Earthquake destroyed about 500 buildings in Chrishchurch
Posted on 08. Sep, 2010 by thanate in Earthquakes, News
The earthquake that devastated a city in New Zealand tore open a new 11ft faultine in the Earth’s surface. The 7.1-magnitude quake which hit Christchurch, the country’s second-largest city, Christchurch is the second largest city in New Zealand and has a thriving business centre, some of the best air and sea links for international trade, world class leisure and sporting facilities, a lively arts and entertainment scene, boutique shopping and easy access to beaches and mountains. Earthquake 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.
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.
Prime Minister John Key said it was a miracle no one was killed. He put that down to the building codes and because the quake happened just before dawn on Saturday.
‘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.
Rattled by 20 Aftershocks
(AP) A sharp series of about 20 aftershocks rattled New Zealand’s earthquake-hit city of Christchurch overnight, and earthquake experts warned Tuesday that another powerful temblor might hammer the region in coming days.
The weekend’s powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake smashed buildings and homes, wrecked roads and disrupted the central city, though nobody was killed and only two people were seriously injured – which authorities attributed to good building codes and the quake’s early-morning timing.
“It was as strong as the earthquake in Haiti earlier this year, which caused widespread devastation and is estimated to have killed approximately 230,000 people,” Prime Minister John Key said Tuesday. “Although no one lost their life … families have been traumatized and lost their valued possessions.”
The city center remained cordoned off by troops Tuesday, with only building owners and workers allowed in to begin clearing up the mess – with much of the center taking on the mantle of a ghost town.
More than 100 aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 3.2 to 5.4, have rocked the region since Saturday’s major quake.
Overnight, about 20 shocks including two of magnitude 5.4 rattled the city, and quake experts said aftershocks likely will continue for several weeks – and the worst of them may be yet to come.
“It is still possible that we’ll have a magnitude-6 in the next week, and people ought to be aware of that, particularly if they are around structures which are already damaged,” said Ken Gledhill, a monitor at the geological agency GNS Science. “For a shallow earthquake like this, they will go on for weeks.”
Key called off a planned nine-day trip to Britain and France, citing what he called the quake zone’s continuing “instability.”
Key was to have met with British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and with his wife, Bronagh, to have spent a weekend with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II at her Scottish castle, Balmoral.
Sources: cbsnews.com, christchurch.org.nz, dailymail.co.uk
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