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RESCUERS IN NEW Zealand today began airlifting tourists stranded by a 7.8 earthquake that devastated parts of the South Island’s rugged coast, as a navy ship headed to the stricken area to help.
Military helicopters started ferrying the first of 1,200 tourists trapped in the seaside town of Kaikoura, which bore the brunt of the quake that claimed two lives when it struck early Monday.
Officials said the US and Japanese militaries would also help the relief effort.
Huge landslides have cut Kaikoura’s road and rail links, and police said water was running low, power was intermittent and hundreds of people were staying in evacuation shelters.
The town has a population of 2,000, which Prime Minister John Key said was bolstered by an extra 1,200 tourists, mostly international backpackers attracted by the area’s popular whale-watching cruises.
Key said getting them out safely was top priority and four military helicopters started transporting them to nearby Christchurch with naval ship HMNZS Canterbury taking hundreds more when it arrives, likely Wednesday.
He estimated the quake repair bill would reach billions of dollars, but the first job was delivering much-needed supplies to the town.
“It’s more water and food, it’s more chemical toilets, it’s fixing up the road access, getting those tourists out and then ultimately the big clean-up job,” he told TVNZ.
The Defence Force said a C-103 Hercules was on standby to drop supplies, while local media said up to 50 civilian helicopters were also being drafted into the evacuation effort.
Tourist Marie-Louise Forster said the quake’s ferocity was like nothing she had ever experienced.
“We thought that someone was shaking our van and trying to get in,” she told Fairfax New Zealand. “We were very afraid.”
The tremor, one of the most powerful ever in the quake-prone South Pacific nation, hit just after midnight on Monday morning with more than 800 aftershocks complicating relief efforts.
The Guardian reports there have been up 100,000 landslides amid the strong aftershocks.
The Canterbury warship set off from Auckland late Monday and its commanding officer Simon Rooke said it could take up to 500 people.
“We’re going to pick them up by landing craft and sea boats and extract them to Lyttelton (in Christchurch) so they can get to a point of safety,” he said.
Civil Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said he had accepted a US offer to contribute two MH-60 helicopters and Japan would also provide assistance, although its exact nature was still under discussion.
Heavy rain and driving winds were hampering clean-up efforts, although life outside the main Kaikoura disaster zone was slowly returning to normal as roads opened and power was restored.
‘Absolutely terrified’
The quake triggered landslides that dumped mountains of rocky debris on a main highway and ripped railway tracks 10 metres (30 feet) off course.
Huge fissures opened up in roads and some houses were rocked off their foundations.
One person died at a historic homestead that collapsed at Kaikoura, with another killed at a remote property north of Christchurch.
Experts said the relatively low death toll was because the quake was centred on a sparsely populated area and hit at night, when people were in their homes.
It was felt across most of the country, causing severe shaking in the capital Wellington, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) away.
The tremor ignited painful memories for Christchurch residents, which was devastated five years ago by a 6.3 tremor that killed 185 people.
It also set off a tsunami alert, with seaside properties evacuated amid fears of five metre (16 feet) waves, which failed to eventuate.
Key flew over the quake’s epicentre on Monday and said he was shocked to see such “utter devastation”.
The New Zealand leader admitted he was concerned that tourism, the country’s biggest export earner, would take a hit after images of the damage flashed around the world.
“People worry about earthquakes,” he said, recounting visiting Hungarian President Janos Ader’s experience of the latest tremor.
“He’d never been in an earthquake in his life, so he was in the James Cook Hotel (in Wellington) absolutely terrified at what was happening.”
Key said New Zealand’s strict construction codes meant its buildings were high quality and tourists’ chances of being caught in a tremor were “truthfully very low”.
The country is on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, which form part of the so-called “Ring of Fire”, and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year, mostly minor.
- © AFP 2016.
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Every time I made it to Dublin, that was one of my prime locations I headed to, to check out. Bought many a book there, some rare, hard to get elsewhere. It’s a great loss to Dublin and to those that like reading, living in Ireland. I will be very sorry to see it close.
@UnitedPeople #StopCETA: same here loved just spending time looking through, so many independent bookstores have gone the way of the dodo. Fingers crossed vibes & scribes in cork can keep going.
Dublin losing some more character
@Ryan O’Rourke: Room for another hotel no doubt
@Shaun Gallagher:
Room for student accommodation
@Peter: That’s too much sense for on here Peter
Absolutely love Chapters, every book present is purchased from there. Best prices and great staff . Genuinely very sad to hear this.
That is a big loss. I also didn’t hear about the science gallery I have been there a few times it is extremely interesting :(
@Gareth Miskelly: It is, always enjoy the Science Gallery and great for presents too. Did they give a date for closing down?
Right, I see February is proposed. I hope Trinity can keep the Science Gallery. It’s one of the best.
Spent many a day rummaging thru the 2nd hand section for the next book in a series over the years… a real pity to hear they’re closing down
I am absolutely gutted to hear that the only bookshop of any repute in Dublin is closing.
This is my “go to” place when I’m feeling down and when I’m happy.
I couldnt go on holidays this year so instead I went to Chapters and bought a few quirky travel books instead , so I could at least do some armchair travelling.
My point being that I would never have found that “quirky collection “ of books in Easons or Hodges Figgis or Dubray books.
I’m sorry for the owners and all the staff but I’m also sorry for all of us who don’t get all of our books from Amazon. I’m sorry for those of use who inhale deeply and shiver in anticipation when we small that special smell of old books and I’m sorry for those of us who want a bit more than the latest celebrity tittle tattle best seller.
Not surprising bookstores closing, when there is lots of competition of fiction from conspiracy theory theorists.
@Kevin Thompson: haha brilliant
This is so sad, another Dublin institution gone. Another hotel so!
Disaster. Will be missed. As a former bookseller myself always had respect for this store.
Surely, if we are all supposed to be reusing and recycling these days, there should be more second hand book shops? ..
@Liz O’Neill: hard to recycle eBooks.
@Liz O’Neill: yes, but amazon wouldn’t be able to make money if these shops existed.
@Liz O’Neill: charity shops are now the go-to places for second hand books
It is a cultural tragedy when an independent bookshop like Chapters closes. There is an opportunity for motivated citizens to launch a replacement, not necessarily in the same street. Many towns around the country are ripe for bookshop innovation; rental costs are a big issue.
@Garreth Byrne: if there was a demand for bookshops they would be there not closing everywhere
@ed w: Independent family-run bookshops are out-financed by the conglomerates.
@Garreth Byrne: The rent must be prohibitive. I remember when Temple Bar had affordable prices :-)
Really sad to hear about this, Chapters is my favourite shop in Dublin. Spend many hours there over the years. Great prices, great value and great staff.
Very upset to hear this. Chapters is by far my favourite bookshop in Dublin. Great remaindered book bargains and helpful staff – it will be so sorely missed. Awful for the staff as well.
Nothing left in the city only fast food joints and Spar shops.
Let’s support the remaining smaller Dublin bookshops while we have them.
Oh great, that’s going to free up a great location for a hotel.
There’s no hotels on that street, and it’s long overdue that it got one.
@David Bourke: There is a hotel on the opposite side of the street.
@John Mc Auley:
I know, it’s ridiculous that people have to cross such a busy road to get to a hotel. A busy street like that should have at least 5 hotels.
Owen Keegan needs to get his act together, Dublin badly needs more hotels, it’s clogged up with live music venues, cultural centers, bookstores, historic landmarks, and too many apartments. We need more hotels.
There’s a lot of unused land in Stephen’s Green being wasted with grass and trees, that would be a lovely spot for a block of hotels.
@David Bourke:
In all seriousness, I’ll bet €50 that the site does end up as a hotel. Seems like every day a little part of Dublin dies. I know times change, but I don’t see anything good replacing these landmarks.
@David Bourke: The only problem being that I can’t see why anyone would want to visit Dublin now. Chapters was always a highlight. I’ve spent many happy hours in there back since they were in Abbey Street. It will leave a big gap now.
Massive mistake to move to Parnell from Abbey St. Loved the Abbey St store
I work in Temple Street and go down here at least once a week on my lunch for a browse. Really sad to see this :( ffs
Sorry to see this go loved going into Chapters and buying books, it will be missed.
Really sad to see science gallery go -
Are they putting a hotel there.
Joking aside, terrible loss to the city. Others have pointed out though and I concur, the location wasn’t great. You had to make an effort to go there as opposed to passing trade.
@Sos: it’s a 2 minute walk from Henry street, the main shopping street North of the Liffey! You’d swear it was up in Skerries the way some people are talking
@Sos: it’s a 2 minute walk from Henry street, the main shopping street North of the Liffey! You’d swear it was up in Skerries the way some people are talking
@Sos: it’s a 2 minute walk from Henry street, the main shopping street North of the Liffey! You’d swear it was up in Skerries the way some people are talking
@Sos: it’s a 2 minute walk from Henry street, the main shopping street North of the Liffey! You’d swear it was up in Skerries the way some people are talking
George Michael, Prince,,,,, chapters
Oh I hope it gets replaced with something useful like a hotel. C’mon Keegan! Get yer act together and ramp up our hotel stock!
Won’t miss the guy on the Enquiries desk though. His rudeness had a dedicated thread on boards.ie.
@Ronan McKeon: my comment re: same appears to be have been deleted! I bought lots there over the years but would’ve bought more if he hadn’t been so arrogant.
@Ronan McKeon: he left months ago
I spent half a day in Chapters every week when it was in Abbey Street & I worked in town. Always emerged reluctantly with a full backpack of books. Any time I’m in town, I spend the last two hours browsing in Chapters. I’m grateful for every bookshop in Dublin. I also love Hodges Figgis, but Chapters held a huge range and is a big loss to Dublin. I really didn’t want to hear that they were having a closing down sale. My nearest bookshop isn’t near and only stocks the latest books, not even a whole series. I’ve discovered so many new favourite writers on Chapters’ shelves.
Sad to hear this as I always enjoyed shoplifting in there.
Wonder how many people on here lamenting it’s loss, but their books from Amazon?
@Bennett blaster: Speak for yourself, I haven’t bought a thing from Amazon in years.
@Fiona Fitzgerald: Same here. Made an effort during lockdown not to buy from Amazon. Chapters is very close to the luas, so I would get out on my way home from work and buy a book… One of the few things that made the end of “work from home” bearable.
@Zmeevo Libe: Chapters will be missed by us all. I often brought visitors there and they didn’t want to leave Dublin.
Pity
Always my favourite book store, abbey street was such a handy location, was always in it, but I found when it moved to Parnell street it became somewhere that required extra effort to go too, was out of the way of the main thoroughfare, I’d be on my way home and remember them, and then it was a case of ‘ah sure, I’ll get it online’. So many times over the years I’ve looked to see if they sell online and it was something they never got into, shame.
Loved going in for a browse, buying books for holidays ( when we could) !
I spent so much time here and The Winding Stair as a teen.
Sad to see it go.
@Alan McDonald: Oh my Gosh- The Winding Stair- that’s a blast from the past-
That was a great place. Ah! Good Times!
@Alan McDonald: Ah, good days. I’m going to have a banana and honey sandwich now that you’ve reminded me of the first Winding Stair café. It’s on Ormond Quay now.
Sad to hear that, loved a wander around the 2nd hand section.
@Breda Clarke: They had a great range, and I often bought a whole series from them between the new and secondhand floors.
@Fiona Fitzgerald: yes nearly always guaranteed to get what you want either new or 2nd hand.
And you could start reading them on the way home, no waiting in for delivery.
What a shame, was only there yesterday. Great book store and miles better than that other one on O’Connell Street. Will be sadly missed.
When people say ‘better’ what they are realy saying is that Chapters was not a pawn of the system, you could find non- mainstream books there that have the power to.open your mind. The closing of Chapters is in truth a profound blow to freedom of thought in Ireland. Bargain Books in Kilkenny is worth a visit. If lacking the breath of Chapters. A question, what could keep Chapters
open?
Oh I loved that shop when I lived in Dublin .To be honest didn’t use the shop in years .
You read it here first
I am so sad to hear that Chapters bookshop is about to close. I have always loved that bookshop and always found the staff to be very helpful and kind and patient!! I have bought many books there in the past, especially when I wanted a set of ten books for a bookclub group.
Your greeting cards, too, were always different and exciting!!!! thank you for being such a great place for so many of us!! We will miss you!
Anne Marie Flanagan
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