Aftermath of the Canterbury quake in Kaiapoi

17 Sep 2010 07:44p.m.

Chiina wrote:

Thanks for great and compassionate coverage of the quake and aftermath. But PLEASE never have the brainless bimbo commenting at the end of your Friday show on again. The article on funny stories was great, but her lack of compassion, understanding or even being a human being was painful. Laughing at ourselves is happening slowly in the wake and angst of 700 aftershocks. We're not ready to have people with no understanding poking fun at us is premature.

09 Sep 2010 01:08p.m.

Vicky Anderson wrote:

Thank-you for the fantasic item: Earthquake - What you should do. PLEASE remind people the "Triangle of Life" e-mail now circulating around is to be DISREGARDED. It was mentioned in your clip but only briefly. People believe this e-mail to be genuine and will follow it (see below). Thank you again for your comprehensive instructions. Vicky Anderson Christchurch. Subject: Earthquake survival 'TRIANGLE OF LIFE' EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE: 'TRIANGLE OF LIFE' My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake. I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries. I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for simultaneous disasters. The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide under something. I am amazed that even today schools are still using the ?Duck and Cover? instructions- telling the children to squat under their desks with their heads bowed and covered with their hands. This was the technique used in the Mexico City school. Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the 'triangle of life'. The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact.. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the 'triangles' you see formed... They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building. TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY 1) Almost everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' when buildings collapse ARE CRUSHED TO DEATH... People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed. 2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. That position helps you survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it. 3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an Earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks.. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs. Concrete slab buildings are the most dangerous during an earthquake. 4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake. 5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair. 6) Almost everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls Sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed! 7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different 'moment of frequency (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads ? horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged. 8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible - It is much better to be near t

07 Sep 2010 10:46p.m.

Mark wrote:

@Atka Reid, that's not the way I see it at all. Strange interpretation.

07 Sep 2010 07:23p.m.

Atka Reid wrote:

It's sad to see Bob Parker on using the earthquake to campaign for re-election. Perhaps this is indicative of an era where the ability to work a TV camera is the primary attribute for political success.

07 Sep 2010 07:10p.m.

Kerry wrote:

Thanks Campbell live for the terrific coverage of the quake and its effects on the canterbury region. As a Christchurch resident its actually difficult to catch up on whats going on sometimes and we are relying on your coverage daily to keep us informed.

One aspect we are missing is a more detailed story on the geography of the situation. We saw the coverage last night but more detail in terms of why the aftershocks are occurring and how etc, may help people understand the nature of nature! We are located on a solid piece of bedrock on the Christchurch hills and have suffered little damage. We could hear the quakes as they approached last night and since it was difficult to sleep anyway, I got to thinking if the plains are experiencing larger energy waves than us, if so why? I wondered physically what was going on underground and desperately needed a visual to help me get my head around it. Would love some more information on all this. Hope you can help!

Cheers,

Kerry