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| Forsyth Barr: One of the CBD buildings where the the stairs collapsed during the earthquake... |
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/4824458/Workers-wary-of-lofty-offices
Employment lawyer Tim McGinn said he would never work in his level 14 office in Clarendon Tower again, even if it was cleared for use.
"Everyone is a bit gun-shy about large concrete structures. If I was offered something that was modern and about three or four storeys, I think I could cope with it," he said.
Christchurch Central MP Brendon Burns said it was important people were able to overcome their fears and go back into big office blocks.
"Lower-rise options are certainly starting to come into vogue because of the concerns people hold. We need to take account of those fears," he said.
Cities like Tokyo showed skyline and faultline could exist together and most Christchurch structures had stood up well, he said. "If people came out of a multi-storey building, then the buildings have done what they are designed to do."
The continued closure of the central city and loss of confidence in its buildings could not be allowed to turn Christchurch into "a collection of suburbs".
"We need to use and retain every viable building we've got to restore the economic heart of the city, and that means getting people back in there as soon as possible," he said.There is a good blog page here about someone trapped in that building
This morning, I was reading about the tsunami risk to Wellington. Not just from earthquakes but from underwater landslides.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4786645/Wellingtons-tsunami-risk
They are advising people to run up the nearest high rise if they experience an earthquake that makes it hard for them to stand up. Not head for the hills, just run up stairs.
A tsunami generated by an earthquake in Cook Strait could sweep kilometres inland within three or four minutes, putting the lives of up to 170,000 Wellington residents at risk.
There would be no time for any warnings and people need to think now about how they can get to higher ground immediately after a strong quake, says Wellington Region Emergency Management officer Rian van Schalkwyk.
"The magnitude of that quake and tsunami in Japan is the sort of thing we can expect here. The moment there is a big local quake that is so strong that you can't stand upright, you need to get to higher ground or up in a building as quickly as possible. There is no time to hop in a car to drive away – just go up as quickly as possible.So now we are going to be in a single storey bilding in the tsunami zone. In the event of an earthquake, we are to run next door and climb the high rise we are trying so desperately to avoid....
No wonder we are having trouble coping.
Check out your own part of the world and the risk of rising seawater using this map
http://www.globalwarmingart.com/sealevel?lat=-24.287&lng=132.188
Here is the a screenshot from the Christchurch part - but it does the whole world.
