, cut off the great loop with E & W fencing, locked gates & prohibition signs.


17.10.12. Orange digger. Pine forest, W view, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone









 

CERA's quake rubble dump was huge, an undulating hill, consisting of masonry, asphalt, painted wood, tarps, plastic...  Guesstimated dimensions: length, 5 rugby fields; width, 2 rugby fields; height, half a rugby field in places. Like 10 rugby stadiums filled with rubble 50m high. In places the dump was higher than mature pine trees.



17.10.12. Orange diggers. Logged pine forest, W view, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone








 






Metric guesstimate: Length, approx 500m; width, approx 200m; height in places, approx 50m. A grey hill, too big for my Samsung to snap once, so I did serial pics.


17.10.12. Horse trail, E side, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone


17.10.12. Orange digger. Logged pine forest, W view, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone



  












 


I trekked the horse trail in the pine forest on the E side & N side of the rubble hill. On the E side was a porta-cabin HQ with workmen in orange, Hi-Vis vests. Dump trucks dumped & two orange diggers shifted rubble on the rubble hill, dwarfed by the rubble hill.


17.10.12. Horse trail, NE side, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone


17.10.12. Logged pine forest, NE view, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone



 
N side, rubble dump, more threat signs on fencing: DANGER NO ENTRY. CLOSED.
 

17.10.12. DANGER NO ENTRY. BOTTLE LAKE FOREST PARK CLOSED. Locked gate. Border roads, NE cnr, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone


17.10.12. Logged pine forest, S view, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone











As the hot nor'wester blew towards me, my mouth was gritty from rubble dust flying into the pines. There was plenty space on dump fringes for more rubble dumping, as pines were chopped down, space for more quake rubble. Pioneer succession weeds already grew on older parts of the dump.


17.10.12. Logged pine forest, E view, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone






W side of the rubble dump, I trekked a cycle track in the pine forest & went down a side track for a close up view of an older part of the dump, so close I didn't need to zoom pic. A fence surrounded the dump, sandy patrol roads on the border & shingle roads for dump trucks.


17.10.12. Cycle track, W side, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone


17.10.12. Logged pine forest, E view, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone






17.10.12. Cycle track / walking track junction, W side, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone


17.10.12. Pine forest, E view, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone

 






 



17.10.12. Pine forest cycle track, W side, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone

20th Ave, W side padlocked gate across a road. I watched a dump truck rattling round a cnr to the rubble dump. Padlocked gate, 2 road signs:

  ROAD
CLOSED


17.10.12. ROAD CLOSED signs, padlocked gate, 20th Ave, W side, Burwood Dump exclusion zone



17.10.12. 20th Ave cnr going to quake rubble dump, W side, Burwood Dump exclusion zone


Another road sign:  

 CAUTION
  TRUCKS
CROSSING
  AHEAD


17.10.12. Trucks Crossing sign, 20th Ave, W side, quake rubble dump, Burwood Dump exclusion zone

20th Ave / Juliet Rd junction: Fence threat sign:

SPECIAL WASTE
& VEHICLES
D

Special huh?


17.10.12. Special Waste sign, Juliet Rd / 20th Ave junction, W side, Burwood Dump exclusion zone


I trekked Juliet Rd & threw a pine cone for a wandering dog & his man.


17.10.12. Man & dog, pine forest, Juliet Rd, W side, Burwood Dump exclusion zone


17.10.12. Trucks Crossing sign, nr Juliet Rd, W side, Burwood Dump exclusion zone


17.10.12. Road sign, Juliet Rd / Landfill Rd, W side, Burwood Dump exclusion zone



I crossed tarsealed Landfill Rd, dusty, dump truck busy: More threat signs: CAUTION TRUCKS. SPECIAL WASTE. NO ACCESS.


17.10.12. Landfill Rd W, Burwood Dump exclusion zone


17.10.12. Landfill Rd E, Burwood Dump exclusion zone


17.10.12. Juliet Rd, E view, part rehabilitated Burwood Dump exclusion zone

At the end of of Juliet Rd, I skirted the pine forest back to my car. The trek took me 3 hours, many pic stops en route.


17.10.12. SW view, Juliet Rd, W side, Burwood Dump exclusion zone



17.10.12. Border road, W side, Bottle lake Forest Park, nr Bower Ave carpark. Parklands house left

On my trek outside some of the Exclusion Zone that day, beside the effluent dump & rubble dump, I'd seen walkers, joggers, cyclists & dogs. None of the passing dump trucks I saw had covers, so dust flew, polluting Burwood dump, Bottle Lake Forest Park & residential environs. There were no water hoses dampening dust on the rubble dump. That was just for show at Christchurch red zone, CBD demolition sites. So much for CERA's occupational safety & health. The rubble dump was like pics I'd seen of nuclear blasted, Hiroshima & Nagasaki. Bldgs willfully smashed to smithereens. Or smashed wasteland, post Japan tsunami. With all the fencing & public prohibition signs, only guards & contractors were allowed into the Exclusion Zone.

What idiots persisted in willfully polluting a coastal pine forest in swampland with a high water table & winds blowing pollution over forest, swamp, residential areas, beach & Pacific? Close to Pegasus Bay faults which continued to quake. Never mind arsenic, chromium & copper from treated wood, leaching into the water table, poisoning forest, swamp, dunes and Pacific for years. What did ECAN govt appointed commissioners think of all that poison leaching into the water table & the Pacific? NZ National govt's / CERA's & Council's excuse that there was an urgent need to dump effluent & rubble in Bottle Lake Forest Park, due to quakes, was bullshit! Where was all the Kiwi conservation & engineering expertise & Kiwi ingenuity to resolve effluent & quake rubble dumping? Where were all the salvage operators? Burwood quake rubble & effluent dumps were ecological disasters, toxic mixes of construction & sewage chemicals.

Council sewage boss, Mark Christison's spin:

"Christchurch has an unprecedented amount of construction and demolition waste to deal with following the earthquakes and our waste water system could not keep going without somewhere to deposit sand from broken pipes." (The Star 21.09.12).

"Somewhere to deposit sand" huh?

It was time PM Key's quake recovery minister Brownlee, CERA boss Sutton & sidekick, CCDU boss Isaacs, mayor Parker, town clerk Marryatt, sewage boss Christison got on their bicycles to see the pollution mess NZ National govt / CERA & Council crapped on Burwood neighbourhood, Bottle Lake Forest Park, beach & Pacific. What on earth were they thinking?

Meanwhile Peter Townsend, Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce boss was "smelling the money" (sic) regarding city rebuild. (Weekend Press 20-21.10.12). Hardly a rebuild. There were many TC3 houses near Burwood dump needing rebuild & Townsend's attention. Townsend was a businessman whining about business recovery, without commenting on the housing disaster in our midst. During quake times Townsend made daft statements favouring employers. Example: April 2015, Townsend would recommend Christchurch Council sold its ratepayer owned libraries to get funds for the quake rebuild. He suggested Council (former owner of the libraries) should tenant the libraries, enriching the private sector, new owners of course. Corporate welfare paid by ratepayers.

17.02.16. The Press would report that Townsend was appointed director of Otakaro Limited, the Crown company taking over after CERA's demise. Another govt minion in the rebuild farce.

Wed 24.10.12. 3.17am, M4.0 quake, 8km depth, 20km E of Christchurch. That would've stirred Burwood Dump.

3.40am, M3.3 quake, 2km depth, 20km W of Christchurch (GeoNet). Burnside asleep, I didn't feel those early morning quakes.

I returned to Bottle Lake Forest Park, as I wanted to see the SPECIAL WASTE dump. I parked my car at Rothesay Rd carpark & trekked along Bravo Rd through pine forest & 28th Ave to Landfill Rd.


24.10.12. Bravo Rd into Bottle Lake Forest. Rothesay Rd, Burwood housing left


24.10.12. Road signs, 28th Ave / Landfill Rd junction


28th Ave ended at Landfill Rd, leaving no option but to trek Landfill Rd, despite a NO ACCESS sign. Landfill Rd to Hotel Rd junction: I counted trucks: 5 dump trucks & 3 sucker trucks passed in 5 minutes. An hour or so later, on my return I recounted, same frequency. In other words 60 dump trucks & 36 sucker trucks passed one point an hour, half the number for return trips, making that a guesstimated 30 dump truck & 16 sucker truck return trips an hour. Trucks passing at that frequency for over 2 years since the 04.09.10 Darfield Quake, carrying shit, liquefaction sand & quake rubble did a lot of quake dumping at Burwood dump. No wonder locals complained.

Hotel Rd: I found Special Waste dump D. CTV rubble & rubble of other lethal bldgs like PGC & unreinforced masonry bldgs was kept there for forensic investigation. PGC, Cambridge Tce, collapsed in the 22.02.11 Killer Quake killing 18 people. Unreinforced masonry bldgs collapsed along a short stretch of Colombo St, between St Asaph St & Tuam St crossings, killing 16 people. There were other lethal bldgs around town, their rubble kept at Special Waste dump D. CTV, Madras St / Cashel St, collapsed & burned in the 22.02.11 Killer Quake, killing 115 people, incl many foreign students, 4 persons' remains were never recovered.



24.10.12. DANGER NO ENTRY sign,  exclusion fence, Burwood special waste dump, 21st Ave / Hotel Rd


24.10.12. Berm, Bottle Lake Forest trees, lining hidden Hotel Rd, Burwood special waste dump


24.10.12. 21st Ave view, Burwood special waste dump, Bottle Lake Forest


24.10.12. 21st Ave view, liquefaction sand dump, Burwood special waste dump



24.10.12. Yellow crane, shipping containers, Bottle Lake Forest, Burwood special waste dump



24.10.12. Quake rubble, Bottle Lake Forest, Burwood special waste dump

Burwood Special Waste dump was logged forest, bordered by pines on 3 sides, funnel shaped with 21st Ave at the funnel bottom, about 250m long. Hotel Rd, Foxtrot Rd & pines formed funnel sides, each about 500m long. 20th Ave & pines formed the funnel top, about 500m long. Burwood Special Waste dump was surrounded by 3m high fencing with prohibition signs at cnrs. Inside the fencing, border berms stopped public scrutiny. After CERA's exclusion not much was left of Foxtrot Rd, as the fence & berm occupied most of the road next to pines. On outside tracks, walkers, dog walkers, joggers & cyclists passed Burwood Special Waste dump.


24.10.12. 21st Ave view, Burwood special waste dump








I trekked round Burwood Special Waste dump. Near Foxtrot Rd, a yellow crane, fussed over by 3 Hi-Vis vested workmen, lifted pipes by shipping containers. Near Foxtrot Rd / 20th Rd / Golf Rd junction, CTV rubble was dumped: masonry & tangled, rusting rebars.
 

24.10.12. Exclusion fence by pine forest, Burwood special waste dump, 21st Ave / Foxtrot Rd



24.10.12. Exclusion fence, berm, Burwood special waste dump, Foxtrot Rd


24.10.12. Foxtrot Rd view, yellow crane, Burwood special waste dump






24.10.12. Berm, shipping containers, Burwood special waste dump, Foxtrot Rd

*Trekked Bower Ave, Lima Ave, Burwood Dump exclusion zone, Burwood special waste dump, Foxtrot Rd, 20th Ave, Golf Rd, Juliet Rd, Hotel Rd. 202 images.

Royal Commission of Inquiry as to why CTV collapsed & burned in the 22.02.11 Killer Quake: Soon after the quake, CTV rubble was broken up by CBD diggers & moved 10km+ across town to Burwood Dump. That moved rubble would be useless for forensic investigation.

The coronial inquest showed that cops hadn't a clue about coordinating rescue work at the CTV collapse. Cops buck passed, saying cops controlled cordons, while Fire Service & USAR / TF rescued. As cops already had the 04.09.10 Darfield Quake & Boxing Day Quake to practise, cop Price's evasive comments were pathetic.

Why did Civil Defence take so long coordinating rescue of trapped people in CTV rubble? 8 trapped people, who survived the collapse, whose whereabouts were known to rescuers, died due to rescue slowness during aftershocks. Trapped survivors had cell phoned families while trapped in CTV rubble. (One News. The Press 29.10.12).

After USAR / TF arrived, first cop in charge of the CTV rescue, Brooklands blamed USAR / TF for slowing the rescue. Both cops, Price & Brooklands blamed poor radio communications. (The Press 30.10.12).

So much for cop efficiency, USAR / TF search & so-called rescue, structural engineering inquiry & Civil Defence coordination.



24.10.12. Berm & exclusion fence, Burwood special waste dump, Foxtrot Rd


24.10.12. CTV bldg rubble, Burwood special waste dump, Foxtrot Rd












24.10.12. Exclusion fence, Burwood special waste dump, Foxtrot Rd / 20th Ave / Golf Rd crossing



24.10.12. Shared walking / cycling track, by Burwood special waste dump, Foxtrot Rd


24.10.12. CLOSED. NO ENTRY signs. Bottle Lake Forest sign. Burwood special waste dump, 20th Ave / Foxtrot Rd



24.10.12. Road signs, Burwood special waste dump, 20th Ave / Golf Rd



24.10.12. CTV bldg rubble, Burwood special waste dump, 20th Ave



I returned to my car though pine forest via 2 ponds & Juliet Rd.


24.10.12. 20th Ave / Hotel Rd, nr Burwood special waste dump


24.10.12. Ponds, Bottle Lake Forest, 20th Ave, nr Burwood special waste dump


24.10.12. SPECIAL WASTE sign, 20th Ave / Juliet Rd junction fence

Wed 31.10.12. 9.39pm, M3.6 quake, 8km depth, 10km SE of Christchurch (GeoNet). I didn't feel it as I was driving to New Brighton. Leah felt it & heard it rumbling by Burnside & rattling our house.

Near Russley Golf Club, Memorial Ave tree poster:

KEEP THE CATHEDRAL!

The reverse read:

       DUMP CERA

Reckoning: CERA was obsessed with demolitions & dumping & fixing underground infrastructure like effluent & water pipes, yet CERA wasn't fixing surface structures like roads & buildings. Not even trying to get EQC & insurers to sort our their differences, regarding repairs or rebuilds of homes, businesses & churches.

The Press 08.11.12 reported there were 7 859 red zone, residential properties, 1 269 demolished so far. With all the red zone house demolitions still to go, Burwood dump would be filled with lots more housing rubble.

About a year later, The Press 25.10.13 would report CERA had demolished 38% of red zone residential properties, i.e. 3 021 demolished out of 7 839 properties. As for NZ National govt assets, NZ govt was mum about what it would do with all the red zone residential land it took.

The Press 03.11.12: CERA delayed SCIRT payments. CERA wasn't timeously meeting its NZ National govt commitment to Council for payments of SCIRT infrastructure repairs. Another ploy by CERA putting financial pressure on Council to sell assets. So much for "Recovery." Four monkeys buggerizing Christchurch: CERA, Council, EQC, insurers.

Meanwhile citizens still endured quake & SCIRT crapped roads. After SCIRT did underground repairs, road surfaces were left in worse condition. Example: I regularly drove along New Brighton's Estuary Rd by South New Brighton School & along Bowhill Rd & Rookwood Ave, all left a mess after SCIRT's so-called repairs: tarseal patched, lumpy & bumpy, no permanent, smooth tarseal post SCIRT repairs.

Reckoning: The following CTV Coronial Inquest extracts were from One News & The Press. Opinions mine:

Thurs 01.11.12. On 22.02.11 Killer Quake day, Council senior manager & Civil Defence controller Parfitt obstructed an engineer at the Art Gallery, Civil Defence HQ, by insisting he fill in forms for 2 hours+ while people were dying in the collapsed & burning CTV. Frustrated, the man left for the CTV bldg. Parfitt's idea of disaster management was fiddle-farting while people burnt.

Fri 02.11.12. Fireman Berry's contention was that although he was the most senior fireman at the CTV collapse, he wasn't in charge, as he was in USAR / TF uniform, rescuing survivors. Meanwhile burning CTV incinerated collapse survivors. That afternoon, Leah & I smelt burning bodies several kms away at London St. USAR / TF boss Stuart-Black said that on 22.02.11 Killer Quake day, there wasn't enough USAR / TF personnel to find all the missing people in Christchurch. Cock ups covered up with jargon like "unprecedented event!"

USAR / TF teams from the North Island, Australia, China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, USA & UK rushed to Christchurch, but they were too late to save "survivors" trapped in CTV rubble. An Israeli USAR / TF team was rejected. Snag with the CTV rescue efforts was local Fire Service & USAR / TF management dithering.

Why didn't Stuart-Black have enough USAR / TF personnel in Christchurch on 22.02.11 Killer Quake day, as it was 5 months post 04.09.10 Darfield Quake warning & 2 months post 26.12.10 Boxing Day Quake warning?

Why were readily available local Response Teams, RT, not used by Civil Defence at the CTV rescue? RT volunteers were all trained in search & rescue.

Those firemen, USAR / TF, cops, Council & Civil Defence had more than enough time to get their acts & command structures together after 04.09.10 Darfield Quake & 26.12.10 Boxing Day Quake, both massively destructive. After those quakes, during my treks I'd seen many self-important USAR / TF bods wandering around cordoned sites in their natty black overalls. I also saw many cops & NZDF soldiers manning cordon checkpoints.

Civil Defence, cops, Fire Service & USAR / TF hadn't got together between quakes to sort our their inflated egos & sort out command structures during quake disasters. Their stupid disorganization cost lives. Looking at cop pics of the CTV collapse, I saw hordes of Hi- Vis jacketed "rescuers" standing around doing nothing. The coronial inquest belied the cop & rescue services hagiography, "Christchurch 22.2 - Beyond the Cordon," published 7 months post 22.02.11 Killer Quake.

Mon 05.11.12. Stuart-Black said he didn't call for UN Disaster Assessment & Coordination reinforcements as they weren't necessary. Stuart-Black couldn't make up his mind whether he had enough USAR / TF personnel or not. The coronial inquest showed management blunder upon blunder by cops, Civil Defence, Fire Service & USAR / TF.

Tues 06.11.12. Buck passer Buford, Fire Service area manager passed the buck about CTV site management to minion Berry, who was busy with USAR / TF. Buford passed more buck to his management boss Saunders. Buck passer Buford whined about being confined to the central fire station when he wanted to "have been out there helping the troops." Ineptitude before families of the CTV dead at the Inquest.

Over the past few months the Royal Commission of Inquiry into PGC & CTV collapses in the 22.02.11 Killer Quake & the Coronial Inquest, proved Kiwis to be buck-passers, blame-shifters & she'll-be-right slackers.

Ass covering by Fire Service & USAR / TF, whining about lack of leadership, training & resources:

Fire Service's Rose: "No one seemed to know who was in charge. We were missing the people at the top... We needed and still need better training. I do not feel we are any better prepared than we were before the earthquake."

USAR / TF squad leader West: "We simply were not set up with enough gear for the size of the event that we experienced in Christchurch."

USAR / TF gear from the North Island was held up by air service & road transport delays. Post 04.09.10 Darfield Quake & 1 000s of aftershocks, what was gear doing on the North Island when Christchurch was the ongoing quake zone?

Wed 07.11.12. Day of the 22.02.11 Killer Quake, Fire Service boss Barclay drove around town: from Fire Service HQ, Kilmore St to Council bldg, Worcester Blvd, then to Central Police, Hereford St, then drove back to Kilmore St HQ, then drove to USAR / TF HQ at Woolston, away from the CBD.

Barclay didn't appoint a supervisor at the CTV collapse, while the bldg burnt & survivors died. Barclay said he dispatched officers to ECAN & Council. Did Barclay hold their hands too at Council? Barclay's actions & omissions were ineptitude in the face of catastrophe.

Barclay driving to Woolston way beyond the CBD where he was needed was mad. Barclay would've been caught in gridlock traffic, as I was that afternoon, on liquefactioned, quake buckled, cracked, sinkholed roads with liquefaction flooding & flooding from broken sewage & water pipes. Most traffic lights were kaput.

Christchurch CBD was small. A walk in any direction from Cathedral Sq would take about 10 mins to get to any one of the 4 Avenues bordering the CBD.

Barclay's Fire Station HQ was well within the 4 Avenues. Firemen were supposed to be mentally & physically fit. Had Barclay walked W from his HQ along Kilmore St, within a minute, he would've passed collapsed Oxford Tce Baptist Church.

A few minutes further W, Kilmore St / Manchester St, Barclay would've seen collapsed St Lukes Anglican Church. Round the cnr on Cambridge Tce, Barclay would've found collapsed PGC about 5 minutes walk from his HQ.

From his HQ, had Barclay walked S along Madras St, following his nose & the burning smell across Latimer Sq, Barclay would've found collapsed CTV, also about 5 minutes walk from his HQ.

Leaving CTV or PGC, it would've taken Barclay another 5 minutes walk to the Council bldg & Civil Defence HQ in the Art Gallery across Worcester Blvd & Central Police across Hereford St, the other side of the Council bldg. 

Thus from his fire station HQ, Barclay was about 5 minutes walk from collapsed PGC & collapsed & burning CTV & about 10 minutes walk to Central Police, Council & Civil Defence HQ / Art Gallery. Jogging, he could've got to his destinations faster. Granted Barclay may have been needed at Council or Central Police. But driving to Woolston out of the quake stricken CBD? He behaved like tourists & office workers I saw fleeing the CBD, on foot, at Bealey Ave / Madras St & fleeing the CBD, on foot, all along side roads by Bealey Ave & Fitzgerald Ave that quake afternoon.

Poor management / leadership by Fire Service boss Barclay: Poor coordination between Fire Service & USAR / TF at the CTV collapse & burn site. Barclay drove to Woolston during quake aftershocks to check on USAR / TF staff there, while CTV was burning.

The 22.02.11 Killer Quake struck at 12.51pm. Only at 8.30pm did senior fire service station officer Whitem take charge of putting out the CTV fire after colleague Berry, busy USAR / TF rescuing, told Whitem to do so. While fire service management dithered, how many trapped people, who'd survived the CTV collapse, were incinerated by the CTV fire before 8.30pm?

Thurs 08.11.12. Wellington's assistant national commander Fire Service, Brown told the inquest that he regretted not taking command of the CTV site from Whitem. What did Brown do in Christchurch?

On the day of the quake USAR / TF task force leader Burns was in Templeton & took 2 hours to get to the CTV site. (Usually takes about half an hour). He had told Berry to to be in charge of on site USAR / TF.

So firemen under Whitem were putting out the CTV fire & USAR / TF under Berry were rescuing survivors or looking for bodies. No one was in overall control of coordinating firemen & rescuers.

Fri 09.11.12. More USAR / TF ass covering: Due to NZDF safety checking on 22.02.11, USAR / TF's Binning was miffed by NZDF flight personnel delaying flights of USAR / TF personnel & 15 tonnes of USAR / TF equipment from Auckland to Christchurch.

Auckland Fire Service area manager, Binning should explain why USAR / TF equipment was on the North Island when Christchurch had already experienced 5.5 months of quakes before the 22.02.11 Killer Quake? Like other Christchurch authorities, there was complacency about quake dangers, as no one was killed before the 22.02.11 quake. Business as usual by businesses & crap planning, organizing & controlling by Fire Service & USAR / TF.

USAR / TF & Fire Service management were complacent too. They hadn't absorbed seismologists' warnings that big quakes would continue for years post 04.09.10 Darfield Quake. Newspapers were full of warnings post 04.09.10 Darfield Quake. Inquest shown deficiencies by USAR / TF & Fire Service managements, caused subordinates to be let down in their efforts to save survivors of the CTV collapse. There may have been some heroes amongst subordinates doing their jobs with crap equipment, but there were no heroic managers, just buck passers, ass coverers & whiners.

Tues 04.12.12. After resumption of the inquest, 22 months post 22.02.11 Killer Quake, Fire Service operations & training director McGill belatedly apologised to the families of the CTV dead. McGill acknowledged management coordination cockups. It needed an inquest & bravery of quake widower Cvetanov demanding the truth before an apology was made. On 22.02.11, cops at the CTV site had threatened to arrest Cvetanov while he tried to find his trapped wife.

USAR / TF also had pathetic excuses, blaming faulty camera equipment & poor funding. Never mind the 5 months warning for USAR / TF & the Fire Service to get their acts together post 04.09.10 Darfield Quake. (The Press 05.12.12).

Wed 05.12.12. McGill confirmed cop & Fire Service management muddle at the CTV collapse: "What I've seen from the evidence is lack of clarity 12 hours later or longer about who was the incident controller. That indicates to me that somehow that baton got dropped. Police thought that baton transitioned to fire and fire thought it was still with police. I'm not blaming anybody, but with the pressure of the situation, that formality which is necessary to hand that baton over did not occur." While cops & Fire Service dithered for more than 12 hours about who was overall boss at the CTV site, at least 8 survivors of the initial collapse were burnt & crushed. What was cop management's response to that expedient finger-pointing by McGill?

A US fire chief, who'd trained a Christchurch USAR / TF team in 1995, said there were 13 fire chefs in Christchurch at the time of the CTV collapse, but no one took control of the CTV site. Quake disaster, then Civil Defence / cop / fire / USAR / TF management disaster. There was little overarching management amongst Civil Defence, cops, Fire Service USAR / TF & RT. Hopefully in the next big quake, the rest of NZ would benefit from reviewed management cockups in Christchurch.

In response to cop, Fire Service & USAR / TF cockups in the 22.02.11 Killer Quake, NZ National govt / CERA designed the Blueprint, Justice & Emergencies Services precinct, one massive bldg between Lichfield St & Tuam St. A juicy target for terrorists. 2015-16, CERA's Blueprint, Justice & Emergency Services precinct would be built.

Coda:

The Weekend Press 26-27.10.13 would report that Burwood dump had a recovernator plant which recycled quake dump waste. The recovernator had functioned since May 2013.

Early 2014, Luke would be laid off his joinery job at Douglas Furniture in the CBD, as the business bldg would be demolished & relocated to Hornby, for CCDU's Blueprint, Metro Sports Facility in the CBD. Luke then joined Silvan Salvage, their logo, "Teaching old logs new tricks." Before demolishers could demolish red zone houses & commercial bldgs, Luke & work buddies salvaged as much wood as possible, as well as other salvage items, saving it from Burwood dump. Silvan Salvage leased land on Dyers Rd, built storage sheds & sold salvage items on Trade Me. When I visited Silvan Salvage yard, Dec 2014, Luke showed me heaps of salvaged matai & rimu, which would be used as recycled table tops.

Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.

See Smell the money in city rebuild (The Press / Stuff Co).

See Police not equipped, trained for CTV disaster (The Press / Stuff Co).

See Engineer held up from CTV rescue (The Press / Stuff Co). 

See CERA still not paid its share (The Press / Stuff Co).

See Earthquake emergency response seriously faulty, something must be done (The Press / Stuff Co).

See Official disturbed by death claim (The Press / Stuff Co).

See Engineer came close to victim (The Press / Stuff Co).

See Officers did not cross paths at CTV (The Press / Stuff Co). 

See Red zone clearance to accelerate next year (The Press / Stuff Co). 

See Fire officer regrets CTV decision (The Press / Stuff Co).

See Usar angry at Defence Force delays (The Press / Stuff Co).

See Man told of wife's CTV death (The Press / Stuff Co).

See Burwood resource recovery damn impressive (The Press / Stuff Co).

See Christchurch City Council should sell all its libraries says Chamber of Commerce (The Press / Stuff Co).

See Quake rubble mountain at Burwood to get bigger (The Press / Stuff Co).

See Peter Townsend and Miriam Dean to join Crown company board (The Press / Stuff Co).