On 4 September 2010, people in Canterbury were shaken from their beds by a major earthquake. This report tells the story of the University of Canterbury (UC), its staff and its students, as they rose to the many challenges presented by the earthquake. This report however, is intended to do more than just acknowledge their hard work and determination; it also critically reflects on the things that worked well and the aspects of the response that, in hindsight, could have been done better. Luckily major events such as this earthquake do not happen every day. UC has benefited from the many universities around the world that have shared their experiences of previous disasters. We hope that this report serves to pass forward the favour and enables others to benefit from the lessons that we have learnt from this event.
This paper provides a photographic tour of the ground-surface rupture features of the Greendale Fault, formed during the 4th September 2010 Darfield Earthquake. The fault, previously unknown, produced at least 29.5 km of strike-slip surface deformation of right-lateral (dextral) sense. Deformation, spread over a zone between 30 and 300 m wide, consisted mostly of horizontal flexure with subsidiary discrete shears, the latter only prominent where overall displacement across the zone exceeded about 1.5 m. A remarkable feature of this event was its location in an intensively farmed landscape, where a multitude of straight markers, such as fences, roads and ditches, allowed precise measurements of offsets, and permitted well-defined limits to be placed on the length and widths of the surface rupture deformation.
A man, half shown, sits on a loo and says 'Dang! I'm busting again! as he reaches for the toilet paper which has a different 'quake claim' printed on each section. Context - Magnitude 6.0 and 5.5 earthquakes rocked Christchurch again at 1pm and 2.20pm on 13th June 2011. These quakes follow the first earthquake on September 4th 2010 and the second on February 22nd 2011. (www.stuff.co.nz, 13 June 2011) Each time there is a significant quake more damage is done and so people have to make further insurance claims. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Topics - A couple of New Zealand women, determined to carry on clubbing with kids, have launched the first New Zealand-based"Baby Loves Disco"franchise in Auckland's Viaduct. The"sheer strength and power"of the September the 4th earthquake has more than doubled the number of reported supernatural events in Canterbury, according to a paranormal investigator. The 2010 Census of Women's Participation reveals that female participation in governance, professional and public life is slipping away - erasing gains made in the past decades.
Two men carry backpacks and shopping bags along Tuam Street, stepping over emergency tape that lies across the road. Brick dust covers the street where fallen bricks have been cleared. The photographer comments, "Two members of our office carrying gear through the cordon. This was taken shortly after the 4th September earthquake. Police allowed us free access past the cordon and simply advised us to watch out for falling masonry. The access situation was much different after the February aftershock".
A man gets a phonecall from the Earthquake Commission (EQC) informing him that he can 'remediate and build here again!' The call comes just as another aftershock happens causing the family and pets to huddle in a terrified crowd as the house collapses around them and they find themselves waist-deep in mud and water. Refers to the Canterbury earthquake of 4th September and its continuing aftershocks as well as the problems surrounding rebuilding. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Labour leader Phil Goff is being 'shored up' and strengthened by reinforced steel beams which represent his 'leadership. He tells ACT leader Rodney Hide who holds a newspaper with a headline reading 'ACT rattled again' that he needs to 'strengthen now before the next shake up!' As an insecure leader he is showing sympathy to Rodney Hide who is even more insecure because of the recent embarrassment of the David Garrett debacle. The title of the cartoon is 'Quake-proofing essential...' which is a reference to the Christchurch earthquake of 4th September and the continuing aftershocks. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The Christchurch earthquake sequence has been on-going since September 4th 2010. The largest two earthquakes, magnitude (M) 7.1 on September 4th and the M 6.3 on February 22nd 2011 caused immediate and significant damage to the city of Christchurch. As a consequence of the earthquakes, the tourism sector in the Canterbury region has been heavily impacted, with broader impacts being felt throughout the South Island. Resilient Organisations and the University of Canterbury began a series of quantitative investigations into the recovery and response of key business sectors to the earthquakes. The purpose of this study was to build on this work by exploring the outcomes of the earthquakes on the tourism sector, a critical economic driver in the region. Two postal surveys were sent to 719 tourism business managers; the first to businesses in the ‘Impact Zone’ defined as areas that experienced Modified Mercalli intensities greater than 6. The second survey was sent to the remaining businesses throughout the Canterbury region (‘Rest of Canterbury’). Response rates were 46% response for the Impact Zone, and 29% for the Rest of Canterbury. Key findings:
Text above reads 'Prince William comes to Christchurch...' A special royal portaloo has been arranged for the visit of Prince William to Christchurch; it is built to resemble a castle and has gold door fittings. On either side of the portaloo stands a sentry guard. The prince who is inside whispers 'I can't find the royal flush button' (wordplay on 'royal flush' and the 'flush' of a toilet) Context - Prince William visited the Civil Defence headquarters in Christchurch with Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker on the 17th March to see the damage caused by the earthquakes of the 4th September 2010 and the 22 February 2011. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
A man with his arm around his wife and baby stands on a heap of rubble with a spade in his other hand. In the background are the Christchurch Cathedral and several other badly damaged buildings and a signpost reading 'Christchurch' lies on top of the rubble. Text reads 'Buildings may fall but the Kiwi spirit and compassion for our neighbours will never be crushed...' There are two versions of the cartoon, one in colour and one black and white. Refers to the Christchurch earthquake of 4th September 2010. Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
Two people peer out from underneath a table waiting for an earthquake predicted by astrologer Ken Ring. One of them says 'Load of rubbish that Ken Ring prediction eh?' and the other agrees. Context - After the two big earthquakes in Christchurch on 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011, the so-called Moon Man, Ken Ring, is backing away from his prediction that Christchurch will be whacked by a huge earthquake on the 20th of March 2011. His claims terrified Cantabrians and led to people fleeing Christchurch. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Two people stare at a demolition scene. The man thinks there must have been an earthquake but the woman advises him that it was the city council. Refers to plans to demolish three buildings in Wellington's Willis Street without public consultation. The buildings due for demolition are owned by Singaporean Grand Complex Properties, which plans eventually to build a multimillion-dollar high-rise on the site, reports stuff.co.nz. The Canterbury earthquake happened 4th September and as a result there has been a lot of discussion about the need to preserve historic buildings if at all possible. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The cartoon consists of the words 'More quACHES' drawn with a stencil. Context - Two more earthquakes rocked Christchurch on 13th June, following those of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011. The first magnitude 5.5 quake struck at 1pm, 10 kilometres east of Christchurch at Taylor's Mistake beach, at a depth of 11 kilometres, and sent people scrambling for cover. It was followed at 2.20pm by a more powerful magnitude 6 quake, centred 10 kilometres southeast of the city and 9km underground. There is a wordplay on 'quakes' and 'aches'. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Prime Minister John Key stands grinning on a cracked pedestal bearing the words 'Most popular P.M.' In the background is the Beehive flying a skull and crossbones flag. The landscape is a desert with cactus and dried bones and a vulture in a bare tree. A man and a woman comment that it looks as though the quake may have done damage in Wellington after all, that and the crash of the SCF fund. Refers to two major events in the Canterbury area in recent times that have incurred huge government costs; these are the collapse of the South Canterbury Finance Company and the earthquake that struck early Saturday morning 4th September. The South Canterbury Finance Company has been taken into receivership by the government which has guaranteed that all 30,000 fortunate high-risk investors will be paid out $1.6b thanks to the taxpayer. Treasury is assuming that the cost of the earthquake will reach $4 billion, including $2 billion worth of estimated damage to private dwellings and their contents, $1 billion of damage to commercial property, and $1 billion worth of damage to public infrastructure. There is a colour and a black and white version of this cartoon Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
The cartoon shows a family standing proudly in front of their tent which has 'No leaks!', is 'Earthquake-proof!', and 'Affordable!' An 'Optional extra' is an 'inflatable base for tsunami-prone areas'. Text below reads 'Not suitable for volcanic areas. Refers to the problems that have been experienced in the last couple of decades with leaky homes because of slack building codes (which have now been tightened), refers also to the Canterbury earthquake of 4th September with its aftermath of rebuilding for greater earthquake proofing and lastly refers to the problem of people being unable to afford houses. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
A small boy is being a real entrepreneur after the Christchurch earthquake of 22 February 2011 and has set up a road-side stall from which you can buy a bag of 'real leakyfakshun'. Behind him is a pile of liquefaction and a spade with which he can fill bags. Context - the Christchurch earthquake of 22 February has caused vastly more liquefaction than the original 4th September earthquake. The vibrations from the quake cause liquefaction which is where the soil loses strength and stiffness, and behaves more like a liquid than a solid - rather like wet sand. Colour and black and white versions available Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
An official at the 'Otago Port Co.' stares in bewilderment at the feet of his colleague at the Lyttelton Port Company who says 'Ah, that might do it for now' as he hangs upside down by his feet from his upturned desk in the aftermath of the 4th September Canterbury earthquake. Text above reads 'News, the Lyttelton Port Co. has halted merger talks with Otago since the 'quake, saying "the landscape has changed". Refers to the news that Lyttelton Port, the South Island's biggest port, abandoned two-years of merger talks with rival Port Otago because it is preoccupied with rebuilding after the Canterbury earthquake. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
A man and woman clutch each other in terror as their house rocks in an aftershake; the man grabs his phone and offers his land for sale adding that 'foreigners are welcome'. Refers to the Canterbury earthquake of 4th September 2010 which continues to experience aftershakes, some of them quite significant. Refers also to the debate about whether New Zealand should be selling land, particularly farms, to foreigners; one side of the debate considers the sale of land to foreigners to make economic sense while others feel that our heritage is being lost. Both colour and black and white versions of this cartoon are available Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
It is the middle of the night and a man wearing his dressing-gown runs out of his house towards a portaloo clutching a toilet roll and saying 'Try me'. The neighbourhood is wrecked by earthquakes. On the ground is a newspaper with a headline that reads 'New Delhi athletes substandard accomodation facilities'. A second newspaper reads 'Given the choice many prefer to stay home'. Context: The first Christchurch earthquake shook the city on early morning of the 4th September 2010. The destruction of sewage infrastructure has meant portaloos and long-drops have become de rigeur as a consequence. There was a desperate rush to get the village ready for the influx of athletes before the opening of the Commonwealth Games on 3rd October 2010 and there was a fear that unsatisfactory sanitation systems might cause health and safety problems. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
There is a critical strand of literature suggesting that there are no ‘natural’ disasters (Abramovitz, 2001; Anderson and Woodrow, 1998; Clarke, 2008; Hinchliffe, 2004). There are only those that leave us – the people - more or less shaken and disturbed. There may be some substance to this; for example, how many readers recall the 7.8 magnitude earthquake centred in Fiordland in July 2009? Because it was so far away from a major centre and very few people suffered any consequences, the number is likely to be far fewer than those who remember (all too vividly) the relatively smaller 7.1 magnitude Canterbury quake of September 4th 2010 and the more recent 6.3 magnitude February 22nd 2011 event. One implication of this construction of disasters is that seismic events, like those in Canterbury, are as much socio-political as they are geological. Yet, as this paper shows, the temptation in recovery is to tick boxes and rebuild rather than recover, and to focus on hard infrastructure rather than civic expertise and community involvement. In this paper I draw upon different models of community engagement and use Putnam’s (1995) notion of ‘social capital’ to frame the argument that ‘building bridges’ after a disaster is a complex blend of engineering, communication and collaboration. I then present the results of a qualitative research project undertaken after the September 4th earthquake. This research helps to illustrate the important connections between technical rebuilding, social capital, recovery processes and overall urban resilience.
Shows a graph illustrating the 'Growth forecast' for the economy. A large finger representing the 'Reserve Bank' squashes the growth arrow as though it is a fly and it starts to zig-zag crazily downwards. The statement made 16th September looked a shadow of the bright one the Reserve Bank published three months ago. With its forecasts finalised the day before the Canterbury earthquake struck, the Bank has taken secateurs to its economic growth track, and a carving knife to its interest rate path. Instead of GDP growth pushing 4% this year and next, for example, it now struggles to reach 3% in each. It's tempting to think this has been driven by the wobbling international news over recent months. In fact it's been because of a suddenly sombre view around NZ consumer spending and the housing market. (Interest.co.nz) Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Homeless earthquake victims arrive in Hobbiton with their bags when it seems that New Zealand is going to lose The Hobbit to another country. Refers to the dispute between Warner Brothers, represented by Peter Jackson, and NZ Actors Equity over a union demand for negotiations over the terms and conditions offered in the contracts for actors and others working on the film very nearly caused the film to be made somewhere else. The battle, which was eventually resolved successfully after meetings between PM John Key and Warner Brothers representatives, divided New Zealanders. Refers also to the Canterbury earthquake of 4th September and its aftershocks that have left many houses uninhabitable. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
A man wearing shorts and gumboots stands surrounded by liquefaction beside his collapsing house. He tries to phone the 'Quake helpline' for assistance and gets the response 'You have reached the quake helpline... If you're up to your knees in liquefaction... Press 1. If your house is down around your ears... Press 2. If you're looking for assistance or answers press on'. Context - The increasing frustration and misery of many Christchurch residents who are experiencing huge difficulty getting assistance after months of delays and continuing aftershocks following the Christchurch earthquakes of 4th September, 22 February and the two most recent ones on 13 June. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The cartoon shows God sitting at his computer with an image of a devastated Christchurch on the screen. He is about to hit the 'smite' key. Text above reads 'God at his computer'. Context - Two more earthquakes rocked Christchurch on 13th June, following those of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011. The first magnitude 5.5 quake struck at 1pm, 10 kilometres east of Christchurch at Taylor's Mistake beach, at a depth of 11 kilometres, and sent people scrambling for cover. It was followed at 2.20pm by a more powerful magnitude 6 quake, centred 10 kilometres southeast of the city and 9km underground. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The city of Christchurch has experienced over 10,000 aftershocks since the 4th of September 2010 earthquake of which approximately 50 have been greater than magnitude 5. The damage caused to URM buildings in Christchurch over this sequence of earthquakes has been well documented. Due to the similarity in age and construction of URM buildings in Adelaide, South Australia and Christchurch (they are sister cities, of similar age and heritage), an investigation was conducted to learn lessons for Adelaide based on the Christchurch experience. To this end, the number of URM buildings in the central business districts of both cities, the extent of seismic strengthening that exists in both cities, and the relative earthquake hazards for both cities were considered. This paper will report on these findings and recommend strategies that the city of Adelaide could consider to significantly reduce the seismic risk posed by URM buildings in future earthquake.
The cartoon is entitled 'seismic upheaval'. Prime Minister John Key and Finance Minister Bill English stand near great seismic cracks in the ground and stare sadly at a huge wallet, 'Bill's boodle', belonging to Bill English. Vast quantities of banknotes spill out of the cash pocket in the wallet which also contains a 'travel card', a 'house card' and an 'expenses card'. The various cards in the wallet refer to expense account embarrassments relating to Bill English. Etched in the ground are the words 'Christchurch quake' and 'South Canterbury Finance'. The cartoon refers to two major events in the Canterbury area in recent times that have incurred huge government costs; these are the collapse of the South Canterbury Finance Company and the earthquake that struck early Saturday morning 4th September. The South Canterbury Finance Company has been taken into receivership by the government which has guaranteed that all 30,000 fortunate high-risk investors will be paid out $1.6b thanks to the taxpayer. Treasury is assuming that the cost of the earthquake will reach $4 billion, including $2 billion worth of estimated damage to private dwellings and their contents, $1 billion of damage to commercial property, and $1 billion worth of damage to public infrastructure. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Shows a couple in their car driving along a road festooned with election billboards. The man reads a billboard and comments that the mayor is promising to 'move our district forward' and his partner suggests that with all the new jobs down in Christchurch maybe he should move the district down there. Probably refers to mayoral hopefuls in Whangarei, Pamela Sue Peters or Stan Semenoff, suggesting that people should move to Christchurch for jobs which, since the 4th September 2010 earthquake, are going to be plentiful. But it seems that every mayoral candidate in the country is intent on moving his or her part of New Zealand forward if they win the October 9 local body election. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Two huge wrestlers, one representing 'Port Hills fault' and the other 'Greendale fault' struggle together over a broken Christchurch. Another wrestler, representing 'Other faults' appears in the distance yelling 'Is it my turn yet?' Context - Christchurch has now had three major earthquakes and thousands of aftershocks. It now appears likely that the Christchurch quakes resulted from activity on a fault extending directly eastward from the Alpine fault that remained unknown until last year, says Roger Musson, a seismologist at the British Geological Survey in Edinburgh. The new fault first came to light last September (4th) when a stronger but less calamitous quake shook Darfield, 40 kilometres west of Christchurch. Musson says the latest quake (Feb 22, 2011) probably resulted from an eastward continuation of activity on the same fault. "It has probably not moved for tens of thousands of years, so lots of strain built up," says Musson. The third major quake happened on 13th June 2011. (New Scientist - February 22, 2011) Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
At 4.35 a.m. on the 4th of September 2010 Christchurch residents were shaken awake by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake, the largest earthquake to hit urban New Zealand for nearly 80 years. It was a large earthquake. On average the world only has 17 earthquakes a year larger than magnitude seven. Haiti’s earthquake in January 2010 was magnitude 7.1 and Chile’s earthquake in February was magnitude 8.8. Although it was a big quake, Christchurch was lucky. In Haiti’s earthquake over 230,000 people were killed and in Chile 40,000 homes were destroyed. Happily this was not the situation in Christchurch, however the earthquake has caused considerable damage. The challenge for the Landscape Architecture community is to contribute to the city’s reconstruction in ways that will not only fix the problems of housing, and the city’s urban, suburban and neighbourhood fabric but that will do so in ways that will help solve the landscape problems that dogged the city before the earthquake struck.
Two days after the 22 February 2011 M6.3 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, three of the authors conducted a transect of the central city, with the goal of deriving an estimate of building damage levels. Although smaller in magnitude than the M7.1 4 September 2010 Darfield earthquake, the ground accelerations, ground deformation and damage levels in Christchurch central city were more severe in February 2011, and the central city was closed down to the general public. Written and photographic notes of 295 buildings were taken, including construction type, damage level, and whether the building would likely need to be demolished. The results of the transect compared favourably to Civil Defence rapid assessments made over the following month. Now, more than one year and two major aftershocks after the February 2011 earthquake these initial estimates are compared to the current demolition status to provide an updated understanding of the state of central Christchurch.