Sunday, October 10, 2010

Thurs 09.09.10. Darfield Quake. Day 6. Damaged Streets, Buildings, Riccarton Road

Thurs 09.09.10. Darfield Quake. Day 6. State of Emergency. Wet day. City streets, bldgs, Riccarton Rd focus. After trekking quaked Christchurch for 5 State of Emergency days, 62 streets so far, I slowed down, no longer gushing adrenalin. My quake shaken body was returning to normal metabolism, despite daily aftershocks. I still needed to document broken bldgs & authorities' efforts during the State of Emergency, while "normal" laws were shelved & "normal" people were implied criminals, burglars, looters by cops, soldiers, CD.

Wednesday 08.09.10, I'd snapped Riccarton Rd damaged bldgs while trekking down Riccarton Rd from Westfield Mall main entrance to The National Bank, Riccarton Rd / Clarence St. Next day, Thursday 09.09.10, I trekked Riccarton Rd again, those bldgs had been demolished overnight.

CD deterred citizens from quake damaged homes, businesses, workplaces: plethora of plastic POLICE tape; orange, plastic, road cones; plastic bollards; steel mesh fence cordons; saturation media coverage; military cordons; curfews; educational institution closures; rubbernecking discouraged; driving around discouraged; visiting suburbs beyond your home suburb discouraged; viewing quake damaged towns like Kaiapoi discouraged; red, yellow, green bldg inspector stickers on bldgs; condemning, boarding up state housing & relocating residents e.g. New Brighton; professional counselling; bright, Hi-Vis vests / jackets & colourful hard hats worn by officials: orange, yellow, green. All for public safety of course.

Who checked decisions made by State of Emergency CD, engineers, USAR / TF, NZRT, fire service, cops, NZDF military, those who doled out dollars for quake damages: EQC & insurers?

Bldg checks, stickers problem: once a bldg was red stickered it was doomed to limbo, or demolition. Public entry banned! Red stickered bldgs doomed nearby bldgs, which could be green or yellow stickered. Who wanted to live or shop near an unstable, red stickered bldg, ready to collapse? State of Emergency clean ups, demolitions, repairs continued.

I drove to Jake's flat, Waltham Rd, behind the Honda chop shop. Along the way, I coolpixed quake damage at Bealey Ave / Papanui Rd / Victoria St crossing. On my way back I looked at quake damage on Riccarton Rd near Rotherham St, where Jake had pre-quakes worked at Fox & Ferret gastro pub.

Heaton St / Rossall St: Fallen, concrete block, garden wall, steel mesh fence cordoned.

Rossall St / Rhodes St: I would give permission for Dr Andreas Konecny & Dr Manfred Kandler to publish my quake toppled garden wall snap, Rhodes St, in a research publication comparing ancient, modern, quake fallen walls in Roman Carnuntum (360 AD quake) & Christchurch.


09.09.10. Quake damaged garden wall, steel mesh fence cordoned, Heaton St / Rossall St. Wall would become more damaged by serial quakes


09.09.10. Quake toppled garden wall, Rhodes St. Dr Andreas Konecny & Dr Manfred Kandler used this pic in a research publication, comparing ancient & modern, quake fallen walls in Roman Carnuntum (quake destroyed 360 AD) & Christchurch

Carlton Mill Rd: Cracks across road. Fallen brick, garden wall, plastic POLICE taped. Rubble in garden, on pavement.


09.09.10. Quake buckled Carlton Mill Rd, repaired within a week


09.09.10. Magnolia, quake toppled brick wall, Carlton Mill Rd. The wall was repaired then serial quake damaged


09.09.10. Quake toppled brick wall, Carlton Mill Rd. White, plastic, tape cordoned, DANGER KEEP OUT


09.09.10. Quake damaged old Carlton Hotel, Bealey Ave / Papanui Rd, steel mesh fence cordoned. Badly damaged by the M6.3, 22.02.11 quake & soon demolished. Post 2011 quakes, a new Burger King would be built on Carlton Hotel site


09.09.10. Quake damaged Burger King / Carlton Hotel, Bealey Ave / Papanui Rd, steel mesh fence cordoned. Badly damaged by the M6.3, 22.02.11 quake & soon demolished. Post 2011 quakes, a new Burger King would be built on Carlton Hotel site

Bealey Ave / Papanui Rd: Carlton Hotel, steel mesh fence cordon sign:

CARLTON IS
OPEN

Carlton Hotel's parapet balustrade fallen. Pre-quakes, Luke had bought burgers at Carlton Hotel / Burger King. Several times during post quake weeks, while the bldg was in an unstable condition, business as usual, we bought burgers there. The quake damaged, parapet cnr was soon tightly strapped with a sling against aftershocks. Nearly 3 months post quake, scaffolding would be erected, repairs begun.

Whenever I entered a dangerous bldg, like Burger King, or was near a dangerous bldg, I got the creeps. My attitude to bldgs changed, especially old, brick or stone bldgs & high rises: Wooden bldgs were safe. Brick, stone, concrete, glass bldgs dodgy.


09.09.10. Quake damaged Burger King / Carlton Hotel, Bealey Ave / Papanui Rd, steel mesh fence cordoned. Badly damaged by the M6.3, 22.02.11 quake & soon demolished. Post 2011 quakes, a new Burger King would be built on Carlton Hotel site


09.09.10. Fenced off Burger King / Carlton Hotel, Bealey Ave / Papanui Rd, steel mesh fence cordoned. Badly damaged by the M6.3, 22.02.11 quake & soon demolished. Post 2011 quakes, a new Burger King was built on Carlton Hotel site

Carlton Hotel would stay steel mesh fence cordoned for weeks post quake, narrowing Bealey Ave, slowing traffic. Quake damaged buildings & roads all over Christchurch were steel mesh fence cordoned, causing traffic jams. People generally observed good road sense post quake, with polite driving. Except for the $80 speed fine I got for driving 61 km/h in a 50 km/h zone on Wairakei Rd near home!


09.09.10. Quake damaged parapet, Carlton Hotel, Bealey Ave / Papanui Rd, steel mesh fence cordoned. Badly damaged by the M6.3, 22.02.11 quake & soon demolished. Post 2011 quakes, a new Burger King would be built on Carlton Hotel site

During the National State of Emergency post 22.02.11 Killer Quake, One News would have 3 porta-cabins & equipment in a carpark opp Carlton Hotel, Papanui Rd. One News would broadcast their TV news there daily.

Carlton Hotel cnr parapet was demolished after a week into the current State of Emergency, as it was tilted, unstable, dangerous. Post 2011 quakes, a new Burger King would be built on Carlton Hotel demolition site.

Bealey Ave: Bricks toppled, Saggio di vino wall. Yellow, USAR / TF graffiti on window. White, plastic tape; orange, plastic, road cones; steel mesh fence cordon. Brick gable toppled, Knox Presbyterian Church, steel mesh fence cordoned. Yellow daffodils blooming on road island, opp quake trashed, brick, garden wall, rubble on pavement.


09.09.10. Quake damaged Bealey Ave / Victoria St crossing bldgs, steel mesh fence cordoned. Knox Presbyterian Church would be trashed by the M6.3, 22.02.11 quake, walls peeled off, exposing wooden arches. Knox Church was visual pollution for 3 years with wooden arches exposed to the elements. Knox Church would be restored in 2014, copper wall panels


09.09.10. Quake damaged Knox Presbyterian Church, Bealey Ave / Victoria St, steel mesh fence cordoned. The church's roof & gables were extensively damaged. Knox Church would be trashed by the M6.3, 22.02.11 quake. A Jap TV crew would camp in a brown minibus on the road island opposite Knox Church during the national state of emergency


09.09.10. Quake damaged Saggio di vino, Bealey / Victoria St. Bldg was soon scaffolded, outer wall stripped off & rebuilt. Victoria St bldg behind was also quake damaged, soon demolished. Saggio di vino would be trashed by the 22.02.11 quake & demolished


09.09.10. Daffodils, quake damaged bldg, Bealey Ave. Garden wall rubble on pavement


09.09.10. Quake damaged bldg, Bealey Ave. Window boarded, roof blue tarped. Garden wall rubble on pavement

Waltham Rd: Mineral & Lapidary Club, bricks toppled from wall, plastic POLICE taped.


09.09.10. Quake damaged Canterbury Mineral & Lapidary Club, Waltham Rd. 3 months post quake the bldg was still damaged, no repairs. 5 months post quake, ditto. Severely damaged by the 22.02.11 quake & demolished


09.09.10. Close up, quake damaged Canterbury Mineral & Lapidary Club wall, Waltham Rd. 3 months post quake the bldg was still damaged, no repairs. 5 months post quake, ditto. Severely damaged by the 22.02.11 quake & demolished


09.09.10. Front facade, quake damaged Canterbury Mineral & Lapidary Club, Waltham Rd. 3 months post quake the bldg was still damaged, no repairs. 5 months post quake, ditto. Severely damaged by the 22.02.11 quake & demolished


09.09.10. Honda chop shop, undamaged by quake, Waltham Rd

Riccarton Rd / Rotherham St: JK Kids, WellBeing, Gemtime Jeweller, Shoe Shop, Thai Restaurant, Flight Centre. Several shops trashed; fallen awnings, brick rubble on pavement; yellow, white, plastic POLICE taped, guarded by 1 cop, 1 cop car, stopping citizen entry. GLASS ABOVE yellow, spray-painted on pavement. Across the road, several brick rubble heaps, after shop demolitions.


09.09.10. GLASS ABOVE hazard after quake damage to bldgs, Riccarton Rd


09.09.10. Quake damaged Gemtime Jeweller & nearby shop evacuation, Riccarton Rd, white, plastic, tape cordoned. Cop advising owners


09.09.10. Quake damaged Gemtime Jeweller & cop car, Riccarton Rd, white, plastic, POLICE tape cordoned


09.09.10. Quake damaged Gemtime Jeweller, Riccarton Rd


09.09.10. Quake damaged shops, Thai restaurant, Riccarton Rd, white, plastic, POLICE tape cordoned


09.09.10. Quake damaged Thai restaurant, Riccarton Rd, white, plastic, tape cordoned


09.09.10. Quake damaged Flight Centre, Riccarton Rd, yellow, plastic, tape cordoned, CAUTION


09.09.10. Quake damaged shops & red bus, Riccarton Rd, yellow & white, plastic, tape cordoned


09.09.10. Quake damaged shop, Riccarton Rd / Rotherham St, yellow & white, plastic, tape cordoned


13.09.10. Cleaned up shop fronts soon post quake, Riccarton Rd


13.09.10. Cleaned up shop fronts, incl Gemtime Jeweller, soon post quake, Riccarton Rd, white, plastic taped, orange, plastic, road cone cordoned


09.09.10. Demolished shop by Browsers, opp Riccarton Rd / Rotherham St junction, white, plastic tape cordoned. Day before, bldg was standing


13.09.10. Demolished shop by Browsers & quake damaged shops, opp Riccarton Rd / Rotherham St junction, steel mesh fence cordoned, orange, plastic, road coned


09.09.10. Demolished shops / Advanced Bldg estd 1923 & school van, Riccarton Rd. Day before, bldg was standing


09.09.10. Demolished shops / Advanced Bldgs estd 1923, by City of Ink, Riccarton Rd. Day before, bldg was standing


09.09.10. Demolished 90 Riccarton Rd. Day before, bldg was standing


13.09.10. Demolished 90 Riccarton Rd, steel mesh fence cordoned

Shortly post quakes, shops on one side of Riccarton Rd were saved, shops on the other side demolished. Did some Riccarton Rd shops really need demolishing by CD & demolishers during the State of Emergency?

Pak 'n Save supermarket sign:

PAK N SAVE
RICCARTON
IS OPEN

Business as usual post quakes.


09.09.10. Pak 'n Save OPEN sign, Riccarton Rd / Matipo St, as Westfield Riccarton, incl Pak 'n Save, was closed for days after the quake

Riccarton Rd / Rattray St: Rubbished meat in Waste Management, orange skip, after quake power cuts.


09.09.10. Meat rubbished, Waste Management bin, after quake power cuts, Rattray St / Riccarton Rd

*Trekked Heaton St, Rhodes St, Carlton Mill Rd, Bealey Ave, Waltham Rd, Riccarton Rd. 38 snaps.

As landline & cell phone connections were jammed, I used Facebook to let family & friends know we were OK.

Facebook:

Thanks for birthday wishes folks. Luke pointed out my birth date, 8.9.10. Day off quake trekking today. Still stinking of swamp mud. Devastation images in my head. 9 September 2.15pm.

Day 5. Saw McLaren International Claim Services bloke at Bush Inn. Bush Inn shops open. Riccarton Westfield shops closed. Many Chch sewage pipes broken. HireQuip loos at Avonside, Portaloos at Bexley. Luke's tech closed this week, like schools & varsities. Leah talked to a Chinese tourist, both amazed, no quake fatalities. 9 September 2.23pm.

Quake vehicles: Civil Defence cars, fire engine with big aerials at Art Gallery HQ. Ambulances, fire engines, cop cars, troop vans. Orion electricity generator truck for 75 houses at NZTV & radio bldgs, artisan vans, City Care trucks, Fulton Hogan road trucks, cranes, cherry pickers, demolishers, excavators roaming Chch. 9 September 2.32pm.

Day 6. Aftershocks continue. Chch on swampland. State of Emergency continues till next Wed. Cops, troops still guarding CBD cordons. I visited Mona Vale, chimney, roof damages; walked CBD shrunk cordon yesterday, revisited Avonside damage. Saw more destruction, workmen doing bldg & road repairs. People dazed, 1000 yard stares. 9 September 2.45pm.

Thurs 6.28pm: Big aftershock, our house shook, creaked. Average 2 aftershocks / hour last 5.5 days (NZTV 6pm news). 9 September 7.07pm.

Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.

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