Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Christchurch: Square Two

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  • Russell Brown,

    Meanwhile, GNS has upgraded yesterday's 6.0 to a 6.3.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Dave Patrick,

    Yeah, there seem to be increased opinions being voiced of "Why are you still living in Christchurch, it's be better to bowl the whole place and start again, it's going to be too expensive to fix"

    Just how much MORE expensive would it be to relocate and rebuild, not to mention what do you do with everything and everyone while you're doing that? The next person who says "Why are people still living in Christchurch" needs to turn it round and think about what they'd do in the same situation. You have friends, family, a job, kids in school - you can't just uproot all of that and just go somewhere else......

    Rangiora, Te Wai Pounamu • Since Nov 2006 • 261 posts Report

  • Hebe,

    Life will never be the new normal. It is irretrievably different, on the physical, mental, and emotional planes. Bugger rebuilding, let's talk about building a city anew; probably in the same place but in a head-space sense. I loved some things about Chch but other bits like the insularity drove me crazy and drove me away for years.

    Today my concern is: am I scarring my children, two 13 year olds, but staying here? Is it going to do more harm than good to stay or leave? I don't know, will staying teach them resilience? Or will going Somewhere Else relieve us all? I know that after Sept 4 I left with the children for 3 weeks, but I took the trauma with me, still didn't sleep, hyper-alert etc etc. And where is safe anyway?

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report

  • Lilith __, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Meanwhile, GNS has upgraded yesterday's 6.0 to a 6.3.

    They have? (your link seems to go to a map only)

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Lilith __,

    They have? (your link seems to go to a map only)

    If you click on the dot, the info box that comes up says 6.3. Their main page either hasn't been updated or is cached for speed.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Lilith __, in reply to Hebe,

    will going Somewhere Else relieve us all?

    I'm afraid that I'll leave in a fit of exasperation and fetch up in another town or city, find myself without all my local family and friends and routines (such as they still are), and think...why did I do that?

    If you click on the dot, the info box that comes up says 6.3

    Huh. So it does.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report

  • JLM,

    I just went to the geonet recent earthquakes page and the 2:20 quake wasn't even on it. There have been at least 30 quakes since then. Bloody hell!

    I feel bad for being excited that I actually felt this one down near Dunedin, when the February quake passed me by.

    Judy Martin's southern sl… • Since Apr 2007 • 241 posts Report

  • Emma Hart, in reply to Dave Patrick,

    The next person who says "Why are people still living in Christchurch" needs to turn it round and think about what they'd do in the same situation. You have friends, family, a job, kids in school - you can't just uproot all of that and just go somewhere else......

    Stuff has a "what are you going to do?" poll up today. "I want to leave but I can't because of property or a job" is running around 25%.

    So yeah, this is not to say "Don't offer help and beds and stuff", but if your comment includes the phrase "You should just", it's time to stop talking.

    Also... the students? Are in the middle of exams. They'll not be digging us out in a hurry this time round. And dear gods, how TIRED they must be. This is the time when we need outside help coming in.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Lara,

    I've found that Vicki Anderson's pieces in The Press have nicely captured how I've been feeling.

    I have discovered (again) that 'cope' buttons only work if there is a decent interval between each use. I wish life would stop happening so that I could catch up.

    I cannot imagine what it is like to be closer to the epicentre. And I'm not sure how I'd deal with it if I could.

    Christchurch • Since Jul 2009 • 82 posts Report

  • Hebe,

    See the Stuff front page for the upgrade, also the 5.5 now a 5.7

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report

  • David Haywood,

    Got the electricity back and just now the Internets. It was a *hell* of a shake yesterday (certainly worse than Sept) but very vertical here, and as a result *much* less damage to the neighbourhood than in either of the previous two biggies.

    One has to accept that NZ is prone to natural hazards from tornados to volcanos to tsunamis to floods to forest fires to earthquakes. But that's why we have engineering -- to minimize the danger of these natural hazards. And it's working in CHCH; no-one was killed yesterday (or in Sept) in a situation that even in other first-world countries would have left scores dead.

    Anyway, fuck leaving, I say... they won't get me out of here except in handcuffs.

    Dunsandel • Since Nov 2006 • 1156 posts Report

  • Hebe,

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report

  • Greg Dawson,

    Personally I always found the one on the last row, that dropped you back to near the start, to be the most annoying. But quakes and ladders sounds like a sh*t game :/

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 294 posts Report

  • Robert Urquhart, in reply to Emma Hart,

    Also... the students? Are in the middle of exams. They'll not be digging us out in a hurry this time round. And dear gods, how TIRED they must be.

    Are either swearing or cheering as their exam schedules/assessment hand in dates go up in smoke, depending on how hard they've been studying. This entire semester has been hard on them, there's been precious little certainty and an oversupply of confusion about even when/where your next lecture is going to be.

    Christchurch • Since Mar 2009 • 163 posts Report

  • Lucy Stewart, in reply to Emma Hart,

    Also… the students? Are in the middle of exams. They’ll not be digging us out in a hurry this time round. And dear gods, how TIRED they must be.

    One quote suggested the James Hight library has suffered yet another mass de-shelving, after fully opening last week. For the second time. I can't even.

    I am, selfishly, desperate for people not to leave the city. I can deal with the place I left sinking slowly into the dust, in its physical form. If all the people leave as well - that's it, really, it's gone. Cities are people. The physical bits are just the framing. As long as the people stay, the city stays.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report

  • Lilith __, in reply to Hebe,

    See the Stuff front page for the upgrade, also the 5.5 now a 5.7

    I wish we could be upgraded to first class, with the champagne and little snacks.

    fuck leaving, I say… they won’t get me out of here except in handcuffs.

    Thank you David! True grit. :-D

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Lucy Stewart,

    I am, selfishly, desperate for people not to leave the city. I can deal with the place I left sinking slowly into the dust, in its physical form. If all the people leave as well – that’s it, really, it’s gone. Cities are people. The physical bits are just the framing. As long as the people stay, the city stays.

    As I wrote at the time, it became clear to me that what happens on the "good" side of the fence is as important -- or in some ways more important -- than what happens in the red zone itself. If people clear out, the area dies. It's not hard to extrapolate that to the city itself.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • recordari,

    Seriously, how can we help? Something to look forward to? Champagne and snacks?

    Russell, you briefly mentioned a Great Blend plan that was fostering before yesterday. Is there some opportunity for us to contribute and make it bigger or brighter?

    We can't walk in your shoes, but perhaps in a small way we could offer to tie your laces so you can keep your head up.

    Or should we send gumboots?

    Arohanui.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to recordari,

    Russell, you briefly mentioned a Great Blend plan that was fostering before yesterday. Is there some opportunity for us to contribute and make it bigger or brighter?

    Stay tuned. At the least, a koha at the door.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Dave Patrick,

    Yeah, there seem to be increased opinions being voiced of “Why are you still living in Christchurch, it’s be better to bowl the whole place and start again, it’s going to be too expensive to fix”

    And every time I hear that from people, my opinion is that until we figure out how to move New Zealand away from the circum-Pacific seismic belt a round of STFU-a-chinos might be in order. My whanau/friends in Christchurch know the spare room will always be there if they need it, but "get out" is about as useful as a dick in a dyke bar on date night.

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

  • Lucy Stewart, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    And every time I hear that from people, my opinion is that until we figure out how to move New Zealand away from the circum-Pacific seismic belt a round of STFU-a-chinos might be in order.

    Hah. I was congratulating myself on having moved to somewhere immune from really dangerous natural disasters (blizzards being more annoying than anything else) and then, last week? Tornado! You want real safety from natural disaster, start investing in a space programme. (See also here.)

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report

  • Dave Patrick,

    Herald's "Your Views" participants today are particularly enervating.

    Rangiora, Te Wai Pounamu • Since Nov 2006 • 261 posts Report

  • recordari, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Stay tuned. At the least, a koha at the door.

    Cool. It was either that or send Emma a slush fund for folks down there.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report

  • Andre Alessi,

    Bizarrely, my Auckland-based coworker has been holidaying in Christchurch during both of the last two big quakes. He's managed to predict both by his presence within a 2-3 day window. (He was due to fly out from Christchurch on Sunday night this time, but his flight was cancelled due to volcanic ash.)

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report

  • Emma Hart, in reply to recordari,

    Cool. It was either that or send Emma a slush fund for folks down there.

    Heh, this morning I had texts asking for drinkies and gaming at our house tonight. That seems to be the stress response in our social group.

    So yes, it'd be a "slush fund" alright.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

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