Good one.. we have just got water back on.
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Good one.. we have just got water back on.
I am impressed at the international support
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2011/02/4271.jpg
LATEST: Nearly 300 rescue workers from six countries are on their way to Christchurch to help in the search and rescue operation.
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said the overseas relief effort included:
* A 40-strong urban search and rescue team which arrived at 5.30 this morning and is already working in the city. A second team arrives at 3pm.
* A 55-strong disaster relief team from Singapore, due to arrive at 8.30pm tonight. It will join a contingent of Singapore military staff who were already in New Zealand when the earthquake hit.
Two Singapore military aircraft are due tomorrow with additional equipment.
* A US specialist search and rescue team of 75 personnel, which arrives tomorrow morning.
* Sixty search and rescue personnel from Japan, expected to arrive tomorrow.
* A specialised search and rescue team of 63 people from the United Kingdom, which arrives tomorrow night.
* Assistance from Taiwan, which has yet to be finalised.
The teams are on top of 300 Australian police who were sought by Commissioner Howard Broad after a request from Canterbury district commander Superintendent Dave Cliff.
more here
The resuce teams have been going around the the clock, some aussies were here within hours of the quake,..
The 26 floor hotel grand chancellor is in danger of collaspe...one corner is slumping
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...d_dest=Twitter
New Zealand rescuers sift rubble, quake toll reaches 75
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Search crew members look through the rubble of the CTV building which was devastated by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in central Christchurch February 23, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Simon Baker
CHRISTCHURCH | Tue Feb 22, 2011 6:44pm EST
CHRISTCHURCH (Reuters) - New Zealand rescuers sifted through rubble in search of quake survivors on Wednesday, guided by sounds of crying and tapping, as the death toll in Christchurch climbed to 75, with many dozens still feared trapped inside collapsed buildings.
Rescue teams had to perform amputations to free some of the 120 survivors so far pulled from the wreckage of Tuesday's strong tremor, which had hit the country's second-biggest city at lunchtime. The death toll is expected to rise further.
"We are getting texts (sms messages) and tapping sounds from the living and that's our focus at the moment," police shift commander Russell Gibson said on Radio New Zealand.
The local mayor said rescuers had detected a group of 15 survivors trapped inside a collapsed building housing local broadcaster CTV. It is also home to an English-language school where up to a dozen Japanese students are feared to be inside.
"We put a camera into the building at the CTV site and we found a pocket with 15 people alive in there and the crew is working to get those people out," a rescuer said.
As many as 300 people are still missing a day after the quake, local mayor Bob Parker added, but it was unclear how many of these could be explained by communication breakdowns between family and friends and the authorities. Previously, Parker has said that up to around 100 people could be trapped.
Authorities have identified 55 dead bodies and there are another 20 still to be identified. The toll seems certain to rise further as the frantic search effort focuses on survivors ahead of retrieving and identifying dead bodies.
"There are bodies littering the streets. They're trapped in cars, crushed under rubble, and where they are clearly deceased our focus unfortunately at this time has turned to the living," police commander Gibson said.
Tuesday's 6.3 magnitude quake struck -- the second to hit the historic tourist town in five months -- struck when streets and shops thronged with people and offices were still occupied. It was New Zealand's most deadly natural disaster for 80 years.
Wednesday, as dawn broke over the ruins of central Christchurch, roads were buckled, buildings toppled and large pools of water had welled up from broken water pipes and sewers.
In places, roads had collapsed into a milky, sand-coloured lake beneath the surface, the result of Christchurch's sandy foundations mixing with subterranean water under the force of the quake. Officials call it "liquefaction" of the ground.
Rescuers focused their greatest efforts on two collapsed buildings: a financial-services office block whose four stories pancaked on top of each other, and the CTV building.
SIX SHELTERING TOGETHER
Eight people had been pulled from the smoldering CTV building and a group of six was known to be sheltering together.
A young man, whose fiancee was trapped in the building, had stood vigil through the night. "They're working by hand...they've been bringing people out alive, and some dead as well," the man who declined to be named told Reuters.
A further 22 people were known to be trapped in the finance building with at least three making contact. Some of those trapped are unhurt, awaiting rescue.
A local state of emergency has been declared and the city is being patrolled by soldiers in armored personnel carriers.
"There are people alive and still trapped in that rubble, no matter how hopeless the site might appear ... we have people alive and are going to get them out," Mayor Parker said.
It is the country's worst natural disaster since a 1931 quake in the North Island city of Napier which killed 256. Christchurch Hospital saw an influx of injured residents, with broken limbs, crush injuries and lacerations.
"Some had to have their limbs amputated to get them out, and others have had amputation from the injury itself," said Mike Ardagh, head of Christchurch hospital's emergency department.
"Some have sadly died...of those who had a chance, some haven't been able to make it."
Christchurch, known as the Garden City, has been described as a little piece of England. It has an iconic cathedral, now largely destroyed, and a river called the Avon. It boasts several English-language schools and is a springboard for tours of the scenic South Island.
EMERGENCY SHELTERS
Thousands of people spent Tuesday night in emergency shelters set up in local schools and at a race course. Fresh water supplies were being distributed from schools and portable toilets set up around the city as services were disrupted.
The city has been shaken by more than 50 aftershocks since the initial magnitude 6.3 shake, bringing down more debris.
There have been offers of help from the United States and Japan, with the first of 148 search and rescue specialists from neighboring Australia, including sniffer dogs, arriving.
New Zealand police have asked Australia to send up to 300 officers to assist in security.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth offered her sympathy for the former British colony and said in a statement she was "utterly shocked."
The quake struck at lunchtime, sending shop awnings and building facades crashing into streets filled with office workers and shoppers -- in contrast to last year's even stronger tremor, which struck at night when streets were virtually empty.
New Zealand sits between the Pacific and Indo-Australian tectonic plates and records on average more than 14,000 earthquakes a year, of which about 20 would normally top magnitude 5.0.
(Additional reporting by Mantik Kusjanto in WELLINGTON; Writing by Gyles Beckford; Editing by Mark Bendeich)
sad newsQuote:
Originally Posted by StrontiumDog
False report re 15 people in CTV building
12.52pm: Search and rescue teams are being withdrawn from the collapsed CTV building. Previous reports that 15 people were trapped alive in a pocket in the CTV building were false.
scum
Scammers already at it
Last updated 15:30 23/02/2011
2.25pm: Scammers already are using the Christchurch earthquake to take advantage of the good will of New Zealanders.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs is warning that emails are being sent out from "James McCoy", claiming to be from "Donate4CharityNZ", using a legitimate UK-based charity’s organisation name and website address.
The email encourages people to receive donated funds into their bank account from overseas for a 10 per cent cut.
The Ministry says this is a scam, and anyone who receives these emails should report them to them at Scamwatch, delete the emails and do not reply.
The emails come from a generic email address, such as gmail.com or hotmail.com and contain poor grammar and spelling.
The Ministry warns people to research charities they are contacted by if they have never heard of them before, and to be careful about “soundalikes” – organisations that sound like legitimate charities, such as “Oxfan”.
They advise New Zealand charities can be checked on the Charities Commission’s register at Charities Commission
Absolutely disgusting creatures when most are saddened by this terrible tragedy.Quote:
Originally Posted by genghis61
I have no idea about what makes some people tick, evil bastards.
Plan B is somewhere in New Zealand.
You OK mate?
I've seen some of the damage on today's news and it is clearly severe with scores of aftershocks.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakin...-Zealand-quake
Nearly 400 dead or missing in New Zealand quake
By Chris Foley
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 07:25:00 02/23/2011
CHRISTCHURCH—(UPDATE) New Zealand declared a national state of emergency Wednesday after one of its worst earthquake disasters left nearly 400 people dead or missing.
Rescuers worked frantically to reach survivors under collapsed buildings in the stricken city center of Christchurch, after recovering 75 bodies. About 300 people are still missing after Tuesday's 6.3-magnitude quake.
"New Zealanders have woken to a tragedy unfolding in the great city of Christchurch," said Prime MinisterJohn Key, declaring the national emergency.
"The earthquake that struck the Canterbury region at ten to one yesterday has wreaked death and destruction on a dreadful scale."
New Zealand's second city was a scene of "incredible carnage", police said.
Rescuers had to amputate limbs from survivors to free them from smouldering ruins of buildings reduced to debris in minutes, while dazed survivors were plucked from the rubble in a frantic rescue mission that spanned the night.
But in scenes of joy, 15 people were rescued from one section of a collapsed six-storey office block, and four people were pulled alive from another mangled building, including one woman who was hiding under her desk.
"We've got them out of the building and they're still alive, which was the goal for us, and we're continuing to search for more," a fire department spokesman told national radio.
Superintendent Russell Gibson said the toll was certain to rise as more than 500 emergency workers combed buildings that had already been weakened by a 7.0-magnitude quake six months ago that miraculously resulted in no deaths.
"There is incredible carnage right throughout the city," he told Radio New Zealand. "There are bodies littering the streets, they are trapped in cars and crushed under rubble."
Gibson said rescuers were going door to door through the city center calling out to anyone who was trapped, with efforts concentrating on two city center office buildings where survivors had managed to communicate with them.
"We are getting texts and tapping sounds from some of these buildings and that's where the focus is at the moment," he said.
Prime Minister Key, who has described the disaster as possibly "New Zealand's darkest day", said dozens of aftershocks continued to rock the city, hampering rescue efforts.
"There is no reason that can make sense of this event. No words that can spare our pain," he said. "We are witnessing the havoc caused by a violent and ruthless act of nature."
The majority of the city remained without power and Gibson said rescue crews working through the night freed 20-30 people, cutting limbs from some of those pinned in the rubble.
"It's quite amazing, we have some people we've pulled out and they haven't got so much as a scratch on them, we've had other people where we've had to amputate limbs to get them out," he said.
Christchurch resident Anthony Rohan said he survived in his seventh floor office by sheltering under his desk, but others were less fortunate.
Tom Brittenden said he saw a woman die with her baby in her arms when she was hit by falling debris in the city's Cashel St Mall. Her baby survived but she was killed instantly.
"We tried to pull these big bricks off (her)... she was gone," he told the Christchurch Press.
Among those unaccounted for were 11 students and teachers from a language school in the Japanese city of Toyama, Japan's Jiji Press news agency reported.
Other Japanese media reports said several of the students were later rescued alongside a teacher who had emailed her family from underneath the rubble.
Police drafted in search and rescue teams in an attempt to locate survivors, while Japan, Australia and the United States were among countries sending rescuers to help.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth, who is New Zealand's head of state, said she was "utterly shocked" while US President BarackObama offered his "deepest condolences", as expressions of sympathy poured in from around the globe.
The quake is the deadliest to hit New Zealand since a 7.8-magnitude tremor killed 256 people in the Hawke's Bay region in 1931.
The tremor hit at lunchtime Tuesday, toppling buildings and leaving central Christchurch strewn with debris. The city's landmark cathedral lost its spire.
Last year's September 4 tremor, measured at 7.0 magnitude, damaged 100,000 homes but killed no one.
Seismologists said that despite being smaller, the latest tremor was more destructive than the earlier quake because it was nearer to Christchurch's center and much closer to the earth's surface.
New Zealand sits on the "Pacific Ring of Fire", a vast zone of seismic and volcanic activity stretching from Chile on one side to Japan and Indonesia on the other.
NZ quake sends 30 mln tons of ice loose from glacier
Web becomes virtual crisis center in NZ quake
NZ quake sends 30 mln tons of ice loose from glacier
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New Zealand's capital City sits on top of an active geological faults, the Wellington
Wellington/Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND (Agencies) The 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck New Zealand on Tuesday, killing at least 75 people in Christchurch, also shook loose 30 million tons of ice from the nation's longest glacier, sending boulders of ice into a nearby lake.
Tour boat operators in the area said parts of the Tasman Glacier carved into the Tasman Lake immediately after the quake, breaking into smaller icebergs and causing 3.5 meter-high (11-foot) waves.
"It was approximately 30 million tons of ice, it's just a massive, massive, massive scale," said Denis Callesen, the General Manager of Tourism at Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Village.
He added the ice fall or 'carving' was expected, given the large amount of recent rain, the changing of the dynamics of the lake and the La Nina weather phenomenon, a factor in higher levels of rainfall.
“We have known for some weeks that an event was coming, what is just a complete curve ball, left field, is that it was the earthquake that set it off and caused the carving," Callesen told Reuters.
Callesen added that icebergs now cover a quarter of the five km by two km Tasman Lake, which is about 200 km west of Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island.
Web useful for victims
https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif If anyone needs to get away from the city we have space on a three acre block-have a spare room, own water tank, can accommodate anyone that comes regardless of space https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif
Rebekka, NZ citizen
Victims and survivors of the New Zealand earthquake are using the web as a virtual crisis center, searching for missing people and even offering survivors a place to stay.
Information is flowing out from Christchurch to sites such as web giant Google's Crisis Response service where people can add or request information on individuals.
The site's person finder tool had 8,500 records on people in the area by 0730 GMT.
Google offered similar services for victims of the recent earthquakes in Chile and Haiti, and later used its Google Earth satellite imagery service to capture the scale of the devastation.
The site (www.google.com/crisisresponse/christchurch_earthquake.html) has emergency telephone numbers and other resources, such as a link to donate to the New Zealand Red Cross.
But a random search of the site illustrates the confusion in the shattered city.
People searching for a man named John Bing were told in one message "fatal injuries sustained as result of continuously falling debris", whereas another message said he was "safe and sound, with other Telecom employees."
On micro-blogging site Twitter (hashtags [at]safeinchch and #eqnzcontact) there is a constantly updating stream of messages about those missing and the situation on the ground.
There is also information on where to find drinking water, petrol and even cash machines.
"In our opinion, the location based social networking will increasingly become an important tool during times of crisis," said James Griffin, spokesman for social media monitoring firm SR7.
Another site, eq.org.nz, is helping take pressure off emergency services by plotting official and user-generated information and reports on a Google Map.
And people from all over New Zealand have rushed to use social network Facebook to open up their homes to people whose own houses may now be piles of rubble.
"If anyone needs to get away from the city we have space on a three acre block-have a spare room, own water tank, can accommodate anyone that comes regardless of space," wrote Rebekka. "Room for animals as well!"
"Large house on a farm close to town with room for 4 plus caravan with room for 7. Our thoughts go out to you all at this time we would love to help," wrote Ange from Inglewood.
A Facebook page in support of the victims and survivors had notched up almost 70,000 people (www.facebook.com/Support.Christchurch.Earthquake) by 0730 GMT who expressed support by "liking" the page.
A major problem has been the lack of power and telecommunications to get messages in and out of the city.
About 40 percent of Christchurch residents were still without power at 0700 GMT and the progress of repairs was slow due to road damage and because much of the network is underground, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported.
Local power company Orion told the national radio broadcaster it would be several days before power was fully restored. There were also fears that some fallen power lines remained live.
Phone and mobile network operator Telecom is bringing in mobile cellphone sites to help boost coverage and capacity, RNZ reported.
Facebook group offering accommodation: www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_144015715661100&view=doc&id=1440 17668994238
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Wellington has long been the place predicted for 'the big one'. There are several fault lines running across the city.
That pic - about two-thirds up on right side is a small island off a bay, cunningly named Island Bay, spent most of my last 10yrs in NZ living there on hills of the south coast; the south island is actually south-west of there so we had a direct uninterrupted blast from the Antarctic. The house had steel-reinforced piles 6m down to meet building requirements in that area, though I often wonder how much help that would be if the whole hill moved.
There was an 8.2 earthquake in 1855 that raised much of central Wellington 2-3m, much if the central city area is on land that was previously under water, the streets have markers showing the original shoreline.
********
I'd put pics of that iceberg on the existing 'Icebergs in the South Island' thread
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I was in CC last month visiting a mate. He said I had to get down there and see all the quake damage(first one) before they cleaned it all up. :34:Quote:
Originally Posted by Thormaturge
My mate checked in okay yesterday. He has power, food and is skilled in the Kiwi arts of home brewing and, er, 'switched-on gardening'.
:)
^
Good to see you are OK.
I once read that each time these quakes occur New Zealand shifts closer to Australia. At this rate you won't need passports.
We even had a shower here yesterday, must have lasted all of five minutes. The world is coming to an end.
Christchurch quake: 226 missing, 98 dead
Last updated 18:12 24/02/2011
LATEST: The death toll from the Christchurch earthquake is now 98 with police holding grave concerns for 226 people.
Canterbury district commander Superintendent Dave Cliff said police had received 98 bodies and 226 people were reported as missing. "We're gravely concerned about those individuals." Visibly emotional, he said the number may also grow.
The list was made up of people reported missing by loved ones and nothing had been heard from them since Tuesday's 6.3 magnitude earthquake.
Cliff also said police were concerned about releasing the names of the missing. "The risk around releasing the names of the missing is just too great."
King's Education English language school, which is inside the devastated CTV building, confirmed tonight that 87 students, 21 visiting students and 14 staff were missing, now presumed dead.
Prime Minister John Key warned the nation to prepare itself for the worst. "We are very fearful tonight that the death toll could be much greater than any of us ever feared," he said.
He also said it could be weeks before families have their loved ones' bodies returned.
DNA and fingerprint samples are being used to identify the badly burnt bodies.
Thirty-five Chinese visitors attending the King's Education school are among the missing, TV journalist George Yang said.
It is understood one young woman texted her father in the Chinese city of Guangzhou at midday yesterday, telling him she was trapped.
As well as the 16 Chinese students, the school's managing director, Brian Taylor, and several staff members from the Toyama Study Group from Japan are unaccounted for.
Fifteen CTV staff and four Filipino nurses are also believed to be among those inside.
Superintendent Russell Gibson said no survivors had made it out the CTV building since 3pm yesterday but he still had hope.
"It doesn't look good but we are always hopeful, we will continue to pull that building apart piece by piece until we are satisfied," he said.
**************
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Japanese rescue workers arrive at the rubble of CTV building.
Specialist urban search and rescue teams from Japan, Singapore and Taiwan are on the ground, adding about 200 personnel to those already searching for survivors.
They have joined a 70-strong New Zealand team and two from Australia, allowing a full grid search of areas where survivors could be trapped.
Nigerians. I'm guessing it asks people to remit funds via Western Union, almost certain to be collected in Lagos.Quote:
Originally Posted by Loy Toy
It's sounding like many of the 226 may be lost. This includes 6 Thai students. very sad.Quote:
Originally Posted by genghis61
2 of the Thai students are reported to be safe. 4 unaccounted for.
a lot of japanese students are also missing/presumed dead... :(
No Survivors in Japan Students' Building After New Zealand Quake
By Anna Mukai and Gearoid Reidy - Feb 24, 2011 4:50 PM GMT+0900 Thu Feb 24 07:50:32 GMT 2011 https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif
Rescue workers surround the Canterbury Television building in Christchurch. Photographer: Hannah Johnston/Getty Images
Twenty-six Japanese studying in New Zealand may have died when the Christchurch building housing their language school collapsed in New Zealand’s deadliest earthquake in 80 years, according to local police.
As the death toll from the 6.3-magnitude quake climbed to at least 98, police said 47 bodies were recovered from the rubble of the Canterbury Television building where the King’s Education school was located, adding it’s unlikely more survivors will be found. Police haven’t disclosed the nationalities of those victims.
About 550 rescuers and 12 dogs will be working in New Zealand’s second-largest city by the end of today, said Iona Wassilieff, a spokeswoman for the Civil Defence department. Japan sent a team of 70, who are working with Australian rescuers, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters today.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan yesterday asked his New Zealand counterpart John Key to “keep up the relief efforts until the very end” to find the missing Japanese, Edano said.
There are 226 people unaccounted for in Christchurch, New Zealand Police Minister Judith Collins told reporters today. As many as 120 bodies may be recovered from the Canterbury Television site, she said.
King’s Education confirmed there have been fatalities and said 72 students remain missing, without giving details in a statement on its website.
Twenty-one Chinese students are missing, with eight believed buried under the Canterbury Television building, China Central Television reported.
The 26 missing Japanese students include 10 from a language school in Toyama who arrived in Christchurch for a one-month study program five days before the quake hit, according to Kazushi Maeda, a spokesman for the port city on Japan’s western coast.
Christchurch residents are bracing for more aftershocks threatening to topple buildings already weakened by Tuesday’s quake and 38 aftershocks.
To contact the reporters on this story: Anna Mukai in Tokyo at amukai1[at]bloomberg.net; Gearoid Reidy in Tokyo at greidy1[at]bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Teo Chian Wei at cwteo[at]bloomberg.net.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-0...and-quake.html
Christchurch earthquake
With hundreds still missing, and 75 already confirmed dead, rescuers struggled to find survivors on the second night after a devastating earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand's second largest city Tuesday. Buildings crumbled into the streets after the 6.3 magnitude earthquake, which geologists consider an aftershock to a 7.1 earthquake that caused no casualties in September. Tuesday’s temblor was more devastating and deadly because it was centered only six miles from the city's center and hit during the middle of a workday. The Government has declared a national state of emergency. Officials estimated there could be 100 people trapped in the CTV building alone. -- Lane Turner (36 photos total)
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The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck in the early afternoon Tuesday in Christchurch, prompting New Zealanders to flee into the streets as others rushed to the collapsed buildings in attempts to rescue those trapped in the rubble. (Iain McGregor/Christchurch Press/Reuters)
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2
Workers and police converge on the rubble of the CTV building in Christchurch Tuesday to seek victims. The building had housed the King's Education School; the quake struck in the middle of the school day. As many as 23 Japanese students at the language school were believed to be trapped, according to the Associated Press. (Carys Monteath/Christchurch Press/Reuters) #
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3
A man dies on the street, his wife holding his hand. (Richard Cosgrove/Christchurch Press/Reuters) #
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4
As workers assist an injured man, rescuers carefully seek other victims in the rubble Tuesday along Manchester Street in Christchurch. (Martin Hunter/Getty Images) #
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5
Rescuers search for survivors in a collapsed building along Manchester Street minutes after the quake struck. This scene was repeated in pockets of destruction throughout Christchurch. By Wednesday, about 120 people around the city had been pulled alive from the rubble. Hundreds remained missing. (Martin Hunter/Getty Images) #
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6
With emergency services overwhelmed by the disaster, a group uses an SUV to rush an injured man to the hospital after being rescued from a collapsed building on Manchester Street Tuesday. (Martin Hunter/Getty Images) #
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7
Rescuers help an injured woman from the remains of the Pyne Gould Guinness Corp. building in Christchurch Tuesday. The top three floors of the four-story building collapsed. (Richard Cosgrove/Christchurch Press/Reuters) #
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8
Part of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch lies in ruin. (David Wethey/NZPA/Associated Press) #
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9
Buildings crumbled into the streets after the 6.3 magnitude earthquake, which geologists consider an aftershock to a 7.1 earthquake that caused no casualties in September. Tuesday’s temblor was more devastating and deadly because it was centered only six miles from the city's center and hit during the middle of a workday. (Martin Hunter/Getty Images) #
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10
A man retrieves his bike from the remains of a building in Christchurch Tuesday. (Martin Hunter/Getty Images) #
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11
Debris partially buries a car in a parking garage Tuesday in Christchurch. (Martin Hunter/Getty Images) #
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12
Patients are evacuated from a health clinic Tuesday in Christchurch. (New Zealand Herald/Associated Press) #
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13
In a video image from New Zealand's TVNZ, men carry a wounded man after he is pulled from the rubble. “They are trapped in cars, crushed under rubble and, where they are clearly deceased, our focus unfortunately at this time has turned to the living,” the city’s police superintendent, Russell Gibson, told Radio New Zealand Wednesday. “We are getting texts and tapping sounds from some of these buildings, and that’s where our focus is at the moment.” (TVNZ via Associated Press Television News) #
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14
Water inundated Bexley, a suburb of Christchurch, after the force of the earthquake pushed thousands of gallons of water and silt into the streets. (Mark Mitchell/New Zealand Herald/Associated Press) #
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15
Cars became stuck in the mud Tuesday in the Christchurch suburb of Bexley. (Brett Phibbs/AFP/Getty Images) #
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16
Rescuers pull a woman from the rubble Tuesday in Christchurch. Around the city, New Zealand's second largest, some victims emerged unscathed from the rubble, while emergency workers had to amputate the limbs of others to free them, the city’s police superintendent, Russell Gibson, told Radio New Zealand. (Iain McGregor/Christchurch Press/Reuters) #
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17
Debris and dust envelop a Christchurch tram Tuesday. (Martin Hunter/Getty Images) #
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18
The facade of a building has crushed a car in Christchurch Tuesday. (Kirk Hargreaves/Christchurch Press/Reuters) #
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19
Collapsed and severely damaged buildings fill the center of Christchurch Tuesday. Mayor Bob Parker declared a state of emergency and ordered the evacuation of the center. “I think we need to prepare ourselves in this city for a death toll that could be significant. It’s not going to be good news, and we need to steel ourselves to understand that,” he said. (Mark Mitchell/AFP/Getty Images) #
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20
The collapsed Pyne Gould Guinness building trapped dozens of people. “We’ve been pulling 20 or 30 people out of those buildings right throughout the night,” police Superintendent Russell Gibson said Wednesday morning. (Mark Mitchell/AFP/Getty Images) #
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21
Workers attempt to extinguish a fire at the collapsed building of King's Education School, where a group of Japanese students are reportedly trapped. (Mark Mitchell/New Zealand Herald/Associated Press) #
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22
Rescue workers carry an injured person in Christchurch. (David Wethey/NZPA/Associated Press) #
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23
Rescue workers search for victims in a destroyed building in Christchurch. More than 400 rescue workers were joining the search, including teams from Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, the United States, and Britain. (David Wethey/NZPA/Associated Press) #
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24
The earthquake caused several icebergs to collapse into Tasman Lake. (Denis Callesen/NZPA/Associated Press) #
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25
A group examines one of the many icebergs that calved into Tasman Lake as a result of the 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch Tuesday. (Denis Callesen/NZPA/Associated Press) #
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A schoolgirl cries in Christchurch Tuesday. (REUTERS/Christchurch Press/Iain McGregor) #
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Office workers look for a way out of a high-rise building in central Christchurch Tuesday. (Simon Baker/Reuters) #
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Moments after being pulled from the rubble, a man is comforted. (Iain McGregor /Christchurch Press/Reuters) #
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Using everything from heavy machinery to bare hands and search dogs, rescuers worked through a rainy night late Tuesday and early Wednesday in search of survivors in Christchurch. (Brett Phibbs/New Zealand Herald/Associated Press) #
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Emergency teams comb the rumble for survivors of the collapsed CTV building, which housed the King's Education School in Christchurch. Parts of the city of 350,000 people lay in ruins after Tuesday's quake; the confirmed death toll Wednesday was 75, but officials said it was sure to climb. (AP Photo/New Zealand Herald, Brett Phibbs) #
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Survivors shelter together in Christchurch Tuesday night. (REUTERS/Christchurch Press/Don Scott) #
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A fuel tanker sits abandoned and blocked by fallen rubble on a main road between Lyttelton township and Christchurch Wednesday. (AP Photo/Sarah Ivey) #
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Rescue workers pull people out of a building Wednesday. (REUTERS/Christchurch Press/Carys Monteath) #
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Two men celebrate after being pulled out from a destroyed building in Christchurch Wednesday 24 hours after the earthquake. (REUTERS/Christchurch Press/John Kirk-Anderson) #
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Kent Manning (left) and his sister Libby react with their father, who asked not to identified, after they were told by police that there was no hope of finding Kent and Libby's mother alive in a collapsed building Wednesday. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) #
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Murray and Kelly James look at their destroyed house in central Christchurch Wednesday. (AP Photo/Mark Baker) #
mentioned in an earlier post: Nearly 450 Australians attending a medical conference have been caught up in the Christchurch earthquake.
Doctors and nurses from across the country were at the annual meeting of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand when Christchurch was rocked.
Won't say 'lucky they were there' but read this one - a long way from his urology surgery, great that they have stayed on to help and save lives:
Victim's legs amputated A Waikato Hospital spokesperson has told how a Christchurch earthquake victim's life was saved by having his legs amputated while trapped under an inner city building. He had both legs amputated above the knee at the scene at the Pyne Gould Corporation building on Cambridge Terrace by an Australian doctor in the city on a urology conference.
Rescue effort - international help 10.38pm: Emergency services tonight rushed to evacuate streets threatened by a possible cliff collapse in the suburb of Redcliffs.
1.31pm: Teams of foreign rescue workers continue to arrive in Christchurch.
From Australia: Two urban search and rescue teams totalling 142 personnel (72 NSW and 70 Queensland) and three dogs. A disaster medical assistance team comprising 23 emergency and surgical personnel.
From Japan: Urban search and rescue team of 67 personnel with three dogs arrived 4:00am today.
From Taiwan: An urban search and rescue team of 24 personnel with two dogs arrived 12midnight 23 February.
From Singapore: The first part of an urban search and rescue team totalling 55 personnel with four dogs has arrived. In addition, 116 Singaporean Defence Force Personnel who were already in New Zealand are now helping with the security cordon around the Christchurch CBD.
From the UK: Six Fire Service search and rescue experts have arrived. This is the advance party of an urban search and rescue team totalling 55 personnel.
Arriving today:
From Singapore: The remainder of its urban search and rescue team is expected to arrive later today. In addition, Singapore's two C130 aircraft carrying the second urban search and rescue team may also be available to transport people from Christchurch to Auckland if required.
From Australia: A field hospital providing 75 beds is due to arrive this afternoon.
Arriving tomorrow:
From the US: An urban search and rescue team of 80 personnel plus 40 tonnes of equipment is due to arrive at 1:00am 25 February.
From the UK: The main party of an urban search and rescue team totalling 55 personnel is due to arrive 10:30am on 25 February.
From Australia: 300 Australian police personnel will arrive 25 February to help with the security around the Christchurch CBD.
re #45
Doctors amputated legs to save trapped man
BRONWYN TORRIE Last updated 05:00 25/02/2011
Doctors had to either use a hacksaw and Swiss army knife to amputate a trapped man's legs or leave him to die.
After five hours of crawling through the pancaked Pyne Gould Corporation building on Tuesday, Dr Stuart Philip, 38, came across another survivor. But this time, the rubble could not be lifted and the man's trapped lower legs had to be cut off.
"There really wasn't any other option. Essentially the procedure was performed with a Swiss army knife. A builder arrived with a hacksaw. I know that sounds terrible, but that's all we had, " the Brisbane-based urologist said yesterday.
Another urologist performed the operation as she could squeeze in next to the man. She was traumatised and had since travelled back to Australia, he said.
An anesthetist was on hand to administer pain relief, but not enough to dull the agony.
Dr Philip last saw the 52-year-old man, known only as Brian, when he left him at Christchurch Hospital after performing CPR in the ambulance. He heard yesterday that the man was recovering in Waikato Hospital with his family.
"It was the most fantastic news."
But not everyone was lucky.
"My first job was actually climbing up into the top of the building where there was an Australian guy trapped. He subsequently died, we couldn't get him out."
The crew had saved about a dozen people by nightfall.
At one point, Dr Philip texted his wife Emma to say goodbye. The couple have two children, a son Sam, 5, and daughter Hannah, 3.
"At one stage when we were having aftershocks and the rubble was falling, we weren't sure if we were going to make it out alive. [My wife] sent me a terse text message telling me to get out of the building."
But he just could not leave.
Dr Philip, formerly of Hastings, studied in Christchurch and is a urological surgeon in Brisbane. He was at the annual Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand meeting with 250 doctors and 150 nurses.
Many helped treat casualties after the quake.
Court appearance over generator theft
CLIO FRANCIS
Last updated 13:11 25/02/2011
Two men who allegedly stole emergency generators from quake-striken Christchurch have appeared in court.
Owen Anthony Jackson, 23, and Jed Wilson-Calver, 22, were arrested last night.
They appeared in a temporary district court at the Christchurch Central police station this morning, charged with the theft of three Telstra generators stolen from several locations around the city.
The generators, worth $6000 each, were powering up to 1500 Telstra Clear landlines and broadband customers.
The generators have now been recovered, and are operational.
Police spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty said the actions of the men were "utterly unacceptable."
The fact that the men had allegedly taken the generators while the city was suffering was unbelievable, she said.
"It just makes their actions even worse in the eyes of fellow Cantabrians."
The two men lifted their middle fingers to the courtroom as they were led back to the cells.
Bail was denied, and they were remanded until March 28.
To those BM's who expressed their concerns & best wishes. It's taken until today for me to get power & water, but there's still many more without these. Frustrating being without power when you see lights on about 200m away.
Anyway, I was lucky enough only to have suffered some inconvenience. Death toll is now at 113 - I'm lucky that none of my friends or family are included in that.
Scumbags.Quote:
Originally Posted by genghis61