City of 400,000 hit by 7.4 scale Earthquake -- NPR report of damage

posted at NPR dot-org as of mid-afternoon September 3, 2010

A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake and a series of sharp aftershocks rocked much of New Zealand's South Island early Saturday. No tsunami alert was issued, and there were no immediate reports of injuries.

The quake hit 19 miles west of Christchurch — the country's second-largest city — at 4:35 a.m. local time, shaking awake thousands of residents. According to Radio New Zealand, national emergency officials reported significant road damage as well as damage to a number of buildings in the city of 400,000 people.

About half of Christchurch's central business district and all of the suburbs were without power.
Officials were waiting until daybreak to assess the full impact, according to the radio report.
Christchurch resident Colleen Simpson said panicked residents ran into the street in their pajamas. Some buildings had collapsed, there was no power, and the mobile telephone network had failed.
"Oh my God. There is a row of shops completely demolished right in front of me," Simpson told the Stuff news website.  Another person from Christchurch, Kevin O'Hanlon, said the jolt was extremely powerful.
"I was awake to go to work and then just heard this massive noise and 'boom,' it was like the house got hit. It just started shaking. I've never felt anything like it," he told the news website.
Geological agency GNS Science said the earthquake was centered 21 miles below the surface. People reported that the movement from the quake lasted up to 40 seconds.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said "no destructive widespread tsunami threat existed, based on historical earthquake and tsunami data."
New Zealand sits above an area of Earth's crust where two tectonic plates collide. The country records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year — but only about 150 are felt by residents. Fewer than 10 a year do any damage.