That was way too close for comfort! Peel Forest pretty close to epicentre- whole house shook, cupboard doors swung open, flashbacks to the ChCh quakes. #eqnz
Andy Somerton, owner of the Fairlie Bakehouse told the Herald he felt at least 30 seconds of shaking and considered diving under furniture.
“We were making that call in our mind, whether we needed to get down or not,” Somerton said.
“We felt it and our first thought was ‘ah, please tell me that’s not Christchurch again”.
Central South Island has been shaken by a M6.2 earthquake this morning. We have received over 14,000 felt reports for this strong quake. Remember to Drop, cover and hold in an earthquake and if you are near the coast, remember Long or Strong, Get Gone https://t.co/I3SnMl3L9Npic.twitter.com/NPojSdU9g3
The shaking was “really strong”, the bakehouse owner said, and he feared damage had been done to his store.
A quick inspection showed his shop was fine.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said he had spoken to Geraldine’s Chief Fire Officer who said there were no reports of damage in the area at this point. He was yet to speak to the other brigades in the area to confirm everything is OK.
Timaru District Mayor Nigel Bowen. Photo / Waka Kotahi
Timaru District Mayor Nigel Bowen was sitting down when the earthquake struck.
“I sort of looked out the window for some major machinery but it had a good little rumble to it, only for about 10 seconds but yeah you certainly noticed it.”
“I think the key thing if you’re concerned about earthquakes and if there is to be more just go to the appropriate channels to find the information, go to the reputable news channels and find out what’s going on and Geonet and such.”
Strongest quake this year, no tsunami threat
At magnitude 6.2, the event is the strongest earthquake recorded in New Zealand this year.
Other large quakes this year have included a magnitude 5.6 event, north of French Pass, on August 11, a 6.0 event near Paraparumu that struck amid the Cyclone Gabrielle disaster on February 15, and a 5.9 event near Pōrangahau on April 26.
Earlier in the year Canterbury was rocked by earthquakes measuring between 4.4 and 4.7. The quakes, in March and April, were the largest in the region in 2023 before today’s event.
The quake also follows some notable spates this year recorded around Kawerau, Te Aroha and Pōrangahau - and there have been nine in total measuring above 5.0.
But that didn’t mean there’d been more activity than usual this year.
The 10,957 quakes recorded over 2023′s first six months was relatively close to average, given our seismometers normally register around 20,000 in a year.
National Emergency Management Authority said there was no tsunami risk to New Zealand.
No reports of damage have been made, but people were advised to access EQC.co.nz for insurance information.
NEMA is aware of the M6.2 earthquake north of Geraldine and have assessed the information along with GNS Science. There is no tsunami risk to New Zealand. We have not had any reports of damage at this stage. For insurance information visit EQC website: https://t.co/V7pFBNGbvQ
— National Emergency Management Agency (@NZcivildefence) September 19, 2023
