Another major CHCH earthquake Monday June 13th

So life in the shaky city of Christchurch continues. For those not paying daily attention (ie everyone who doesn’t live here) we have had 7000+ earthquakes since 4th Sept 2010 and we are still going with no end in sight. Quite frankly its absolute hell to live with.

Last Monday there was a reasonable quake 5.3 or so. I was at work on the other side of town, and initially not too bothered until I found out it was centered over my side of town. So I decided to go home and check everything was OK. Fortunately the place I work at understands these things (and I was taking my laptop to catchup on any time missed)

With a quake that big they are closing schools so the traffic was heavy but it was moving so I got across town in reasonable time. I was about 500m from home, just slowing to come up to an intersection when the SECOND big quake of the day hit and this was bigger – this was a 6.3 and it was the most frigtening experience I have had in a very long time (and I was in a car accident 3 weeks ago that totalled my car – I was OK) – it was so violent my car rolled from side to side so agressively I honestly thought it was going to roll over – for a moment I truly thought it would and I was going to die right there.

It was a short but very brutal quake and this was what I came home to:

This is my pantry – the door is stuck there because there is so much stuff piled behind it, that it cant open any further. The debris is piled two shelves high and contains an exciting mix of flour, several jars of jam, tobasco sauce and lots of broken glass.

The lounge and some of the kitchen

The kitchen – look at how far the fridge has moved from the wall and behind it the oven has moved out nearly as far – that might give you an idea of how violent this quake was. The oven should be flush with the bench beside it

My computer desk in my bedroom – Dell LCD monitor and PC on the floor underneath it tipped over, ironing basket slipped off the drawers to the left, and books and pictures on the floor tipped over

The house is even more cracked than what it was, but its still standing, and the toilets still flush (tho we immediately activated the Chemical loo). We never lost power (many areas had no power for several days and its the middle of winter here and COLD) tho it was 4 days before our water came on long enough for me to have a hot shower.

And the best news is after only a week (was more like 6 wks last time) the boil water notice has been lifted so I can use the dishwasher again!!!

Advertisement