Topic: 7.2 Magnitude Earthquake Slams Christchurch NZ

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck New Zealand’s South Island at around 4:35am this morning, knocking out power, damaging buildings and rupturing pipes in Christchurch, the country’s second-largest city, according to reports.

The quake, which was centered about 30 kilometers northwest of Christchurch, ruptured sewer lines and water pipes and closed the city’s airport, Radio New Zealand reported. Some building facades had collapsed. There were no initial reports of serious injuries.

The National Crisis Management Centre was activated to monitor the situation, said John Hamilton, director of Civil Defence & Emergency Management, in an e-mailed statement.

Aftershocks followed the initial 4:35 a.m. tremor, including one of magnitude 5.7 at 4:53 a.m., the U.S. Geological Survey said on its website.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake didn’t pose a tsunami threat.

Tremors were felt as far away as Greymouth, about 166 kilometers away, and in Dunedin, about 309 kilometers away, according to Radio New Zealand.

Power Outages

Power was out in about half of Christchurch’s central business district and almost all of the city’s northern suburbs, the state public broadcaster said on its website.

Streets in the downtown part of Christchurch were blocked by police because of damaged buildings and debris, Radio New Zealand said. People were being asked to refrain from using their cellphones because of overloaded networks.

Damage was also reported on the southern part of North Island.

Christchurch is home to about 348,000 people, according to Statistics New Zealand. Mayor Bob Parker on Newstalk ZB Radio says the council is checking roads and sees sewer problems. Officials urged people to conserve water use.

Looters have been sighted at Liquor Stores in the inner city. Police have imposed a no-go zone due to the damage.

New Zealand’s most powerful recorded earthquake hit in January 1855 with an estimated magnitude of about 8.2, according to GeoNet, an earthquake-monitoring site. It shifted vertically about 5,000 square kilometers of land.

UPDATE 8.22AM: No fatalities. Two men in their 50s with serious injuries, one in Intensive Care Unit.

Minor injuries: Please look after each other, or go to a 24 hour medical center, not the Emergency Departments at the hospital.

Looters hit Christchurch after Quake

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From TVNZ:

ONE News is broadcasting live from Christchurch throughout the day.

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck about 30km west of Christchurch at 4.35am today, at a depth of 10km, causing minor injuries, structural damage and gas leaks, cutting power, and rupturing water and sewerage mains.

ONE News Reporters Vicky Wilkinson Baker, Hannah Ockelford and Catherine Wedd are live from the South Island and will be updating the situation.

Normal programming has been cancelled.

Update @ 18.30:

Fires breaking out in Chch now with the power coming back on and some gas leaks.

3 Shelters are available in Chch, East, West and Addington. (map below for hospitals)

Update @ 21:30

• Power is mostly restored.
• Curfew in effect from 7PM - 7AM
• No Fatalities reported
• Looting was minor
• Quake strength was 7.2

For the latest updates on the situation in Canterbury:
* The Civil Defence's website has information on hospitals, water supplies, roads and building safety.
* More information on how to conserve water, is here.
* This Google Map has links showing the locations of a number of medical centres around Christchurch.

* Call 111 for fire, ambulance or police services only in a real emergency. For any less serious situations, call your local police station. For a list of police station contacts in the Canterbury region, click here.
* The New Zealand Food Safety Authority has issued advice to residents without power and water to help them minimise food spoilage.
Their tips include:
FOOD
* Eat perishable foods, for example bread and meat first.
* Eat canned foods last.
* Minimise food spoilage by opening the fridge or freezer only when you need to take food out.
* Do not eat vegetables or fruits that have been lying in flood water.
* Cover all food with plastic wrap or store in waterproof containers.
* Throw out rotting or tainted food before it spoils other food.
WATER
* The following household facilities can be used to cook, wash dishes, and wash your hands:
- hot water cylinder
- toilet cistern - as long as no chemical toilet cleaner is present
- bottled water
- spa/swimming pool water - can use to wash yourself and your family.
Boil or purify water before using it in food preparation, and to avoid cross-contamination of food. Once boiled, cover and store in a clean container and place in the fridge (if it's working) or in some other cool place. Re-boil the water if it is not used within 24 hours.
If you do not have power to boil water then purifying tablets or bleach can be added to ensure its safety. Add five drops of household bleach per litre of water and leave for 30 minutes.

Most importantly, is everyone OK? SO lucky there are no deaths but apparently many injuries from major to minor.

I'm still waiting on confirmation that one of the people I know is safe, he was outside the city at the time.

It could have been much worse, if it had happened only 5 hours later, the streets would have been full of people.

Latest from Twitter:

TelecomNZ: We've made around 300 payphones in and around Chch free for local, national and mobile calls. Hope this helps #eqnz ^NR
Original Tweet: Twitter / Telecom New Zealand: We've made around 300 payp ...

Originally Posted by kall

I'm still waiting on confirmation that one of the people I know is safe, he was outside the city at the time.

It could have been much worse, if it had happened only 5 hours later, the streets would have been full of people.

Woohoo! He's safe.

From the Herald:

If you only have a minute and you want today's need-to-know earthquake news at a glance, this is the page for you.

1. The Aftershocks

Aftershocks are continuing to hamper the repair efforts and shatter the frayed nerves of city residents.
Two more aftershocks hit Canterbury between 8 and 9am.
A quake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale hit at 8.14am and was followed 10 minutes later by a quake measuring 3.6.
Both quakes had an epicentre 30km south-east of Darfield with a focal depth of 5km.

2. Getting downtown - the CBD Cordon

Police have pulled back their cordons around the Christchurch central business district.
Inspector John Price said the restricted area is now bordered by Colombo, Worcester, Madras and St Asaph Streets.
Mr Price said anyone wanting to access this area should go to the police checkpoints at the intersection of Colombo and Lichfield St or Madras and Cashel St.


3. Essential services

Water remains top of the critical list for affected households. Supply is ok, but it all has to be boiled for three minutes before using to drink, or even to wash your face in or brush your teeth. The reason is the possible mixing of town water with overflows from broken sewage pipes. Electricity has been restored to all but 3,500 people now. Buses are running, with some scheduling limitations.
KiwiRail suspended rail services before midnight and staff are now inspecting track and bridges.
Track damage has been found near Rolleston on the Midland Line, but the line South looks to be okay. Rail services should be restored this afternoon.

4. How can the rest of us help?

People wishing to make donations towards earthquake relief in Canterbury can do so online through the Salvation Army (or call 0800 530 000) and the NZ Red Cross (or call 0900 33 200 to make an automatic $20 donation.) Most banks around the country have boxes where donations can be made.

5. And some much-needed good news?

Legendary heavy metal rockers Metallica are still coming - reportedly.
Fans have been bombarding nzherald with fears the big quake would prompt Metallica to postpone two sold-out shows set for Christchurch later this month.
But the band insists the shows will go ahead as planned on September 21 and 22.
Engineers are currently assessing the 9,000-capacity concert venue for damage, but bosses insist it doesn't appear the arena has been damaged at all. (Source: Celebrity news website PR-inside.com)