rubytuesday
Jr. Member
- Mar 21, 2009
- 31
- 2
- Thread starter
- #21
Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to all New Zealanders coping with this tragedy. I heard on the news this morning that Christchurch is about to get a hammering over the next few days from gale-force winds and rain.
UPDATE 9.27am: THE death toll from Christchurch's earthquake has reached 148, with more than 50 people still listed as missing.
Desperate rescuers are in a race against time to find survivors before gale-force wind hits battered Christchurch tomorrow.
Severe weather warnings predict wind of up to 100km/h to hit the city.
The wind threatens to topple buildings already badly damaged by the quake and its aftershocks.
Independent weather forecaster Dennis Luke warned that the worst would start to hit tomorrow afternoon and continue until noon Wednesday.
"They're going to have to get everyone out of the city," he said.
New Zealand forecaster Mark Pascoe said the wild weather would affect most of the South Island and would be "hazardous".
With rescuers focusing on three buildings in the CBD, efforts are also being hampered by asbestos on at least one site, the Pyne Gould building.
Christchurch's tallest building - the 26-storey Grand Chancellor Hotel - has now stabilised and rescue crews will search surrounding buildings.
They crawled through steel pipes inserted into the rubble of the Christchurch Cathedral yesterday in a last-ditch effort to look for survivors from Tuesday's devastating earthquake.
The number of confirmed dead has reached 147 but hundreds more are still missing.
Christchurch mayor Bob Parker said efforts were being hampered by sightseers flooding into the worst-affected areas.
There were arrests made overnight by Australian police officers, sworn in as temporary New Zealand police, for burglary, theft, domestic violence and impersonating an official as a night curfew was imposed on Christchurch's CBD.
Five fires broke out overnight causing several injuries; 55,000 properties are still without water, and a further 75,000 without sewerage.
UPDATE 9.27am: THE death toll from Christchurch's earthquake has reached 148, with more than 50 people still listed as missing.
Desperate rescuers are in a race against time to find survivors before gale-force wind hits battered Christchurch tomorrow.
Severe weather warnings predict wind of up to 100km/h to hit the city.
The wind threatens to topple buildings already badly damaged by the quake and its aftershocks.
Independent weather forecaster Dennis Luke warned that the worst would start to hit tomorrow afternoon and continue until noon Wednesday.
"They're going to have to get everyone out of the city," he said.
New Zealand forecaster Mark Pascoe said the wild weather would affect most of the South Island and would be "hazardous".
With rescuers focusing on three buildings in the CBD, efforts are also being hampered by asbestos on at least one site, the Pyne Gould building.
Christchurch's tallest building - the 26-storey Grand Chancellor Hotel - has now stabilised and rescue crews will search surrounding buildings.
They crawled through steel pipes inserted into the rubble of the Christchurch Cathedral yesterday in a last-ditch effort to look for survivors from Tuesday's devastating earthquake.
The number of confirmed dead has reached 147 but hundreds more are still missing.
Christchurch mayor Bob Parker said efforts were being hampered by sightseers flooding into the worst-affected areas.
There were arrests made overnight by Australian police officers, sworn in as temporary New Zealand police, for burglary, theft, domestic violence and impersonating an official as a night curfew was imposed on Christchurch's CBD.
Five fires broke out overnight causing several injuries; 55,000 properties are still without water, and a further 75,000 without sewerage.
