One
year on in earthquake devastated
Christchurch, New Zealand - once one
of the jewels in the country's tourist crown. The once beautiful
garden
city is now looking like a recovering bomb zone.
On the day the city marked its first anniversary of the first
devastating earthquake on September 4 2010, it was hit by a 4.4
aftershock located 20km west and comparatively shallow at 7km deep.
While there were no deaths and only two serious injuries in this
first earthquake which occurred about 4am in the morning while the city
slept, in February 2011 the second earthquake of 6.6 and much shallower
than the first killed 181 people shortly before 12 noon when people were
out and about, working, shopping, doing business etc. It injured many
more and basically finished off the devastation of the
South Island's
largest city's CBD and further damaged hundreds of homes in the eastern
suburbs.
About 300 buildings have been demolished with a further 200 under
the hammer. There are literally city blocks of land lying desolate and
quiet witnesses to the destruction of the beautiful garden city
The city has been hit by the two major
earthquakes, and 75oo
aftershocks during the last year, some of which warrant the description
of earthquakes themselves because of their strength and destructive
power.
Just this week the Government's ministers met in the first cabinet
meeting held outside
Wellington in 16 years to give them an insight into
what has happened in Christchurch, and to see where billions of dollars
will have to be spent in rebuilding the southern city.
Insurers will not issue any new policies until they are satisfied
the aftershocks have ceased. Nobody can predict when that will happen;
so many of the city's homes and commercial buildings will not be
insured.
Many homeowners in the city have learned that they will have a
shortfall in what they receive in payouts from the EQ Commission and
insurance companies, and what they need to purchase new properties.
The Government had already promised homeowners that nobody will lose
any equity in their properties - a shallow promise as it has turned
out. Some people may have to shift to rental properties, if they can
find some in a city that is running short of rental properties in any
case.
Many of the existing rental properties have also been badly damaged
and may have to be demolished as well. Many residents are looking for
properties elsewhere in the
Canterbury region, or in other towns in both
the South and North Islands. Many people have basically fled with their
families from Christchurch because of the continuing aftershocks.
Stress is becoming a leading health problem for people who had to endure
one of the coldest winters in nearly two decades as well.
One year on, as a person who was born and raised in Christchurch,
and still has family there,I am still emotionally affected every time I
see the devastation on television. I silently cry for the city of my
birth!
http://www.3news.co.nz/Quake-rattles-Christchurch-one-year-on/tabid/309/articleID/224532/Default.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4jj0Dfy2iE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f89alifFlcc
Kiwipete
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
2 comments:
It's hard when a natural disaster hits. Charley hit us in 2004 and Katrina gets more headlines still. Our towns are still not fully built.
It takes time. In CHCH they have to wait for the aftershocks to stop - but not yet!
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