[Leica] New Zealand Earthquake - Tang Shan China earthquake

[cummer at netvigator.com (H&ECummer)]

I was living in Beijing in July 1976 with my wife pregnant with our first 
child when the Tang Shan earthquake struck early in the morning of July 28. 
It started as a clattering of the parquet flooring in the apartment - an 
antique Chinese mirror stand sitting on the bureau started to walk down the 
bureau on its own -  the noise was like a locomotive coming at you from all 
directions - the plus 20 second duration seemed to go on forever. I pulled 
my wife out of the bed and we crouched on the floor. When it was over we 
could hear our African neighbours screaming upstairs. When I got up to 
inspect for damage I noticed that all the light fixtures in the ceiling of 
every room had extended down by a foot or more - the wiring had been 
stretched in the movement. The earthquake was between 7.9 and 8.2 on the 
Richter scale and about 18 hours later there was an aftershock of nearly the 
same magnitude which added to the death toll. About 650,000 people died and 
when I visited Tang Shan a year later they had just leveled the rubble and 
were building a new city on top of it. Everyone in Beijing moved out into 
the streets - somewhere I have a lot of pictures taken with my Pentax SLR - 
likely on Kodachrome - and non essential personnel were evacuated from the 
Embassy by chartered airplane. My wife was sent out to Hong Kong and I 
stayed on as part of a skeleton crew at the Embassy. All industry stopped 
for about two months - the air cleared and we had a very quiet few weeks - 
eating up everyone's freezer supplies and drinking down our wine stocks. 
Walking in the Western Hills produced clear views of downtown Beijing - a 
view which has not likely every been clear again. So, basis my experience, 
do listen to Dr. Ted! Being caught in a major earthquake is a very scary 
experience - you are completely helpless against the enormous power of the 
earth. My condolences go out to the people of Christ Church.
I hope Ted is not prescient and that an earthquake strikes the BC Coast 
anytime soon. I greatly fear the damage which will result from all the glass 
clad high-rises shedding their panels in downtown Vancouver (we have an 
apartment in one of them).
Howard (safe in Hong Kong which is not an earthquake zone - although we do 
get occasional minor tremors)




> 
> Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:39:43 -0800
> From: <tedgrant at shaw.ca>
> Subject: [Leica] New Zealand Earthquake.
> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org>
> 
> NEW ZEALAND EARTHQUAKE!
> 
> This post is for all those LUG members living along the west coast of 
> South & North America continents.
> 
> It has nothing to do with being mercenary, but everything about being 
> prepared... FIRST YOUR FAMILIES AND SELF!  Around Vancouver Island in the 
> past week we have had a couple of slight shakers, this just before the New 
> Zealand quake.
> 
> Now this has nothing to do with pushing any panic buttons, but simple 
> common sense logic, be prepared!
> 
> 1/ Do you have a dozen bottles of fresh water in your home, some food in 
> cans and more importantly "A CAN OPENER TO GET THEM OPEN?"  Unless you 
> have the newly designed pull tab soup and other kinds of food cans with 
> pull tabs to open?
> 
> 2/ A mobile battery operated radio and a phone? Like look at it this 
> simple way...... "YOU ARE BURIED WITHIN A COLLAPSED BUILDING... YOUR HOME? 
> YOU ARE ALIVE AND BASICALLY OK, BUT YOU CAN'T GET OUT! SO YOU'RE TRAPPED 
> AND DIE BECAUSE NOBODY KNOWS YOU ARE TRAPPED INSIDE! Think about that 
> simple scenario? So make sure you have some kind of communication whatever 
> it is!
> 
> WE! Those living around the Pacific Ocean "RING OF FIRE!" If you don't 
> know what and where that is do a quick look on your computer screen and 
> GOOGLE "Rim of Fire countries." Don't slough this off for those living 
> coastal areas of North & South America! Or the other side of the Pacific 
> Ocean. 
> 
> A few minutes and it may save you and your families life.
> 
> WHY AM I BRINGING THIS UP?
> 
> Quite simple really. During the past several months there has been a 
> considerable amount of seismic activity around the Pacific Ring of Fire 
> countries. And given they've been getting stronger let's not sit around 
> unprepared until we end up like those poor folks in New Zealand.
> 
> I usually have an M camera with me most of the time and have done so for 
> many many years.... "A Good Boy Scout,  "Always Be Prepared!" By the same 
> token on one occasion I did miss a small Earth quake in these parts a few 
> years ago "without a camera!"  Trust me it's never going to happen again! 
> Particularly now! 
> 
> Since all this extra seismic activity has begun happing around the Pacific 
> Ocean.... read my lips, NO MATTER WHERE I GO I WILL HAVE AN M8 and a few 
> cards in my pocket just in case!" Plus a spare battery in another pocket!
> 
> Think about it all you folks on the WEST coast of North & South 
> America????? ..... WE COULD BE THE NEXT BIG ONE? AND DO YOU WANT TO MISS 
> ALL THE REALLY COOL PICTURES AS IT'S HAPPENING?"
> Trust me it isn't going to be me!
> 
> Any LUG members in New Zealand / Christchurch City I wish you well and 
> trust you and your families are safe and sound.
> 
> Dr. ted