A Civil Defence staff member completing a Level 1 Rapid Assessment inspection on a damaged house. The brickwork has crumbled and the broken windows have been boarded up.
Damage to buildings along Norwich Quay in Lyttelton. To the left is the Lyttelton Hotel with a crumbled top. Bricks have fallen on the awning and all along the footpath. To the right is a cafe that was damaged severely in the earthquake. The front wall of the top storey has crumbled onto the street, crushing a car. Wire fencing and road cones have been used to create a cordon around the buildings.
Damage to buildings along Norwich Quay in Lyttelton. To the left is the Lyttelton Hotel with a crumbled top. Bricks have fallen on the awning and all along the footpath. To the right is a cafe that was damaged severely in the earthquake. The front wall of the top storey has crumbled onto the street, crushing a car. Wire fencing and road cones have been used to create a cordon around the buildings.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Country Theme store on St Asaph Street. Sections of the façade crumbled. The bricks have been cleared from the footpath below. Steel fencing and road cones have been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of members of the New Zealand Police using a rescue dog to inspect an earthquake-damaged house in Christchurch. The front and side of the house has collapsed, the bricks and other rubble spilling onto the garden, exposing the rooms inside.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Country Theme store on St Asaph Street. Sections of the façade crumbled. The bricks have been cleared from the footpath below. Steel fencing and road cones have been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office walking down Gloucester Street towards the intersection of Manchester Street. Bricks from an earthquake-damaged building cover the footpath in the distance. Wire fences have been placed around the rubble as a cordon.
A Civil Defence staff member completing a Level 1 Rapid Assessment inspection on a damaged house. The brickwork and window have collapsed from the outer wall of the property.
In the early morning of 4th September 2010 the region of Canterbury, New Zealand, was subjected to a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. The epicentre was located near the town of Darfield, 40 km west of the city of Christchurch. This was the country’s most damaging earthquake since the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake (GeoNet, 2010). Since 4th September 2010 the region has been subjected to thousands of aftershocks, including several more damaging events such as a magnitude 6.3 aftershock on 22nd February 2011. Although of a smaller magnitude, the earthquake on 22nd February produced peak ground accelerations in the Christchurch region three times greater than the 4th September earthquake and in some cases shaking intensities greater than twice the design level (GeoNet, 2011; IPENZ, 2011). While in September 2010 most earthquake shaking damage was limited to unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings, in February all types of buildings sustained damage. Temporary shoring and strengthening techniques applied to buildings following the Darfield earthquake were tested in February 2011. In addition, two large aftershocks occurred on 13th June 2011 (magnitudes 5.7 and 6.2), further damaging many already weakened structures. The damage to unreinforced and retrofitted clay brick masonry buildings in the 4th September 2010 Darfield earthquake has already been reported by Ingham and Griffith (2011) and Dizhur et al. (2010b). A brief review of damage from the 22nd February 2011 earthquake is presented here
A photograph of the earthquake damage to The Volcano Café on London Street. The brick wall on the left side of the building has crumbled, and the bricks have spilt onto the footpath. A red sticker on the door indicates that the building is no longer safe to enter. Plywood has been used to board up the windows and wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.
Detail of damage to a house in Richmond. A double-brick wall has collapsed. A wire loop which formerly tied the two layers of bricks together has pulled out from one of the layers, showing how the two parts of the wall moved apart during the shaking. The photographer comments, "These photos show our old house in River Rd and recovery work around Richmond and St Albans. The remaining double brick by the back door has been further smashed and twisted".
Damage to the interior of a back room of the Durham Street Methodist Church. Plaster has come off the wall, baring the brick work.
Damage to the interior of a back room of the Durham Street Methodist Church. Plaster has come off the wall, baring the brick work.
Damage to the interior of a back room of the Durham Street Methodist Church. Plaster has come off the wall, baring the brick work.
Damage to the Strange's Building on High Street. The stone facade of the upper storey has collapsed, exposing the wooden and brick structures beneath.
Damage to the Strange's Building on High Street. The stone facade of the upper storey has collapsed, exposing the wooden and brick structures beneath.
Damage to the Strange's Building on Lichfield Street. The stone facade of the upper storey has collapsed, exposing the wooden and brick structures beneath.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to R&R Sport on the corner of Colombo and Tuam Streets. Most of the side wall has crumbled, exposing the wooden structure beneath.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to R&R Sport on the corner of Colombo and Tuam Streets. Most of the side wall has crumbled, exposing the wooden structure beneath.
A photograph looking west down Lichfield Street towards the intersection of Manchester Street. Bricks and other rubble from the earthquake-damaged buildings on either side of the road have scattered on the footpath and street. Road cones and plastic fencing has been used as cordons.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church. The middle section of the church has collapsed and the roof is now resting on a pile of bricks and other rubble. The front and back walls of the church are still standing.
A photograph of cars on Manchester Street which has been crushed by falling rubble. Bricks and other rubble from the earthquake-damaged shops above are scattered across the road in front. The word "clear" has been spray-painted on the side of the cars.
A photograph of earthquake-damaged buildings along Lichfield Street. Many of the buildings' facades have crumbled, and the bricks have fallen onto the road below.
A damaged brick wall around a courtyard garden on Ash Street, seen from Madras Street. The Alice in Videoland building can be seen in the background.
Damage to a brick house on Sherbourne Street, where much of the front and side walls have fallen away, partly landing on the property next door.
A photograph of earthquake-damaged buildings along Lichfield Street. Many of the buildings' facades have crumbled, and the bricks have fallen onto the road below.
Damage to a chimney of a house in Kerrs Road. The bricks at the base of the chimney have spread apart, but the chimney is still standing.
Damage to the Aranui Community Hall on Breezes Road. Large sections of the double-brick walls have collapsed, and a cordon fence has been erected around the building.
A damaged building on Durham Street. Cracks can be been in the brickwork, as well as a pile of bricks from a damaged wall to the left. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon. USAR codes have been spray-painted on the front window.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to Cranmer Courts on the corner of Montreal and Kilmore Streets. The brick walls of the gables have crumbled at the top, and wooden bracing has been placed against them to limit further damage.