Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Again: Is everyone okay?

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  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Steve Barnes,

    how this was possible in a City that has recently been through an earthquake and hasn’t even started recovery

    Natural forces equivalent to more energy than that released by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear explosions combined generally don’t respect human concepts such as “started recovery”. This was possible because the city’s on a couple of fault lines, and we haven’t even worked out how to predict occurrence and severity of an earthquake never mind how to prevent them.
    It was made worse because “hasn’t even started recovery” is true. All the weakened buildings were subjected to forces that would’ve been iffy if they were fully intact, never mind their current state. The only way this could’ve been avoided would have been complete evacuation of the entire city. And then what do you do with the better part of 400k people?

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report

  • Gareth Ward,

    Wait, 65 people?! Bloody hell...

    Auckland, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 1727 posts Report

  • Martin Lindberg, in reply to Robyn Gallagher,

    Mistruths spread quickly.

    Sure does. TV3 just said (about 6.25pm) that the hospitals were calling for blood donors. It's not easy to know what to believe about anything.

    Stockholm • Since Jul 2009 • 802 posts Report

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Gareth Ward,

    If it's 65 people now, it'll be triple figures by Friday. I don't think we'll get to thousands, certainly hope we won't, but it's going to be days before rescue teams finish sweeping the city just to determine how many buildings have collapsed and need to be searched by rescue dogs.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to Martin Lindberg,

    TV3 just said

    It's worth saying though that TV3 for those of us offshore, has been phenomenal in all this. Every New Zealander I know beyond living beyond the nation's shores has been sitting glued to one of their various international feeds for hours, mostly ABC.

    Thank you - it gives us a link that tempers a little the helplessness and distance we feel from this horror right now at home.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report

  • webweaver, in reply to Steve Barnes,

    Can we have some clarification as to what is meant by “5.20 pm: There are reports that Brighton and Lyttelton are “unliveable”.”
    I hope they don’t mean “Unsurvivable”

    A couple of hours ago on the telly they had a phone report from a former Close Up journalist who was in Lyttelton. I think he said he'd walked there over the hill along the old settler route (I don't know the geography but I think that's what he said).

    He said he was walking along the main street of Lyttelton and that many buildings appeared to have sustained damage. He spoke with a military guy (from a navy ship in Lyttelton harbour?) who said he had personnel on the ground there assessing the situation but who felt that they might be of more help in ChCh central and was expecting to be deployed there at some point.

    The reporter said there didn't seem to be heaps of people around when he was walking down the main street in Lyttelton.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 332 posts Report

  • Gareth Ward,

    Matthew that was my thought. Unbelievable, now I'm actually in a bit of shock

    Auckland, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 1727 posts Report

  • Megan Wegan, in reply to Steve Barnes,

    Dude, no offence, but now is just absolutely not the time.

    Welly • Since Jul 2008 • 1275 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    + 1 to what Megan said. While my opinion of politicians is not awfully high, when it counts they step up and it's worth remembering there's quite a few MP's who have friends and family in the zone. Give them a fucking break.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Greg Dawson,

    Bob Parker was impressively collected and focussed on what matters when he appeared on the news again. F*cking awful that he had to be.

    Can anyone tell me what was happening with the CTV building? Was it already condemned from September or something? Doesn't seem like they're talking about many people inside. Which would be great.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 294 posts Report

  • Paul Williams, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    If it's 65 people now, it'll be triple figures by Friday.

    That's a truly horrible prospect.

    Sydney • Since Nov 2006 • 2273 posts Report

  • Alex Coleman,

    There are some peeps stranded @wellington airport in need of billets if folk can help...

    http://www.facebook.com/WellingtonAirport/posts/204356046245380

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 247 posts Report

  • Rob Hosking,

    Thanks for that Alex. We're not far from the airport, we've offered a couple of places

    South Roseneath • Since Nov 2006 • 830 posts Report

  • Sacha,

    Russell has added useful links at the top of the post.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    I've added a bunch of links to the original post.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Jane Pearson,

    It may be totally inappropriate to ask this here and apologies if so but does anyone know what has happened to the old Court buildings which I think are near the new court building. I have a niece who has just started working there as a researcher for the judges and we haven't heard from her. It's nervewracking waiting and wondering from far away and even too diffficult for those of the whanau in Chrsitchurch to get any news.

    Since Feb 2010 • 28 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Jane Pearson,

    It may be totally inappropriate to ask this here

    No, it’s totally appropriate.

    3News had this:

    5.58pm – Prisoners were evacuated from Christchurch’s central court building following the quake. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said all of tomorrow’s court sittings in Christchurch had been cancelled and court fixtures in Timaru, Ashburton and Rangiora were also unlikely to go ahead. Several ministry buildings had been extensively damaged.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • George Darroch,

    we haven't heard from her. It's nervewracking waiting and wondering from far away and even too diffficult for those of the whanau in Chrsitchurch to get any news.

    I hope, with all my heart, that she's okay.

    WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    How to find friends and family
    This may help although I am not having much luck with my family.

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report

  • Jane Pearson, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Thanks Russell for all the useful links which I have passed on to my sister. We had found that piece of information above which sadly is not particularly reassuring. We will just stand by and hope.

    Since Feb 2010 • 28 posts Report

  • Mikaere Curtis,

    Got an update from the inlaws in Lyttleton. Apparently the crew of HMS Canterbury were totally heroic, basically downed tools and got into rescue mode as soon as the quake hit.

    Reports are that 60% of the main road (London St) is destroyed, its so sad.

    <snark>Did anyone catch John Key's live cross on One about 20 minutes ago ? They totally green-screened him into a street in the CBD with rescue operations playing behind him. Playing a montage behind him is fine, but why pretend that he's somewhere he isn't ?

    NB: Not blaming JK at all, just disappointed at TV1. Then again, my response was "why are we watching One ?" - there's a reason I prefer 3.</snark>

    Tamaki Makaurau • Since Nov 2006 • 528 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    I turned off the sound on the television, and put on John Adams’ On The Transmigration of Souls (which was commissioned to commemorate the victims of another senseless tragedy):

    For this work Adams assembled a text comprised of three main sources: brief fragments taken from missing person signs that had been posted by friends and family members in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy; personal reminiscences (principally drawn from interviews appearing in the “Portraits of Grief” series in The New York Times); and a randomly chosen list of names of the victims.

    The work also employs a “soundscape” designed in collaboration with Mark Grey that surrounds the audience with prerecorded city sounds (quiet traffic, voices, footsteps, etc.) and the reading by many different voices of the names of the victims.

    The intimacy and human scale just seemed right; a way to articulate and make sense of the incoherent mood swings I'm feeling at the moment. “Remember me. Please don’t ever forget me.”

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to Mikaere Curtis,

    They totally green-screened him into a street in the CBD with rescue operations playing behind him. Playing a montage behind him is fine, but why pretend that he's somewhere he isn't ?

    What makes you think it was superimposed?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Mikaere Curtis, in reply to Sacha,

    The lighting of JK (studio fake) vs the background (ambient cloudy, different time of day), plus that glowy edging around him that indicates superimposition. That, and my daughter spotted it first (and ya gotta trust Gen Z - they totally grok media cynicism).

    Tamaki Makaurau • Since Nov 2006 • 528 posts Report

  • Rachel Prosser,

    I'm in Dunedin - flew out yesterday night - so am afraid I can't do a Whiskey Galore update this time. My family OK - house a mess but structurally seems OK.

    An indication of the force: the large stereo speaker stored on shelves 6 feet above ground flew across a double garage and landed in the laundry sink.

    Mum in Wellington, got news of quake by Dad phoning her to say he was OK.

    An example of kindness: taxi driver who took Mum home to where she's staying in Wellington, overheard her conversation and didn't accept payment.

    Christchurch • Since Mar 2008 • 228 posts Report

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