185 people died in a matter of seconds

I've visited ground Zero in NYC twice and was overcome by tears both times.

So I can't even imagine the extent of your grief, Sizey.

Comfort and stength to you,

Palm

Hey buddy there is always a room in my place for you & family if your up this way.

karter.

I'm so sorry sizmik

Good grief...

I am so sorry.....

The photo in the OP - it looks as if the worst of the damage was close to the - the bay????  Was that area built up on landfill dumped into seashore marshes, to build up the business districts???

Have the areas of liquefaction been located, and have the buildings in that zone been relocated or heavily reinforced???

So sad...

I've commented before; it is so ironic that many bustling towns and cities were established in dangerous zones in the 18th - 19th century, before humanity's knowledge of quake zones developed...

Thoughts and prayers size

Thoughts and virtual hugs to you, your family and everyone else affected by the CHCH earthquake.

(((Sizemik)))

Twitch, troubled mind, charlie b jnr, designs, BOTR, umadevi, Palm, karter, finally awake, zid, . . . thanks for all of your posts.

I guess a good many of us come to experience these things in a lifetime . . . I appreciate the empathy.

I've commented before; it is so ironic that many bustling towns and cities were established in dangerous zones in the 18th - 19th century, before humanity's knowledge of quake zones developed...  . . .  ziddina

Wow that's a bullseye here . . .

Much of the eastern city was built directly on drained swamp, including the CBD . . . no landfill even. Liquefaction was a major problem as was the unstable land.  Many buildings were unreinforced masonry over 100 years old. 

One of the sad facts for me . . . was that GNS Science's website warned of aftershocks of 6 or more (as many as 4) over the proceeding 12-24 months after the initial 7.1 rupture in Sept 2010.  The people being listened to weren't saying the right things . . . and the people saying the right things weren't being listened to.  Consequently the public were utilising unsafe conditions while being totally unaware.  Sad, but the tragedy of 22/02/2011 was almost inevitable . . . and totally avoidable.

Oh, that is TERRIBLE!!!

So very tragic!!

Such a brutal way to learn.....  Well, to learn an important lesson....

So sad....

Zid . . . what is gratifying is that lessons have been learned. 

Wellington, seen as our most quake prone city (and capital), is instituting strict new regulations to quake proof old buildings or demolish within 2 years . . . at owners expense.  All buildings are going to be graded according to risk and the information posted on the front door to inform the public of the relative risk of entering.  It's been criticised by some as knee-jerk, but is something I applaud loudly.  Hopefully the rest of the country will follow suit . . . this is a shakey part of the world after all, and that's not going to change.

 Theres nothing anyone can say but you're glad they try.  Hope you heal in
time.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Christchurch_earthquake

EE, BP, glenster . . . cheers.  Thanks for the wiki link . . . very good set of data and facts.

"Wellington, seen as our most quake prone city (and capital), is instituting strict new regulations to quake proof old buildings or demolish within 2 years . . . at owners expense.  All buildings are going to be graded according to risk and the information posted on the front door to inform the public of the relative risk of entering...."  sizemik

That is a decent beginning....

I'm often amazed at how resistant people can be to regulations limiting construction in quake-prone areas to ensure that ONLY buildings with STRICT earthquake-resistant construction are erected...

Imagine an entire city being rebuilt, bit by bit, to conform to such standards...  It sounds as if Wellington is the experimental "type" for that technique....

Just between you and me, I've often wondered whether certain types of "temporary" housing, like modular [mobile homes, trailer homes] housing with flexible utility links and extremely strong, shock-absorbing "tie-downs" would be the way to go in earthquake-prone areas....

Or - and this is wild, I know, but - Mongolian gers...  Yurts...

Or Berber-style tents...   But those aren't as "weather-proof" as yurts...

It's all such a heartbreak it seems like it never ends and I wish we could make it stop but it goes on and on. It's worse when it's a personal loss and I hope you heal as best you can soon.

sizemik:

I am so sorry about that.  My condolences to your friends.

Thank you for the reminder sizemik

nancy drew, LongHairGal, Heartofaboy . . . thank you.  I know the world is full of tragedy and loss . . . but the casualties are often too quickly forgotten.  I hate that.