Yes, I agree. But Matt Mooney, one of the boys in the 4x4 relay has been working the last two years with the NSWIS400FT project for which I am the mentor coach, so I have a personal interest in his safety and his track career - this was to be his debut for his national team. Also, one of our board members here at CF.com coaches Alex Jordan who is to represent the host nation at 400m. So there is a bit of interest at this site.
I understand Christchurch airport is closed.
yes it is. Felt it good and strong here 350km (220m) away. They have been hit with
6.3 at 12.51pm
5.7 at 1.04pm
4.5 at 1.21pm
4.4 at 1.46pm
3.4 at 2.37pm
4.0 at 2.39pm
5.5 at 2.50pm
4.5 at 3.48pm
multiple deaths and a LOT of destruction.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4688231/Deaths-destruction-in-Christchurch-quake
This follows on from 7.1 on 4 September.
Sorry KK cannot help with the info you need, phones have been down.
Having spent from ages 11-24 in Christchurch this is upsetting. Fortunately my 74 year old Mother is ok but upset.
Kick in the guts the Christchurch residents didn’t need after September.
Glad to hear your mother is okay.
Mother Nature is in a foul mood at the moment, as parts of QLD have been hit by floods again - not as bad.
My prayers are with all those there.
Thanks people, yeah Aus have had it bad with floods lately so not good.
KK suggest you keep an eye on http://www.nzrun.com/forum/main/show/fid/37-nzrun-forum
below from there
Being in central chch when it went down, i would say there is a 99.999% chance that nothing will go ahead in chch for weeks. after the september one, Qe2 was closed for 2 weeks, and damage on face value looks much much worse than september, with infrustructure and roading etc.
Really disapointing, because it was shaping up to be the best meet in NZ for some years…
Sounds bloody awful. People are dead.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/02/21/new.zealand.earthquake/index.html?hpt=C1
(CNN) – A 6.3-magnitude earthquake ripped through Christchurch, New Zealand, on Tuesday afternoon, causing multiple fatalities as it toppled buildings onto buses, buckled streets and damaged cathedrals, authorities said.
New Zealand Police announced on the agency’s website that a large-scale evacuation of the central city was under way. According to the news release, the earthquake killed an undetermined number of people at various locations around the city, including passengers on two buses crushed by buildings that had fallen on them.
TVNZ reported that the 147-year-old Christchurch Cathedral’s spire had toppled, Christchurch Hospital was being evacuated and the airport was closed.
Laura Campbell told CNN she was at work at the bottom of a six-story building when the earthquake struck. She described seeing “windows blowing out, bricks falling down, people screaming, the whole nine yards.”
“It was bloody serious,” said Campbell, who was trying to walk home. “I’m worried about what I’m going to find down the road.”
Thanks John. Dunedin sounds pretty good.
Thanks to all for the updates. Keep em coming.
What a tragedy.
Youtube latest.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12532799
Apparently there are 150 people trapped under one building in downtown Christchurch and authorities don’t know whether they are dead or alive.
Obviously a track meet means nothing at a time like this. My prayers to all concerned.
How come no mention of all the demonstrators that are dying around the world?.
Just heard there has been some “serious damage, some crumbling in some parts of the track” and Saturday’s meet is likely to be called off. A final decision due in the next 24hrs.
65 confirmed dead at this stage and expected could be at least double that.
Race Radio,
valid question and feel free to discuss but suggest that it would be good taste to start a separate thread.
the meeting is definitely off. I went to the track today and it is a mess. The warm up (brand new) is also a mess and there wont be any running on these tracks for months.
This is a total disaster, not in terms of just athletics but for all the lives lost. The city has huge damage.
Now to put my coaches hat on, 4 weeks of the season to go, no track to train on, no competitions locally, athletes have left town for a week to get away from the after shocks…not the best preparation I was hoping for…
Straight to Sydney. There’s a good men’s 200m at Homebush this Saturday. Matt Lynch is racing so hoping for low 21 or under. Then to Melbourne the following Thursday (on March 3) for the big Oz meet. Three weeks later the Sydney Track Classic. Angelo Taylor due to race 400m. I heard today John Steffensen has also nominated to run the Melbourne 400m.
The moment New Zealand 'quake shook a city to pieces.
Can anyone quite workout why the ‘shake’ is centred perfectly in the centre of Christchurch?.
What other towns got hit?.
It wasn’t centred directly on Christchurch it was centred about 10km east in a port called Lyttelton.
The damage was very localised. One half of the city has no damage essentially while the other half is majorly ruined.
No other towns were hit.
That’s actually the vapor trail left by Gofast’s 400m lad…
The following email came from someone who works for the Academy of Sport here in Dunedin.
[i]Hi there
I was in Christchurch yesterday supporting my staff, inspecting (what I could) of our premises at QEII stadium and putting support and contingency plans into place.
I must admit this is a lot worse that one would expect. The terror in peoples eyes and faces, is unbelievable. It quite literally looks like a war zone and I did not go anywhere near the CBD! Although having said that there are parts of the city that remain relatively normal with a lot of businesses still opening as usual!.
I can certainly tell you that the tracks (both main and new second track) and associated fields at QEII are absolutely ruined!! Not only are they now covered in silt, they are sunken, raised and look nothing like an international stadium that housed a World Championship less than 4 weeks ago.
Athletics will not be held at this stadium for a very long time. Each and every one of you will know someone associated with our sport in the Canterbury region. I would urge you to support our fellow athletes, coaches, officials and administrators to ensure that they make it through these very difficult times. Some will want to stay, others will want to leave, but whatever their preference if we can support them in anyway possible to ensure that they can continue to train and achieve their goals for at least the remainder of the season.
From an Academy perspective, we have offered to relocate the carded athletes and coaches to Dunedin, but this is just the tip of the iceberg in relation to the masses associated with our sport. We do not know when (if at all) we will get back into the Academy offices and training facilities and therefore do not know the future of the whole stadium. I can advise that whilst the stands are still standing, the whole facility has suffered severe structure damage with major cracks in tilt slabs and movement in the base plates. We can only wait and see what the professionals advise in this stadium.
[/i]
Christchurch appeal from Nick Willis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xQrKIOkKeE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
There is a 2 minute silence in remembrance at 12.51pm NZ time today, world clock for comparison is http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/
Comparison photos
Current death toll 154 and expected to be around 240.
Economic cost $10-15B.