Cars sit under rubble in central Christchurch following the 6.3-magnitude earthquake on the afternoon of February 22.
Posted on 02/21/2011 9:50:52 PM PST by Kartographer
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake ripped through Christchurch, New Zealand, on Tuesday afternoon, causing multiple fatalities as it toppled buildings onto buses, buckled streets and damaged cathedrals, authorities said.
The quake struck shortly before 1 p.m Tuesday (7 p.m. Monday ET). It was followed by a series of aftershocks including a 5.6-magnitude aftershock about 15 minutes later. The United States Geological Survey recorded a second 5.5-magnitude aftershock shortly before 3 p.m. local time.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
That is where I would land on the MAC flights when I went down to visit the inlaws, way back when. They will need our prayers.
That is where I would land on the MAC flights when I went down to visit the inlaws, way back when. They will need our prayers.
YIKES!
Having experienced a 6.9 (Northridge quake — and 3 miles from the epicenter), I have prayers for our NZ brethren!
L.A. is generally deemed the most prepared (physically and structurally) place in the world for earthquakes. We lost 50 souls in the Northridge quake, and, before that 2 in the Whittier Narrows quake (I was 50 feet away when that poor girl lost her life).
I REALLY hope NZ has the structures to withstand and recover from this catastrophe!
Prayers up and I hope all FR joins me!
As far as I know my family near CHCH are OK...
But the lost of life and injuries are sad...
This is a beautiful city...
The oldest city and the 1st city incorporated in NZ
My father was born there...
My g grandmother and her father (my gg grandfather) died there and are buried in old cemetaries...
We spent a lot of time in CHCH when I was little...
The last time I was there was 2 years ago...
Canterbury Cathedral is a beautiful building..
Its a shame it has been so damaged...
I took communion there 2 years ago...
The Anglican service was much the same as when I was young
Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by this earthquake.
The official death toll is 65 and the mayor just said in an interview that the toll could easily double.
bttt
{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}
Prayers going up for all of your family and friends there!
Best to your family there and other kiwis. I’ve finally heard from my friend. He and his family are OK.
Wow...epicenter is nearly a direct hit on Christchurch.
It’s name is also beautiful.
We visited the South Island several years ago and stayed a while in Christchurch. It was a beautiful city that had a really English look to it. Our prayers for them all. There were a “zillion” sheep roaming around the countryside...good luck to them too.
Hello,friend,prayers for the the Kiwis and their beautiful city. Video at BBC.com/news
Beautiful country and people, and the Cathedral in Christchurch was magnificent. I was stationed in Christchurch from 1966-1969 when I was in the Navy. Best place I was ever stationed.
Usually when we think of a 6.5 that’s actually not much of a big deal. Maybe I have become desentized with all the 7.0s of late, but 6.5 seems weak now.
They must not be used to quakes there, and thus the death toll. Sad.
From Australia Sky News, this is the most dependable live stream I’ve found;
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/large-quake-hits-new-zealand/story-e6frf7jo-1226009955454
I call on the UN, the US government, the US military, and relief organizations from all corners of the globe to spend whatever funds are necessary to help these earthquake victims. The Zealanders are black, just like me and Barack, and need our help.......what? They ain't black, they're mostly white? Really? Oh.....never mind.
When I saw the damage on the news from this earthquake, the 6.3 magnitude had me confused. I thought, “That’s alot of damage from a 6.3 quake,” then a light bulb went off in my head. “The fault must have broke near the surface,” I thought.
Sure enough, on the news they said the fault that slipped was near the surface. That’s why the damage looks (and is) so severe. If the quake was deep in the Earth the damage and death toll would have far less.
An almost identical earthquake happened in Santa Barbara, California on June 29, 1925. It was roughly a 6.3 earthquake, but it was near the surface. Downtown Santa Barbara....the business district.....was in ruins, and 14 people died. At the time, Santa Barbara had a population in the tens of thousands, whereas Christchurch has a population of 400,000. Also, the New Zealand quake happened at mid day, whereas the Santa Barbara quake happened at about 5:00 - 5:30 AM.
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