New Zealand Earthquake On the Mend

The earthquake that devastated a city in New Zealand tore open a new 11ft fault line in the Earth’s surface.  The 7.1-magnitude quake which hit Christchurch, the country’s second-largest city, destroyed about 500 buildings and caused an estimated £930million of damage. But hundreds of lives were saved by tough building rules, it was claimed. Only two injuries were reported.

It will take at least a year to rebuild the centre of Christchurch, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said on 05 September as aftershocks continued to rock the city in the wake of a devastating 7.1-magnitude earthquake. The quake was caused by the continuing collision between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, said Professor Mark Quigley, of Canterbury University. ‘One side of the Earth has lurched to the right … up to 11ft and in some places been thrust up,’ he said. ‘We went and saw two houses that were completely snapped in half by the earthquake.’ The quake cut power across the region, roads were blocked by debris and gas and water supplies were disrupted. Christchurch mayor Bob Parker said power was back to 90 per cent of the city and water supply had resumed for all but 15 to 20 per cent of residents.

This US Geological Survey (USGS) shows on image of a ShakeMap of the South Island of New Zealand on Friday as an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale struck.

The fact that no one was killed was put down to the timing of the quake and strict building codes. ‘New Zealand has very good building codes which mean the buildings are strong compared with, say, Haiti,’ said Professor Martha Savage of Victoria University in the capital Wellington. Experts said the low number of injuries in the powerful quake reflected the country’s strict building codes.

‘If this had happened five hours earlier or five hours later there would have been absolute carnage in terms of human life,’ he said. Parts of the city look like they’ve been put in the tumble dryer.’ Up to 90 extra police officers had flown in to Christchurch to help and troops were likely to join the recovery effort today. Engineering teams have begun assessing damage to all central areas. Schools across the region will remain closed for the next two days to allow time to check whether they were safe. The country’s Cabinet was meeting Monday to make initial decisions on assistance for the Christchurch region.

New Zealand sits above an area where two tectonic plates collide. The country records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year – but only about 150 are felt by residents. Fewer than 10 a year do any damage. New Zealand’s last major earthquake registered magnitude 7.8 and hit South Island’s Fiordland region on July 16, 2009, moving the southern tip of the country 12 inches (30 centimeters) closer to Australia.