Earthquakes

Having been through a few years of this in Christchurch some tips I'd suggest for those in Wellington:

• Be prepared for ongoing aftershocks for some time including some fairly large ones

• Keep a torch next to your bed.

• Keep shoes next to your bed - that's the first thing you want to get on.

• Now is a good time to secure bookshelves, wardrobes so they don't fall over. Move high loose items that are high elsewhere. Stick a strip of cellotape or string across shelves to prevent glasses and other items falling out.

• Plug in a cheap non-cordless landline phone. Standard (non cordless) phones are directly powered via the phone socket and backed up by UPS & Generator at Telecom and other major network providers. In a power cut any cordless phones will be unusable.

• Assume that cell phone networks will overload after every major quake & aftershock. Don't rely on cell phones to contact friends and family. In Christchurch it took 5+ hours for overloading to clear in order to send / receive calls. Instead check family members also have a standard landline phone plugged in and agree on a place to meet if you can't get through.

• Keep your car fuel topped up. In Christchurch It was extremely difficult to get petrol for a week after the Feb earthquake.

Get familiar with this:

http://www.getthru.govt.nz/web/GetThru.nsf/web/BOWN-7GY5TP

Note that doorways (particularly in modern buildings) are NOT stronger than the rest of the building. The official policy is now Drop, Cover, Hold. Get under a table.

If you live in a brick / masonry building do NOT run outside during an aftershock. Far too many people leave their perfectly safe internal structure to get hit by bricks falling off the building exterior.

Hey thanks @phillcoxon and @neilmorris . seems we are all good, no-one in the building this morning till engineer check, although looks fine to me, what would I know! Aaron and I are meeting over tea and then leaving

@vivienmaidabornloo do you know when engineer check is likely to happen? Just wondering if normal Monday afternoon meetings will happen. @jonlemmon @benjaminknightloom

Hey @matthewbartlett, Charmaine and Rochelle are keeping people updated through Yammer. No word on when engineer check will be yet, but hopefully before midday.

Thanks a lot for your thoughtful message @neilmorris! And for your advice from experience @phillcoxon

Yep thanks Phil - I already had a pretty awesome survival kit with food/firstaid/radio etc. Just added a backpack, cheap sleeping bags, cheap shoes.
And filled up big jerry cans with water. Also taken to wearing PJs to bed : )

Hey Welly Loomions. I felt today's big one in Nelson, so I hope you are all ok?

Sooo..... servers are safe?

We are all hunky dory here at the Enspiral office, though what a shock @malcolmshearer. I was in a user testing meeting that ended up with us under the table. Not the typical meeting eh @jacksondarlow. Lots of small and large aftershocks all day, but luckily we got away with just some spilled coffee and frayed nerves. Thanks for thinking of us Malcolm! How bad was it down in the south island?

Decent shake but nothing like seddon.