Boston.com's Big Picture just posted a series on the Christchurch earthquake. As usual, striking photographs.
The proximity of the quake's epicenter to Christchurch, a large population center, caused a great deal of damage, though not as much as could have happened in an area with less stringent building codes. It appears that at least some streets are passable and that a great deal of infrastructure remains more or less intact.
It must also be noted that in the photos, much of the rescue efforts appear to be civilian in nature. That is what is likely to happen in most large earthquake scenarios. Keep those shovels and wrecking bars handy. For those of us who live in earthquake country, this series of photos is a glimpse into our future. Crap!
Thanks for reading,
Schmoe
Some days you just need to walk away
17 hours ago
Sitting in Christchurch now, power is back on in our part of the city. Initial rescues were civilian, but the brigades were not far behind, with army presence within hours. My son (New Brighton brigade) spent afternoon then most of night in town, home here (He had and still does not have power, water or sewerage) for a shower and a few hours sleep, then back into it. The work now is over to the specialised urban rescue squads, and the (sadly) DVI (Disaster Victim Identification) teams.
ReplyDeleteThis is our second big shake, much worse this time.
Have a look ... http://www.stuff.co.nz/ and pray it doesn't happen to any of you.
Ex SFF Collins.