An insurance expert says a Supreme Court decision yesterday could open lawyers up to legal action from anybody who has bought a home in Christchurch since the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. The court's decision makes it clear that insurers cannot be held liable for meeting the full replacement cost of a quake damaged home by the subsequent purchaser of that house.
A photograph of a member of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team climbing a stairway inside an earthquake-damaged house. Bricks have fallen from the storey above and have covered the stairs.
A photograph of a member of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team climbing a stairway inside an earthquake-damaged house. Bricks have fallen from the storey above and have covered the stairs.
A photograph of an earthquake-damaged house on Gloucester Street. The bottom storey of the house has shifted and is now on a noticeable lean. USAR codes have been spray-painted on the front of the building and a red sticker has been placed on one of the windows.
Damage to Englefield Lodge on Fitzgerald Avenue. A pile of bricks lies in front of the house, windows are boarded up, and wooden bracing is propping up the walls. A spray-painted message on a wall reads "We will try to save this house." The photographer comments, "A bike ride around the CBD. Englefield, Christchurch's oldest house, in Fitzgerald Ave".
One landscape colour digital photograph taken on 22 March 2011 showing the demolition of the Dry Dock Pump House. Photograph taken from Brittan Terrace looking east over the Inner Harbour. Engineer The brick pump house for the Lyttelton Graving or Dry Dock was damaged in the 22 February 2011 Earthquake. Lyttelton Port of Christchurch decided to...
One landscape colour digital photograph taken on 22 March 2011 showing the demolition of the Dry Dock Pump House. Photograph taken from Cyrus Williams Quay beside the Cattle Jetty showing the southern side of the building. Engineer The brick pump house for the Lyttelton Graving or Dry Dock was damaged in the 22 February 2011 Earthquake. Lyttelt...
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Liz Brook has a full house after her brother's house was damaged in the earthquake. From left: Liz, her son Hayden holding his second cousin Kayleb, niece Jacinta (7), husband Ian, niece Shontelle and sister-in-law Karen".
A damaged house in Avonside. The front of the house has sunk due to subsidence in the ground caused by liquefaction. Codes have been spray painted on the front window by the North Shore City Council rescue team.
A damaged house teetering on the edge of the cliff in Sumner. Below, shipping containers along the edge of Peacock's Gallop protect the road from further rockfall. The photographer comments, "About four meters of the rock face collapsed on June 13 undermining several houses along the cliff top".
Damage to a house in Richmond. The foundation is all that remains of one room, and the exposed interior wall has been covered with builders' paper for protection. The photographer comments, "Revisiting our abandoned house. Back door and the floor of the sunroom".
Damage to a house in Richmond. Brick cladding is badly cracked and buckled, and some bricks have fallen. There is a large gap between the floor and the foundations. The photographer comments, "A bike ride around the CBD. Our house - foundations and floor parted".
Damage to a house in Richmond. Large gaps are visible between the floor and the foundation, and between the foundation and the patio. The photographer comments, "A bike ride around the CBD. Our house - patio is heading west - or the sunroom is heading east".
A collapsed two-storey house. The photographer comments, "After we finally made it to our home in the Aranui and Bexley areas, we saw a different level of destruction. Some houses were badly damaged such as this one where the top floor had collapsed onto the ground floor".
Damage to a house in Richmond. The brick wall is badly cracked and twisted, and some bricks have fallen, exposing the lining paper below. The photographer comments, "These photos show our old house in River Rd. Bricks are skewed and pulled in several directions".
Damage to a house in Richmond. The foundation is all that remains of one room, and the exposed interior wall has been covered with builders' paper for protection. The photographer comments, "Revisiting our abandoned house. Temporary protection after the sunroom was demolished".
On 4 September 2010, a magnitude Mw 7.1 earthquake struck the Canterbury region on the South Island of New Zealand. The epicentre of the earthquake was located in the Darfield area about 40 km west of the city of Christchurch. Extensive damage was inflicted to lifelines and residential houses due to widespread liquefaction and lateral spreading in areas close to major streams, rivers and wetlands throughout Christchurch and Kaiapoi. Unreinforced masonry buildings also suffered extensive damage throughout the region. Despite the severe damage to infrastructure and residential houses, fortunately, no deaths occurred and only two injuries were reported in this earthquake. From an engineering viewpoint, one may argue that the most significant aspects of the 2010 Darfield Earthquake were geotechnical in nature, with liquefaction and lateral spreading being the principal culprits for the inflicted damage. Following the earthquake, an intensive geotechnical reconnaissance was conducted to capture evidence and perishable data from this event. This paper summarizes the observations and preliminary findings from this early reconnaissance work.
A house which has been damaged by the earthquakes and is on a noticeable lean. Building rubble and furniture are sprawled out on the yard.
A view of the intersection of Colombo and Salisbury Streets. A damaged house that has been cordoned off can be partially seen in the background.
Damage property behind a fence. A front section of the house has already been removed, and bricks have fallen off a section of the wall.
Damage to the House of Travel in Merivale. On the cordon fence is a chalkboard sign with a skull and crossbones and the words "Stay back".
Damage to a house, where a section of corrgated tiles from the roof has crumbled. On the fence are tape and spray painted USAR codes.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Emma Goodall from Brooklands who wants to be paid out for the earthquake damage to her two houses".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Workers pull down the two chimneys at Community House in Timaru after they were damaged in the earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Emma Goodall from Brooklands who wants to be paid out for the earthquake damage to her two houses".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Emma Goodall from Brooklands who wants to be paid out for the earthquake damage to her two houses".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Workers pull down the two chimneys at Community House in Timaru after they were damaged in the earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Workers pull down the two chimneys at Community House in Timaru after they were damaged in the earthquake".
A photograph of a house with a damaged driveway. The photograph is captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "12a Askeaton Drive, Kaiapoi".
A photograph of a fire engine and fire fighters on Worcester Boulevard. In the background, a digger is being used to clear the rubble of 33 Worcester Street. Fire damage can be seen along the right wall of the house next door.