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Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

Tsunami have the potential to cause significant disruptions to society, including damage to infrastructure, critical to the every-day operation of society. Effective risk management is required to reduce the potential tsunami impacts to them. Christchurch city, situated on the eastern coast of New Zealand’s South Island, is exposed to a number of far-field tsunami hazards. Although the tsunami hazard has been well identified for Christchurch city infrastructure, the likely impacts have not been well constrained. To support effective risk management a credible and realistic infrastructure impact model is required to inform risk management planning. The objectives of this thesis are to assess the impacts on Christchurch city infrastructure from a credible, hypothetical far-field tsunami scenario. To achieve this an impact assessment process is adopted, using tsunami hazard and exposure measures to determine asset vulnerability and subsequent impacts. However, the thesis identified a number of knowledge gaps in infrastructure vulnerability to tsunami. The thesis addresses this by using two approaches: a tsunami damage matrix; and the development of tsunami fragility functions. The tsunami damage matrix pools together tsunami impacts on infrastructure literature, and post-event field observations. It represents the most comprehensive ‘look-up’ resource for tsunami impacts to infrastructure to date. This damage matrix can inform the assessment of tsunami impacts on Christchurch city infrastructure by providing a measure of damage likelihood at various hazard intensities. A more robust approach to tsunami vulnerability of infrastructure are fragility functions, which are also developed in this thesis. These were based on post-event tsunami surveys of the 2011 ‘Tohoku’ earthquake tsunami in Japan. The fragility functions are limited to road and bridge infrastructure, but represent the highest resolution measure of vulnerability for the given assets. As well as providing a measure of damage likelihood for a given tsunami hazard intensity, these also indicate a level of asset damage. The impact assessment process, and synthesized vulnerability measures, are used to run tsunami impact models for Christchurch infrastructure to determine the probability of asset damage occurring and to determine if impact will reach or exceed a given damage state. The models suggest that infrastructure damage is likely to occur in areas exposed to tsunami inundation in this scenario, with significant damage identified for low elevation roads and bridges. The results are presented and discussed in the context of the risk management framework, with emphasis on using risk assessment to inform risk treatment, monitoring and review. In summary, this thesis A) advances tsunami vulnerability and impact assessment methodologies for infrastructure and B) provides a tsunami impact assessment framework for Christchurch city infrastructure which will inform infrastructure tsunami risk management for planners, emergency managers and lifelines groups.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

The 2010 Darfield and 2011 Christchurch Earthquakes triggered extensive liquefaction-induced lateral spreading proximate to streams and rivers in the Christchurch area, causing significant damage to structures and lifelines. A case study in central Christchurch is presented and compares field observations with predicted displacements from the widely adopted empirical model of Youd et al. (2002). Cone penetration testing (CPT), with measured soil gradation indices (fines content and median grain size) on typical fluvial deposits along the Avon River were used to determine the required geotechnical parameters for the model input. The method presented attempts to enable the adoption of the extensive post-quake CPT test records in place of the lower quality and less available Standard Penetration Test (SPT) data required by the original Youd model. The results indicate some agreement between the Youd model predictions and the field observations, while the majority of computed displacements error on the side of over-prediction by more than a factor of two. A sensitivity analysis was performed with respect to the uncertainties used as model input, illustrating the model’s high sensitivity to the input parameters, with median grain size and fines content among the most influential, and suggesting that the use of CPT data to quantify these parameters may lead to variable results.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The much loved 'Dux de Lux' pub in Christchurch could be set to open its doors again in the next few years if enough money can be raised to restore it. The building was badly damaged by the earthquake in 2011 and a group looking to rebuild the pub say it could take around 12 million dollars to see it welcoming Cantabrians back. James Stewart of Gemelli Consulting had a yarn with Nathan Rarere about a couple of schemes to raise the money.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video about field trials conducted by the Department of Building and Housing at Queen Elizabeth II Park in Christchurch. Fifty kilograms of explosives are being used to simulate a magnitude-4 earthquake at a distance of 10 kilometres. The aim of the trials is to test soil-strengthening techniques that could be used to repair damaged land in Christchurch.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the rubble of the Observatory tower in the South Quad of the Christchurch Arts Centre. The tower collapsed during the 22 February 2011 earthquake. A digger was used to clear the rubble away from the building. Scaffolding constructed around the tower has also collapsed and is amongst the rubble. In the background is the damaged tower with a tarpaulin draped over the top.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the rubble of the Observatory tower in the South Quad of the Christchurch Arts Centre. The tower collapsed during the 22 February 2011 earthquake and a digger was used to clear the rubble away from the building. Scaffolding constructed around the tower has also collapsed and is amongst the rubble. In the background is the damaged tower with a tarpaulin draped over the top.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video about people buying marmite from the Fresh Choice supermarket in Merivale. The supermarket has a secret stash of marmite which they have made available to customers in exchange for a bank note. The bank notes will be donated to the Christchurch Women's Refuge. Marmite went missing from supermarket shelves across the country after the 22 February 2011 earthquake damaged the factory in Christchurch.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A digitally manipulated image of a daffodil placed on the gates of QEII Stadium. The photographer comments, "Someone placed a daffodil on the gates to the QEII Stadium in Christchurch. The stadium is being razed to the ground after being very badly damaged in the Christchurch earthquakes. Besides being a Commonwealth Games stadium it was also housed one of the best swimming pools in the region".

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

This study explores the impact post-earthquake images from Christchurch, New Zealand inserted into a task requiring sustained attention or vigilance have on performance, selfreports of task-focus, and cerebra activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The images represent the current state of Christchurch; a city struggling to recover from devastating earthquakes that peaked in February, 2011, killing 185 people, injuring hundreds more and causing widespread and massive damage to infrastructure, land and building in the region. Crowdsourcing was used to gather a series of positive and negative photos from greater Christchurch to be employed in the subsequent experiment. Seventy-one Christchurch resident participants (51 women, 20 men) then took part in a vigilance task with the sourced images embedded to assess possible cognitive disruptions. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: embedded positive pictures, embedded negative pictures, or embedded scrambled image controls. Task performance was assessed with signal detection theory metrics of sensitivity A’ and β’’. Individuals viewing the positive images, relating to progress, rebuild, or aesthetic aspects within the city, were overall more conservative or less willing to respond than those in the other conditions. In addition, positive condition individuals reported lower task focus, when compared to those in the control condition. However, indicators of cerebral activity (fNIRS) did not differ significantly between the experimental groups. These results combined, suggest that mind wandering events may be being generated when exposed to positive post-earthquake images. This finding fits with recent research which indicates that mind-wandering or day dreaming tends to be positive and future oriented. While positive recovery images may initiate internal thoughts, this could actually prove problematic in contexts in which external attention is required. While the actual environment, of course, needs to recover, support agencies may want to be careful with employing positive recovery imagery in contexts where people actually should be paying attention to something else, like operating a vehicle or machinery.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on Barbadoes Street, severely damaged after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The domes on either side of the Cathedral have collapsed and are lying in the area in front. To the right, a crushed car can just be seen.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on Barbadoes Street, severely damaged after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The domes on either side of the Cathedral have collapsed and are lying in the area in front. To the right, a crushed car can just be seen.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

Earthquake-triggered soil liquefaction caused extensive damage and heavy economic losses in Christchurch during the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes. The most severe manifestations of liquefaction were associated with the presence of natural deposits of clean sands and silty sands of fluvial origin. However, liquefaction resistance of fines-containing sands is commonly inferred from empirical relationships based on clean sands (i.e. sands with less than 5% fines). Hence, existing evaluation methods have poor accuracy when applied to silty sands. The liquefaction behaviour of Christchurch fines-containing (silty) sands is investigated through a series of Direct Simple Shear (DSS) tests. This type of test better resembles earthquake loading conditions in soil deposits compared to cyclic triaxial tests. Soil specimens are reconstituted in the laboratory with the water sedimentation technique. This preparation method yields soil fabrics similar to those encountered in fluvial soil deposits, which are common in the Christchurch area. Test results provide preliminary indications on how void ratio, relative density, preparation method and fines content influence the cyclic liquefaction behaviour of sand-silt mixtures depending on the properties of host sand and silt.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

ANDREW LITTLE to the Prime Minister: What are the priorities for the Government in assisting communities affected by yesterday’s earthquake? MATT DOOCEY to the Minister of Finance: What advice has he received about the economic impact of the Kaikōura earthquake? EUGENIE SAGE to the Minister of Transport: What updates can he give on the transport sector’s response to earthquake damage to State Highway 1 and the rail line between Seddon and Cheviot? GRANT ROBERTSON to the Minister of Finance: What is his initial assessment of the fiscal impact of yesterday morning’s earthquake and what, if any, new or changed Budget allocations is he considering in response to the earthquake? PAUL FOSTER-BELL to the Minister of Civil Defence: How is the Government supporting people affected by the Kaikōura earthquake? RON MARK to the Minister of Civil Defence: Can the Government assure New Zealanders on our level of preparedness for all natural disasters? SUE MORONEY to the Minister of Transport: What roads and public transport services are currently not operational following damage from the earthquake yesterday and when is it expected access and services will be restored? BRETT HUDSON to the Minister of Transport: What action is the Government taking to repair damaged transport infrastructure following the Kaikōura earthquake? GARETH HUGHES to the Minister of Broadcasting: Will she join with me to acknowledge the work of all media in New Zealand, which is so important in times of natural disaster and crisis; if so, will she consider increasing our public broadcaster Radio New Zealand’s funding in Budget 2017? CLAYTON MITCHELL to the Minister of Civil Defence: What progress has been made, if any, on new civil defence legislation which focuses on large and significant events such as the Christchurch and Kaikōura earthquakes? ALASTAIR SCOTT to the Minister of Health: What updates has he received on the Government’s health response to the Kaikōura earthquake? CLARE CURRAN to the Minister of Civil Defence: What actions have been taken by Civil Defence to ensure those people in the areas worst hit by the earthquake have enough food, clothing, water, and shelter?

Articles, UC QuakeStudies

A copy of a document from Empowered Christchurch which was sent to Queen Elizabeth. The document consists of a letter from Empowered Christchurch to Douglas Martin, Crown Manager from the Christchurch City Council, and Official Information Act requests sent to Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson and Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee. It also includes an appeal to the Queen on behalf of Christchurch residents with badly-damaged houses. Please note that a letter from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, which was originally included in the document, has been removed due to copyright issues.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

A review of the week's news including: Christchurch's emergency operation moves from rescue to recovery, two minutes' silence observed nationwide, government announces aid package, Finance Minister outlines cost of quake, a fifth of Christchurch population has fled, inquiry launched into collapse of damaged buildings, many Christchurch schools remain closed and some of their pupils enrol elsewhere, students and farmers roll up their sleeves to help quake victims, rescuers tell stories of survival, hundreds of Wellington buildings expected not to meet earthquake safety standards and time capsule discovered under statue of Christchurch founding father

Research papers, Victoria University of Wellington

We examine the role of business interruption insurance in business recovery following the Christchurch earthquake in 2011 in the short- and medium-term. In the short-term analysis, we ask whether insurance increases the likelihood of business survival in the aftermath of a disaster. We find only weak evidence that those firms that had incurred damage, but were covered by business interruption insurance, had higher likelihood of survival post-quake compared with those firms that did not have insurance. This absence of evidence may reflect the high degree of uncertainty in the months following the 2011 earthquake and the multiplicity of severe aftershocks. For the medium-term, our results show a more explicit role for insurance in the aftermath of a disaster. Firms with business interruption insurance have a higher probability of increasing productivity and improved performance following a catastrophe. Furthermore, our results show that those organisations that receive prompt and full payments of their claims have a better recovery, in terms of profitability and a subjective ‘”better off” measure’ than those that had protracted or inadequate claim payments (less than 80% of the claim paid within 2.5 years). Interestingly, the latter group does worse than those organisations that had damage but no insurance coverage. This analysis strongly indicates the importance not only of good insurance coverage, but of an insurance system that also delivers prompt claim payments. As a first paper attempting to empirically identify a causal effect of insurance on business recovery, we also emphasize some caveats to our analysis.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

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.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to a block of buildings in central Christchurch. The basement of the buildings have collapsed and the concrete blocks have spilled into the car park. Large cracks have also formed in between the blocks in the walls of the building to the left.

Images, Alexander Turnbull Library

Text reads 'Solution to Christchurch sewage problems?...' A woman, with a roll of toilet paper in her hand, climbs a ladder to a toilet that is positioned on a sewage pipe high above the ground. There are further toilets at intervals on the pipe. Her husband stands in the garden and observes that it is 'Easy to access and easy to repair'. Context - the Christchurch earthquakes and continuing aftershocks have done huge damage to sewage infrastructures which suggests having the pipes above ground as a solution. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

The Canterbury earthquakes caused huge amounts of damage to Christchurch and the surrounding area and presented a very challenging situation for both insurers and claimants. While tourism has suffered significant losses as a result, particularly due to the subsequent decrease in visitor numbers, the Canterbury region was very fortunate to have high levels of insurance coverage. This report, based on data gathered from tourism operators on the ground in Canterbury, looks at how this sector has been affected by the quakes, claims patterns, and the behaviour and perceptions of tourism operators about insurance.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Questions to Ministers 1. AMY ADAMS to the Minister of Finance: How many claims does the Earthquake Commission expect to receive as a result of the earthquakes in Canterbury since 4 September 2010? 2. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that "rebuilding Christchurch is a key priority for the Government this year"; if so, what rebuilding plans are currently in place? 3. METIRIA TUREI to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she stand by her statement that state support is for "people to fall back on when they really need it"? 4. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that New Zealanders were "more than compensated" for last year's increase in GST? 5. NICKY WAGNER to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: How is her Ministry responding to support the Christchurch recovery following last month's earthquake? 6. JACINDA ARDERN to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his answers to Oral Question number one on 8 March 2011; if not, why not? 7. AARON GILMORE to the Minister of Corrections: What support has the Department of Corrections provided to the people of Christchurch following last month's earthquake? 8. Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM to the Minister of Finance: How much has he budgeted to raise from the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal and has this figure been revised in light of the Japanese earthquake? 9. JO GOODHEW to the Minister of Internal Affairs: What work will the New Zealand Urban Search and Rescue team be carrying out in Japan? 10. Hon SHANE JONES to the Minister of Transport: Does he stand by his statement that the $300 million bill for restoring the Christchurch road network won't be causing any "dramatic issues" and what is his timeframe for the completion of this work? 11. COLIN KING to the Minister of Transport: What work has been done to repair and reopen Christchurch's roads and highways following the 22 February earthquake? 12. Hon STEVE CHADWICK to the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage: Has he had any discussions with the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery about heritage buildings or recovering cultural artefacts from buildings damaged by the earthquake on 22 February; if so, what did he say to the Minister?

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video about the work which is being conducted in the Christchurch Red Zone in the weeks after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Members of the New Zealand Army and Civil Defence are working to secure business premises by boarding up broken windows and doors. The video also includes footage of the damage to the Fisher's Building, the Press Building, Ballies Bar, and ChristChurch Cathedral, and many buildings on High Street.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of an interview with Shaun Gladwell, a London-based artist, about the sculptures he designed for the Christchurch central city. Gladwell talks about how the sculptures are based on skateboard forms and have been designed to be used by skateboarders. He also talks about being inspired by YouTube videos of Christchurch skateboarders who used the damaged landscape in Christchurch as a skate park after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The video includes clips from some of these YouTube videos.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of the Christchurch central city recorded shortly after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. In the video, Press reporter Olivia Carville describes the experiences of people within the central city. There is also footage of a woman being rescued from the ChristChurch Cathedral, people trapped in the Press building, damaged buildings on Colombo Street and Manchester Street, people evacuating the Forsyth Barr building using a rope, and people gathering in Latimer Square.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

This book is the result of an investigation into the vulnerability of the infrastructure serving metropolitan Christchurch (including Lyttelton). The work was undertaken by the Christchurch Engineering Lifelines Group and the objectives are: to identify the vulnerability of engineering lifeline services to damage from earthquakes, flooding, tsunami and meteorological hazards; to identify practical engineering strategies for reducing the risk or impact of such damage and for providing for reinstatement following such events; and to communicate the issues to people involved in the management of these services and to raise the awareness of the public to their importance.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A protest sign painted on a fence shows an image of the cathedral spire and the words "Save + restore, stone by precious stone!" The photographer comments, "The Christchurch Cathedral got very badly damaged in the earthquake. It was being demolished down to a safe level before a major protest managed to stop it going too far. There is still an ongoing debate on what to do with the Cathedral. In the meantime a cardboard cathedral made out of a steel framework and massive toilet roll tubes is being constructed close by. This is to the right of the protest about the closure of Christchurch schools".

Audio, Radio New Zealand

It's been a long road to restore Christchurch's Isaac Theatre Royal, but tonight, it will finally open its doors again. The theatre sustained considerable damage in the earthquakes of 22nd February and 13th June 2011 and continuing shakes have made the restoration particularly difficult for architects. The project architect from Warren and Mahoney, is Vanessa Carswell.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is promising help for Tongan children traumatised by Cyclone Gita and says New Zealand was too slow responding to children caught up in the Christchurch earthquakes. Ms Ardern spent the day in Nuku'alofa where she went to a school that was badly damaged from the cyclone last month. RNZ political reporter Mei Heron is in Tonga.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

An earthquake-damaged road in north-east Christchurch. The manhole in the centre of the road has risen and a road cone has been placed in the centre to warn road users. Residents have piled liquefaction from their properties on the side of the road where it will be collection by road maintenance contractors.