Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Clock tower at the old railway station, now Science Alive, stopped at time of the earthquake and won't be fixed until after the shocks stop".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The new Christchurch Council building has suffered only cosmetic damage in the September 4th earthquake. Ngai Tahu Property development manager Gordon Craig inspects the damage".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The Brooklands area is having a street party to lift their spirits as their area is a mess after the September 4 M7.1 earthquake".
A member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force refuelling a Iroquois helicopter in Hagley Park. The Iroquois helicopters were used to tour Christchurch after the 22 February 2011 earthquake.
A presentation by Dr Deirdre Hart (Department of Geography) on "Making Coastal Cities Resilient: Lessons from Christchurch" as part of the 2012 Earthquake Forums held at the University of Canterbury.
A window has been spray painted after the building was cleared by a USAR team. This system was used following the February earthquake to mark buildings that have been checked.
Detail of spray painted codes left after a building was cleared by a USAR team. This system was used following the February earthquake to mark buildings that have been checked.
A fence has been spray painted after the building was cleared by a USAR team. This system was used following the February earthquake to mark buildings that have been checked.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch begins the slow recovery process after last weeks devastating 7.1 earthquake. The historic MLC Building on Manchester Street is due for demolition. Manchester Courts".
Christchurch lawyer Duncan Webb made the shift into politics because of the people left behind after the Christchurch earthquakes. Now he's ahead of National's Nicky Wagner in the latest results.
A Christchurch man says EQC misled him about the earthquake damage to his home and deliberately under-scoped the repairs that were needed. David Townshend said his warnings were ignored.
The newly elected Christchurch City Council had its first meeting with the Earthquake Recovery Minister last night, and councillors say it was the beginning of a much better working relationship.
On the third anniversary of the first major earthquake to hit Christchurch thousands of people with the most badly damaged homes are still wrangling with their insurance companies over rebuilds.
Built in June 1917, the popular 'Sign of the Kiwi' heritage building in Christchurch's Port Hills has re-opened today after being closed for six years due to earthquake damage.
Many farmers' homes have been red-stickered after the Kaikoura earthquake, but they say they can't leave because their farms aren't just their homes, they're their livelihoods
Video of an interview Anna Mowat's experiences of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The video was edited by Georgina Tarren-Sweeney for the Women's Voices project. Interviewer: Allie McMillan.
Christchurch's Graffiti House... This Cranford Street house was damaged in the earthquakes and is due for demolished this week but has been given a Graffiti Makeover by local Street Artists.
There is a relationship between inelastic deformation and energy dissipation in structures that are subjected to earthquake ground motions. Thus, if seismic energy dissipation can be achieved by means of a separate non-load bearing supplementary damping system, the load bearing structure can remain elastic with continuing serviceability following the design level earthquake. This research was carried out to investigate the advantages of using added damping in structures. The control system consists of passive friction dampers called ring spring dampers installed in the ground floor of the structure using a tendon to transmit the forces to the other parts of the structure. The ring springs dampers are friction devices consisting of inner and outer ring elements assembled to form a spring stack. External load applied to the spring produces sliding action across mating ring interfaces. The damping forces generated by the dampers and transferred in the supplemental system to the structure by the tendon and horizontal links oppose the internal loads. A four storey-two bay steel frame structure was used in the study. Experimental and analytical studies to investigate the effectiveness of a supplemental control system are presented. The model was subjected to a series of earthquake simulations on the shaking table in the Structural Laboratory of the Civil Engineering Department, at the University of Canterbury. The earthquake simulation tests have been performed on the structure both with and without the supplemental control system. The earthquake simulations were a series of gradually increasing intensity replications of two commonly used earthquake records. This thesis includes detailed description of the structural model, the supplemental control system, the ring springs dampers and the data obtained during the testing. Analyses were then carried out on a twelve storey framed structure to investigate the possible tendon arrangements and the size and type of dampers required to control the response of a real building. Guidelines for determining the appropriateness of including a supplemental damping system have been investigated. The main features of the supplemental control system adopted in this research are: • It is a passive control system with extreme reliability and having no dependence on external power sources to effect the control action. These power sources may not be available during a major earthquake. • Ring springs are steel friction devices capable of absorbing large amounts of input energy. No liquid leakage can occur and minimal maintenance is required for the ring spring dampers. • With a damper-tendon system, the distribution of the dampers throughout the structure is not so critical. Only one or two dampers are used to produce the damping forces needed, and forces are then transferred to the rest of the building by the tendon system. • It is a relatively inexpensive control system with a long useful life.
The Canterbury Region is susceptible to a variety of natural hazards, including earthquakes, landslides and climate hazards. Increasing population and tourism within the region is driving development pressures and as more and more development occurs, the risk from natural hazards increases. In order to avoid development occurring in unacceptably vulnerable locations, natural hazard assessments are required. This study is a reconnaissance natural hazard assessment of Lakes Lyndon, Coleridge and Tekapo. There is restricted potential for development at Lake Lyndon, because the land surrounding the lake is owned by the Crown and has a number of development restrictions. However, there is the potential for conservation or recreation-linked development to occur. There is more potential for development at Lake Coleridge. Most of the land surrounding the lake is privately owned and has less development restrictions. The majority of land surrounding Lake Tekapo is divided into Crown-owned pastoral leases, which are protected from development, such as subdivision. However, there are substantial areas around the lake, which are privately owned and, therefore, have potential for development. Earthquake, landslide and climate hazards are the main natural hazards threatening Lakes Lyndon, Coleridge and Tekapo. The lakes are situated in a zone of active earth deformation in which large and relatively frequent earthquakes are produced. A large number of active faults lie within 15 km of each lake, which are capable of producing M7 or larger earthquakes. Ground shaking, liquefaction, landslides, tsunami and seiches are among the consequences of earthquakes, all of which have the potential to cause severe damage to lives, lifelines and infrastructure. Landslides are also common in the landscape surrounding the lakes. The majority of slopes surrounding the lakes are at significant risk from earthquake-induced failure under moderate to strong earthquake shaking. This level of shaking is expected to occur in any 50 year period around Lakes Lyndon and Coleridge, and in any 150 year period around Lake Tekapo. Injuries, fatalities and property damage can occur directly from landslide impact or from indirect effects such as flooding from landslide-generated tsunami or from landslide dam outbreaks. Lakes Lyndon, Coleridge and Tekapo are also susceptible to climate hazards, such as high winds, drought, heavy snowfall and heavy rainfall, which can lead to landslides and flooding. Future climate change due to global warming is most likely going to affect patterns of frequency and magnitudes of extreme weather events, leading to an increase in climate hazards. Before development is permitted around the lakes, it is essential that each of these hazards is considered so that unacceptably vulnerable areas can be avoided.
Two projects are documented within this MEM Report: I. The first project examined what was learnt involving the critical infrastructure in the aftermath of natural disasters in the Canterbury region of New Zealand – the most prominent being the series of earthquakes between 2010 and 2011. The project identified several learning gaps, leading to recommendations for further investigations that could add significant value for the lifeline infrastructure community. II. Following the Lifeline Lesson Learnt Project, the Disaster Mitigation Guideline series was initiated with two booklets, one on Emergency Potable Water and a second on Emergency Sanitation. The key message from both projects is that we can and must learn from disasters. The projects described are part of the emergency management, and critical infrastructure learning cycles – presenting knowledge captured by others in a digestible format, enabling the lessons to be reapplied. Without these kinds of projects, there will be fewer opportunities to learn from other’s successes and failures when it comes to preparing for natural disasters.
The public will have its first chance to see an $11 million earthquake memorial today, after family members of the injured and dead held an emotional private service at the site yesterday evening.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Looking through the Gloucester Street window of the Central Christchurch City Library".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Looking through the Gloucester Street window of the Central Christchurch City Library".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Looking through the Gloucester Street window of the Central Christchurch City Library".
A banner listing the 115 people who died in the CTV building collapse.
Gold Awards recipients, Jonas Bergler, team leader for SVA online operations. Pictured here with Vice-Chancellor Dr Rod Carr, Prime Minister John Key and Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Gerry Brownlee.
A photograph of earthquake damage to the Crown Masonic Lodge on Wordsworth Street, also known as the Freemasons Centre. Sections of this brick wall at the front of the building have collapsed.
A new centre being set up to help Canterbury businesses struggling after the recent earthquakes says it's getting ready to open its doors and is calling for applications from interested companies.
Deborah Nation recalls visits to Homebush, the historic Deans homestead near Darfield, the wreckage of which became one of the most viewed images in the first days after the September 2010 Canterbury earthquake.
Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has backed off on his threats to the Christchurch City Council and one of the New Zealand Greenpeace activists is freed from a Russian detention centre.