WWQP Bulletin Board Chat

MOnday.

So pleased to know that Janice is out of hospital. I hope her recovery goes well. The whole incident must have been terrifying for them all. Sorry to hear that there will be court proceedings to follow, but steps must be taken to solve the problem of the lights..

I will attempt to explain about the liquefaction. It was a word that few of us had heard of until last Sept. , after the first quake. Now three year olds commonly drop it into their conversations... It seem that, when the ground is shaken severely, the soil compacts and the water comes to the surface. With it comes sand and silt, the mixture is a nasty , very wet sludge. Thousands of tons of this stuff have swamped the streets of some suburbs, there are armies of volunteers out there with front end loaders, spades and wheelbarrows, buckets,... anything really, trying to move the stuff. With all this "stuff" coming to the surface sump holes appear . The liquefaction is grey and dirty and you can't see through it. People walking, driving or cycling have all had nasty accidents, having fallen in deep holes.

I visited a man , well into his eighties last week. He told me that he went to check on his neighbour and fell down a hole, losing his slippers in the process. He then returned home where there was no power or water, and tried to clean himself up... He thought it was a great story ! Liquefaction has been a feature of each of the Sept, Boxing day, Feb, and last weeks earthquakes. You can imagine how tired people are. Its really hard work moving the stuff . Unfortunately, in some areas, sewerage from broken pipes and water form the broken mains also join the mixture... When it is cleared a grey dust forms and then that becomes a problem too... Another old lady I visited last week was out in her destroyed garden planting spring bulbs !! She said she need to keep hope alive ! Bless her.

We've had a wet and cold w/end so that won't have made things any easier for people. In the North Island they had some tornadoes.. Wotever next ?!?

All the best for the coming week.
Marion.

posted by Marion in NZ. @ 6:34 PM