The Disaster Of New Zealand - 1548 Words

On February 22nd 2011, a delayed aftershock of a previous earthquake occurred in Christchurch, New Zealand. The M6.1 earthquake caused liquefaction, exacerbating the catastrophic damage to the city resulting in 185 casualties and damages accumulating too more than NZ$30 billion dollars. With regular seismic monitoring, scientist failed to identify a fault in the Canterbury plain causing an understandable impromptu of the community to the disaster. The initial response was effective and well managed in comparison to most disasters however there were fundamental issues identified that occurred post disaster that should be addressed. Details of the Disaster A M7.1 earthquake occurred in Canterbury, New Zealand on the 4th of September†¦show more content†¦The infrastructure damage was significant with over 1000 buildings in the central business district (CBD) and 10,000 residential homes have been demolished, leaving many homeless and closures of businesses (Kaiser et al, 2012). The Canterbury earthquake series instigated severe and continuing impacts on the social, economic, and natural environments of the area. Located on the pacific ring of fire (Figure 2), New Zealand has encountered strong earthquakes throughout its history, typically experiencing 20,000 detectable earthquakes per annum (GNS, 2015). Because of this, New Zealand enforced strict building codes that permit buildings to become more earthquake resistant by ensuring structural stability and durability to withstand earthquake forces. These codes were regularly updated simultaneously with the development of new technologies (Dunlevy-Wilson, 2011). Despite strict regulations, over 900 buildings in the CBD and 10,000 homes were demolished as a result of the Christchurch earthquake. This was partly due to the first M7.1 quake weakening buildings and the mere fact that not all pre-1970s buildings had been upgraded yet. Public awareness was also a vital method to increase safety of the community; hazard educational programs created by MCDEM (Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, 2009) provided comprehensive instructions on emergency evacuation and preparedness (Coomer et al., 2012). Mitigating potential