Christchurch, New Zealand, post-quake

March 23, 2011 4:06 PM

Eerily calm - Civil Defence New Zealand has released footage of post-earthquake Christchurch.
posted by Catch (12 comments total)

I had to do a double take at 3:01 because it looked like some kind of Fallout-esque eyebot was on patrol, but it turns out it was just some kind frontloader.
posted by Burhanistan at 4:20 PM on March 23, 2011

So where are all the people? They didn't just turn to piles of dust like in Night of the Comet - where'd they all go? Is this a sectioned-off part of town?
posted by item at 4:50 PM on March 23, 2011

Yep, the whole CBD is cordoned off for safety reasons - there's some controversy about that.
posted by Paragon at 5:10 PM on March 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

i liked hearing the birds.
posted by rainperimeter at 5:27 PM on March 23, 2011

I find it amazing (and thankful) that fire didn't gut out all those buildings.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 6:07 PM on March 23, 2011

The birds, the sirens and the silence... eerily calm, indeed.
posted by malibustacey9999 at 6:46 PM on March 23, 2011

thanks for sharing.
posted by Dillonlikescookies at 6:57 PM on March 23, 2011

Very eerie; it reminds me of the feel of City 17 from Half Life 2, for some reason. For government footage it feels surprisingly well directed and artistic at times.
posted by oxford blue at 6:59 PM on March 23, 2011

Mr Langer said a structural engineer had told him his building could be made safe enough to enter. "I could retrieve at least half a million dollars of irreplaceable goods within half an hour," he said.

Well damn
posted by Blasdelb at 7:59 PM on March 23, 2011

Seeing the NZ flag at half-mast really got me. I guess that's why we have symbols, to express things that bare facts don't cover.
posted by harriet vane at 10:20 PM on March 23, 2011

And (also under a Creative Commons license) Land Information NZ has released aerial photos taken on 24 February.
posted by Catch at 7:18 PM on March 24, 2011

Hard to believe that this was just a month ago.
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:48 AM on March 25, 2011