JeffinNZ

[JeffinNZ]

Yes, they are down. Landslide surfing cows. I've seen it all now.

Photos out today showing how the seabed has been thrust up. Abalone and lobsters high and dry. Instead of using a wetsuit to harvest them now we use a step ladder.

https://twitter.com/TonkinTaylor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Here something to rattle your brain cells. Check out the side shift below. Got to be 20 feet.

[HABCAN]

WOWSERS! Happy to hear you're OK!

[bruce drake]

Dang! built literally on top of the fault line!

[jcwit]

Glad to hear your OK Jeff, and the same for all of your family.

Now the work continues.

[Treetop]

Blessings from Texas, Jeff! I thought of you and your family when we heard about the quake. Treetop

[tommag]

And I thought the Loma Prieta quake was something! I was within two miles of the epicenter and it took me over 12 hours to make it to Los Angeles. (340 miles) Lots of land slides and collapsed bridges. Those pictures were way beyond anything I saw in 1989. If nothing else, it reinforces the need to at least have a few days supplies both at home and in your vehicle. Since I pretty much live in my truck, I keep a good weeks worth of food and water in my truck. The odds of it happening to any of us are slim, but odds don't matter when it hits you.

[JeffinNZ]

Right, today's update.

The good news is:

1) The NZ Defence Force (Airforce and Navy) have now evacuated all the tourists (1000) from the area using our NH90 helos and the logistics vessel Canterbury.
2) Canterbury is just leaving the area on a 5 hour voyage to Lyttelton (Christchurch's port) to offload the tourists and those that needed out then will load up with supplies and be back in the morning. She has landing craft for getting ashore and a helo pad.
3) Electricity is back on to some homes in Kaikoura and some water. Water being airlifted in.
4) Assessments of properties under way.
5) USS Samson, HMAS Darwin, HMNZS Wellington and HMNZS Te Kaha are due in the area tomorrow for more support. Go Navy.

The bad news:

1) The northern section of state highway one is absolutely buggered for many, many miles. It will be month, many months before it will be serviceable again. One section has risen 12 feet. That where the sea bed shot up leaving abalone and lobsters high and dry. Here is a link to before and after photos. That's not the tide. It's the new earth form. https://twitter.com/TonkinTaylor/status ... 12/photo/1
2) At least one 10 storey building in the capital city of Wellington has been condemned and will be demolished. More are no go zones and considered too dangerous.
3) Kaikoura's coast has had the sea floor thrust up enough that the bays are not too shallow for the whale watching tourist boats to operate. Dredging may be needed.

[Reg]

Glad to see we have at least one ship in the helping process, the USS Sampson, hope there are others.
Keep the darned politicians out of the game and jumping in and helping where needed is something our people can really do well.

[bullet maker 57]

Incredible. Glad to hear all is well with you and your family.

[OnHoPr]

Glad the homestead is fine and all is well with your family. Isn't there a number of islanders on this site? Have any of them chimed in. Hope they are doing well as well. Looks like the guys with the shovels and orange trucks filling blacktop potholes are gonna get overtime. Some of the pics are interesting, but quite devastating to a number of islanders.

[Artful]

Anyone talking about change in building codes to make sure new builds can withstand future quakes?

[shaper]

Jeff, was the damage limited to the south only or was there damage in the north as well?
I was in Ohakea Air Base in 66. When I got home I told my wife if she ever tossed me out to just send my mail to NZ. I fell in love with the country and people.

[JeffinNZ]

Wellington has taken a beating. One high rise building to come down. 60 being watched.

[JeffinNZ]

Anyone talking about change in building codes to make sure new builds can withstand future quakes?

It's not quite that simple. We have very strict codes now that dictate he building should withstand a quake such that the pink squishy thing can escape but the building will still be ruined afterwards. It is very hard to fight nature. The issue in Wellington might be reclaimed land.

[Duckiller]

Jeff has it right. Codes can let people escape buildings. No one can afford to build anything close to a fault and expect it to survive undamaged. Quakes near epicenters can be truly awesome. No one wants to be near the epicenter of a large quake.

[bruce drake]

Jeff, I think you folks in New Zealand need to start emulating Hobbits and start building homes within the hillsides. probably safer than dealing with condemned high-rises.