I’ve often talked about earthquakes in New Zealand, especially since the destructive Christchurch earthquake in 2012, and the fact that here in Wellington we live on a major fault-line, stuck right above the boundary of the Pacific tectonic plate and the Australian plate. It is always at the back of our minds here, and now, after a major 7.8 earthquake struck in the north of the South Island two weeks ago it has once again been brought to fore. We were fortunate to be out of town, comfortable in our bed in the gorgeous resort town of Queenstown in the south of the South Island, completely oblivious that the earth had moved so much, until we were woken by my phone beeping, with texts asking if we were okay.
I hate earthquakes, and I have ever since I moved to Wellington, so I guess choosing a house on stilts on the side of a steep hill wasn’t the wisest decision, given that it moves (as it is designed to do) and shakes in the wind let alone in an earthquake. I’m glad I wasn’t here for the rocking and rolling and shaking my friends, family and neighbours experienced in Wellington, which was still so many times better than what the residents of North Canterbury and Marlborough and Kaikoura endured, and came home to a house that came through completely unscathed, which could have been very different, as I am sure it has been (or will be) for my friend from Kaikoura who was in the US on a holiday at the time.
This time last week I was in the home of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc when I experienced a couple of aftershocks, each around a magnitude 5. I found that for the first time the shaking didn’t bother me, as – unlike any earthquakes I’ve experienced here in my precariously situated home in Wellington, or even the aftershocks experienced a few days earlier on the fifth floor of an apartment block in Christchurch – I was staying in a single story hotel room, and felt very secure and safe so close to the ground.
As my hairdresser said to me this morning, whilst these earthquakes – so soon (in the scheme of things) after the Christchurch earthquakes) – might not have materially affected our houses, they have changed the way we think. They have reminded us to consider preparations for a repeat or bigger earthquakes, including (but not only) simple things like:
- using Blu-tac to secure pictures or photos or other breakables in cabinets and on shelves and on our walls (thanks to my Christchurch friend for this advice), or
- to ensure we have comfortable shoes when we leave the house (and maybe socks, so we don’t get blisters trying to walk home), or
- the need to attach some key pieces of furniture to our walls (an example of basic earthquake preparedness), or
- the advisability of retaining a landline and a phone that works without needing power charging, or perhaps the need to ensure that we have extra supplies of necessary medication with us whenever we leave the house, or
- the foresight to maintain our cars with at least half a tank of petrol (gas),
- to always have some cash in our wallets (NZers are high users of EFTPOS, and often don’t carry any cash), and
- not to eat all our emergency canned food supplies simply because we forget or can’t be bothered to replenish them.
Those are good preparedness tips! I always think we should get back in the habit of carrying cash, just in case, but I usually don’t have any on me.
I’ve heard of some people in California (another earthquake zone) putting child-safety locks on cabinets to keep dishes from falling out in case of a quake. That seems like kind of a pain for everyday life. Maybe there’s a more convenient way to handle that, though.
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I’m glad you fared well, and are doing okay with the aftershocks. That would stress me out. My dad lives in LA, and I am always amazed that he’s always ready for a quake. Those preparedness tips are great! I know it’s totally different, but when the 7 feet of snow hit Buffalo suddenly last year I became obsessed with always having tons of toilet paper. And canned goods. I didn’t think about cash, but that makes total sense! I hope you don’t have to put those tips into motion.
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I saw that you had a big earthquake over there & have been thinking of you all since. They are never fun, not ever.
I live in California, and we do put child-safety latches on everything. (You get used to using them and they are not that big a pain.) We also buy special gas shut-up wrenches so we can turn our gas off immediately. (Most people tie them to their gas valves outside.) I have lots and lots of bottled water because I want to be able to flush the toilet 😉 and have something to drink, of course. Many people have industrial hardhats near their beds. And almost everyone has flashlights everywhere.
Hope you are doing okay from all of this!
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shut off not shut up. lol
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Dh wanted to drop the landline when we moved into our condo, but I insisted on keeping it (along with our corded/plug-into-the-wall phone), for the same reason you’ve recommended. I do carry cash as well as my debit & credit cards (& feel uncomfortable if I have less than $50 in my wallet) but our pantry is not as well stocked as I’d like it to be. Dh has a “thing” about having extra food sitting around the house & always wants to use it up. I guess it’s part of his obsession with getting rid of “clutter.” Drives me nuts sometimes…!
The other day, our water was turned off from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. because they were working on sewer connections to the townhouse project behind our condo building. They had a notice posted by the elevator, but it was put up later in the afternoon after dh returned home from seeing his dad — once he got home, we were in for the night, and since we don’t go to work in the morning, we hadn’t left the building before 9 — so we didn’t see it, and didn’t realize what was going on until dh turned on the kitchen faucet and the pressure was way, way down (eventually trickling away to nothingness). We managed to fill up a container of drinking water for the day, and a bit in a bucket for the toilet, but it was a LONG day…! First world problems, I know, but it sure made me realize how much we take for granted.
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Glad to hear you’re doing okay! Those are great preparedness tips, which reminds me – winter is baring down on us, and I should check to make sure our own ducks are in a row.
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Was glad to hear your house wasn’t damaged. This is a great list. I should send it to my daughter in Washington state. Also, Blu-tac. Still can’t find that in the US. Wonderful stuff.
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I thought I replied to this last week! Always think of you first when I hear earthquake in NZ. So glad you are safe. And this list…yes, makes me think.
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[…] our last trip to the South Island, we had intended driving home up the east coast, but a huge 7.8 earthquake saw major slips destroy the coastal road that we had intended taking. This time last year, the road […]
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