21-12-07, 13:45
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Amazing only one death reported and to heart attack. Wow. Could have been more ... read the part about the rain saved some diners lives .........
This from one of our Canadian news site Canoe:
Quote:
Quake rattles north New Zealand
By CAPTION 1Ray Lilley
Hole ripped in the roof of a book store, Friday, December 21, 2007, after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Gisborne, New Zealand. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/NZPA, John Cowpland)
WELLINGTON, N.Z. - A strong earthquake struck New Zealand on Thursday night, collapsing at least three older buildings in one coastal city on North Island, sparking small fires and forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency.
Sixteen minor injuries were reported in the port city Gisborne, which was hit hardest by the quake and suffered the most property damage, although it was felt all over the country, officials said.
The magnitude-6.8 quake, which struck at 8:55 p.m. local time was centred in the Hikurangi undersea trench off North Island, 40 kilometres below the surface and about 50 kilometres southeast of Gisborne, the GNS Science geological agency reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake at magnitude 6.6.
The quake did not trigger a tsunami warning at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.
Police cordoned off a large part of Gisborne's central business district until engineers could inspect damaged buildings and ensure they were safe to enter, said senior police Sgt. Moira Brown on Friday.
"We have got a lot of damage and are still assessing the situation," police Insp. Waata Shepherd said.
"Some roofs have collapsed. We are still trying to ascertain the amount of damage."
The central city area had been "locked down" because of the damage, he said.
Power lines were down in some areas and the quake had left a huge hole in one of Gisborne's main roads, he added.
Mayor Meng Foon said the fire department put out 10 small blazes. Water and sewage systems were still working.
Gisborne District Council spokesman Vance Walker told TVOne News three historic buildings had collapsed in the centre of the city.
Structural engineers confirmed at least 12 buildings had been badly damaged, said Gisborne Civil Defence controller Jon Davies.
Earthquake Commission insurance manager Lance Dixon said early estimates indicated $23 million in damage was incurred.
Stephanie Butler said her two-storey Bernina sewing shop in Gisborne was destroyed when a next-door building toppled onto it.
"One side is completely missing...and part of our roof and even the light tubes have blown onto the building next door" by the force of the falling building, she told National Radio.
Gisborne restaurant owner Tony Taylor said rain that forced diners to eat inside probably saved their lives - after a chunk of brick and concrete crashed on to an outside table.
"It was a Godsend that it was raining," he said.
"Otherwise those guys would be dead."
The table and chairs were "absolute pancakes" he said. Large cracks running through outside walls threaten the future of the old brick abattoir building, he added.
Dennis Munro, a farmer near Wairoa, a town about 30 kilometres south of Gisborne, said he had extensive damage to his house, including a toppled chimney, cracks in the walls and a collapsed kitchen ceiling.
The house was a "real mess," with Christmas gifts destroyed, he said.
The National Crisis Centre was activated to assist local agencies dealing with the quake's aftermath.
Quake damage was reported from towns up to 200 kilometres north and south of Gisborne.
Vulcanologist Dr. Warwick Smith of GNS Science said the quake was not strong enough to spark a tsunami off the coast.
"My judgment call...was that 6.8 wasn't big enough for a tsunami," he told National Radio.
"The ocean floor has to either be uplifted or subside to move that water, and 6.8 isn't big enough."
One caller, who identified himself only as Brian, said his family sheltered in doorways as the quake rocked Gisborne.
"That was a ride and a half. It was freaky," he said.
Murray McPhail, who lives about 10 kilometres outside Gisborne, said the quake caused waves in his swimming pool.
"Stuff came out of cupboards, bottles fell off walls, ornaments fell," McPhail told NewstalkZB.
"It was pretty violent. It was certainly a decent shake."
New Zealand sits above an area of the Earth's crust where two tectonic plates are colliding. It records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year - but only about 150 of those are felt by residents and fewer than 10 do any damage
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/20...734914-ap.html
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