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Dinnaefash
I'll Hang Around A Little
Joined: 26 Jul 2004
Posts: 24
Location: Scotland
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Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2004 6:55 pm Post subject: Floods and earthquakes? |
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Just heard about the floods and earthquakes in the Bay of Plenty  , hope no-one here was badly affected?
Just after we visited NZ in Feb there were really bad floods in the south. Is this type of weather normal for NZ or is the climate changing?? Are there areas you would avoid because of potential for flooding / earthquakes or whatever? Does home insurance cover this sort of occurance??  Should I be worried?!!  |
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Moorf
Future NZ Guru
Joined: 06 Mar 2004
Posts: 705
Location: West Sussex, UK
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Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2004 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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You get the NZ Insider too Dinnae?
| Quote: | 3. LETHAL FLOODING, EARTHQUAKES, AND SLIPS IN BAY OF PLENTY
The Bay of Plenty/Rotorua region on the upper eastern side of the North Island has been struggling to recover from terrible flooding and a series of earthquakes that devastated many parts of the area under torrential rains and lethal slips (mudslides) a few days ago.
Two people were killed and millions of dollars of damage have already been tallied as residents face one of the worst disasters in the region in over half a century.
Two weeks ago, a weather pattern formed over the area, joined with a subtropical low and stalled in place, dumping 250mm (10 inches) of rain on the Bay of Plenty in short order. Swollen highland rivers and dams combined with lowland inundation to swiftly create chaos.
In a further fluke of nature, over 100 small earthquakes were simultaneously triggered which, in a domino effect, likewise triggered countless slips and mudslides that crashed down on several homes and left others precariously and dangerously perched atop cliff sides that had partially caved in beneath them.
Thousands of residents from the hardest hit towns of Whakatane, Edgecumbe, Opotiki, Ohope, Te Teko, Awakeri, and Thornton, who were evacuated to temporary shelters have been allowed to return to their homes and farms and begin the long process of recovery.
The photos below provide a sample of the images that filled screens for days:
Ohiwa Slip
http://snipurl.com/OhiwaSlip
Edgecumbe Flooding
http://snipurl.com/EdgecumbeFlooding
Once again, in typical Kiwi fashion, the stories of kindness, mutual assistance, and kinship far outweighed any attempts at looting. Just another example of how Kiwis come together in times of trouble to help in whatever way they can. And just another example of why you should consider yourself lucky, when you can call yourself either an official or honourary Kiwi! |
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ruthyroo
I'll Hang Around A Little
Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 39
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Hey there, thanks for the concern! We arrived in Rotorua just the week before the weather went completely mental - and the earthquakes came along for the party! The floods have been very serious in the areas closer to the coast (lots of low lying plains) and the combo of sodden ground and earthquakes has triggered many slips along the roadsides, and out in the lakes area. The earthquakes were particularly exciting! I believe there is a Earthquake Fund - a kind of insurance provided by central govt, where you can claim for earthquake-related damage. I think as much as $7million has been claimed for the recent ones. It's a bit of an adventure isn't it life in Volcanoville! |
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richsadams
Electronics Guru
Joined: 19 Dec 2003
Posts: 156
Location: Formerly the U.S. now in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand!
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:39 pm Post subject: Earthquakes and Floods |
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Hi All 
I'll chime in with Ruthy...it's been a wild ride. We're in Ngongotaha just outside of Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty and the quakes have only just stopped a few days ago! 
We're about 20Km's from the main epicentre and have felt the earth move quite a few times (more than a dozen quakes over 3.0 with the largest at 5.4). There was a woman killed when a tree fell on her  , but other than that, no serious causalities.
Here's an excellent NZ earthquake site...
http://www.gns.cri.nz/what/earthact/earthquakes/index.html
Having grown up in California, I'm a bit used to quakes, but it was my wife's first and her knuckles were a whiter shade of pale for sure. Too bad that she knows that I'm not the only one that can make the earth move for her! 
It's to be expected in a land built on volcanoes...but it's always a surprise isn't it?  Our neighbors said it was the first ones they felt in over three years, so it's not that common apparently. 
Ruthy...drop a PM and let us know your story...perhaps my wife and I can buy you guys a Tui at the Pig and Whistle one of these days!  |
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