Haven't had any updates from Gazzy lately and I thought this might help keep the clutter out of his rebuild thread.

So what's going on, Gaz? Is the ground still threatening to shake that off-centre landing strip off your chin, or has it settled?

Honoured to have a dedicated thread, Scotty.

Mother Earth is all quiet today thankfully. Here are some figures:

Aftershocks:
Last 7 days = 75
Since the Feb 22 shake = 1592
Since Sept 4 shake = 6537

If you add up the energy from all shakes, 98% was released in the initial Sept 4 shake. This includes the city flattening Feb 22 shake.

Severe lateral Gs were the reason that the Feb shake killed the city. Even though it was only a 6.something, 2.2gs were recorded. Buildings are designed to withstand 1.0g.

The People:
Stressed. 100,000 have left the region.

$:
US$25B estimated damage

Economy:
Chch has 10% of the population and was responsible for 15% of GDP. GDP has dropped below 5% as at March 2011, and falling.

The 'Burbs:
Trashed. 300,000 tonnes of silt has been removed (x1 8x4 trailer holds x1 tonne but the axles will bend). Several suburbs are now 2m lower. Roads in the worst affected areas are gone, replaced with lumpy dirt tracks. Friends have sold their Mercs and bought 4x4s and dirt bikes.

Lost Souls:
180. Nothing compared to Japan, but still a serious blow to the community. I lost a friend's wife, a neighbour and a workmate.

The Frosties:
Shelley (wife) ended up in hospital with Positional Vertigo. We are all in a constant state of 'head spins', feels like you have just got back on shore after a long boat ride. Taryn (4 year old) lost the plot after the Feb 22 shake. Nightmares, crying, clingy at school time. Both are better now, but still fragile.

Me:
Strong as a strong thing. Alpha Male The Protector

The house:
Wrecked. 300mm steel H-section piles twisted, 20mm foundation bolts stretched, piles driven up 100-200mm, floor slab cracked, weird arse angles to the top story now after Feb. The whole house shakes when we get a gust of wind...We are in a tiny rental and start a new build in several weeks time. Should be in by Xmas.

The Bike:
Much better now after three engine rebuilds and strapped to the paddock stands with luggage tie downs.

Life goes on, Gentlemen. Feet spread, hands on hips, shoulders back, grim determined expression.

Illegitimi non carborundum

(Excuse the gesture, directly at the 'Illegitimi', not forum members! )

Staggering.

How is the relief going? Does everyone have shelter now? What of the cleanup? Rebuild?

The question is too big to answer succinctly because everyone is at different stages of recovery. It varies from complete devestation in some areas and homeless families to others who are unaffected. Cleanup is on-going. 1000's of tonnes of silt came back up again after the recent big shock. People are having to start over again. Some are not bothering. Demorailsing. Rebuilding is on-going. They clean up an area, lift the cordones and wham, another biggie ****s a new building and you are back to a red zone. Roads and services are repaired, wham, back to square one. It's simply a mess. LIke a kid's bedroom. Clean it up and by lunchtime it's trashed again. It sucks.

Unfortunately persistence is the only way forward man...
It has now been long enough I hope for things to start calming down a little.
Fingers crossed brother!

Let's hope so, Chap.

We seem to get getting slammed every month when the moon is at its closest point to Earth. It's called Lunar Perigee. Greater gravitional pull, more earthquakes.

Big Shakes / Perigee dates:

Sept 4 / Sept 8
Oct, shaking all month
Nov, shaking all month
Dec 24 / Dec 25
Jan ... Earth quiet
Feb 22 / Feb 19
Mar 19 / Mar 20
Apr 17 / Apr 16.

Coincidence? I don't think so.

Morning Gentlepersons.

I am happy to report that the earth is quiet for the moment. For the moment...latest theory is that the Indo-Australian plate is pushing up against the Pacific plate and trying to go over top of it. This is pretty normal for plate tectonics. The curve ball is that the volcanic penninsula is not moving, having a very deep and solid core. A rock and a hard place, etc

Alpha.

Originally Posted by Ghazzah

latest theory is that the Indo-Australian plate is pushing up against the Pacific plate and trying to go over top of it.

Is that an explanation for the Japan/Queensland/Solomon Island earthquakes as well? Do they also have a theory as to how much longer the aftershocks will continue?

Had a nasty wee aftershock yesterday morning, cracked the concrete floor in the rental garage neatly down the middle. Sigh. Maybe we need to sacrifice a (certain) Greek on a high alter to sate Ruaumoko? Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuckin' sick of them.

Got out today for a skid. Perfect weather and perfect roads. Pity about the dodgy company.

.............. still a beautiful place.

I see you now have others doing the 'how good is that exhaust coating' test.

On the practical side what are the insurance companies doing about all this damage? Over here if there is a flood hundreds of miles away from where you live the companies say 'premiums have to go up for all .......... spreading the risk'. Then make those that have been flooded pay vast premiums. I'm surprised Christchurch hasn't been mentioned over here 'we are a worldwide business, spreading the risk', its happened with other disasters.

So can you get insurance? Are they underwritten by the State? How is all this damage going to be paid for?

Aye. God got bored painting Australia's flat red deserts so had a hooter and penned En Zed. No, honest, that's what happend.

Insurance. What a frickin' mess. I will try to keep this concise.

edit: just deleted a huge overly-detailed diatribe. I'll try again. (reallyhard to type after five blowjobs, sorry beers)

Insurance companies are shitting themselves. Most were underwritten for September, but don't have the reserves for a second pay out (Feb). Those with solid international underwriters are solid, but the minnows and their clients are up a certain odourous creek without means of propulsion.

The majority of Ins Companies have therefore gone to ground and have unplugged their phones. Meanwhile a significant proportion of the population are living in broken homes and having to do number twos in porta loos in the street.

We were lucky (coupled with the fact that I am business savy and checked that our broker was connected with a solid international underwriter).

So, yes. Most insurance comanies are connnected to mulitnational underwriters. These underwriters will need to recoup their costs. Shewie's maple tree grove insurance, Chris's tool theft insurance and your Wheel on the Head Medical policies will all go up due to our fault lines. And Japan's. And Haiti. And the recent US tornados. Everyone pays to cover elveryone else. Most of your premium increases are not itemised or publicised. So I thank you all in advance for helping me insure the new house.

The State does not underwrite insurance policies as a general rule. They insure land, but that is another leviathan diatribe, and I really need to lie down and get ready to watch Rosie crash into Cassandra again, in Portugal. I have a funny taste in my mouth, I need more beer.

Thank you kind sir, glad to know my cash is going to a good cause

Good to know that in spite of the chasms opening all around you the beer still gets through

burp

Here's a thought..
If humans were humaine, then an international crisis relief fund could have beenn set up and all insurance companies could be underwriten by that.
Then we could show that we are still humans and make everyone's life a lil easier...

Evening Gentlemen.

The Earth has been worryingly quiet ~ normally means that something b a d is brewing. Hope not.

Some recent stats that may interest/impress/depress;

Attached is a pic of one of many piles of rubble removed from the CBD and suburbs. This one pile is 25m high. The total removed to date is 100,000 tonnes. Estimates were around 4.25 million tonnes in total to be removed. Recently the authorities have upped this to 8 million tonnes. Hard to get one's head around the numbers.

380,000 tonnes of silt from liquefaction has been removed so far. Estimates hover around 500,000 tonnes in total when the cleanup is finished.

Experts are predicting the aftershocks to last around 10 years.

The devastating Feb 22 shake was a monster as everyone knows. The crippling part of the movement was vertical. The earth 'trampolined' violently several times, sinking first and as buildings settled down under gravity the earth punched back up again. 2.2gs was the vertical impact as stated earlier, but no one realised that it was the 'out-of-sync' trampolining effect that knackered so many structures. Generally buildings are designed to cope with 1.0g. Ouch.

We're good. Taryn is still a bit freaked out after last Saturday's effort but we are making fun of it know saying that the Earth is farting. Whatever works. We start building the new house soon, can't wait, tripping over each other in the rental.

The XX is saving my head, great to get out and test out my very dodgy handiwork on the old girl.

Later.