Christchurch gets hit again!

On Monday, June 13, 2011 at approximately 2:15pm local time, Christchurch was rocked by its third major quake in the past nine months. The 6.3 magnitude earthquake was centered about 13 km (8 mi) from the city at a depth of 6 km (4 mi) and was preceded by a magnitude 5.6 tremor at a deeper 10 km (6.2 mi). As a result, the already damaged city had more buildings destroyed although there was only one reported death and approximately 45 injuries. Various power and telephone lines were downed and about 54,000 people were left without power. Flooding was reported due to broken water mains and secondary effects included broken gas lines and soil liquefaction.

Prime Minister John Key in talking about how repeated seismic pounding had made the land in some areas too unstable to rebuild on was quoted as saying, “There are certainly in the order of thousands of homes that are affected. We now have a reasonably clear picture about what land won’t be able to be rebuilt on.” He went on to add that some residents would have to abandon their properties after payout options had been finalised with insurers.

While Mr. Key felt this wouldn’t have a large impact on the estimated rebuilding costs of the February quake, he did note that 75 buildings in the area previously believed to be safe had been condemned following Monday’s quake, bringing those slated for demolition to about 900.

On Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 12:51pm local time, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the Canterbury region of New Zealand’s South Island. The epicentre of the quake was located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west of the town of Lyttelton, and 10 kilometres (6 mi) south-east of the centre of Christchurch. This followed nearly six months after a 7.1 magnitude quake struck the same region on September 4, 2010 which caused significant damage but no deaths.

The February quake in contrast killed 161 people supposedly making this the most deadliest natural disaster since 1931. The estimated cost of rebuilding is NZ $16 billion making it the country’s most costliest natural disaster and the third-costliest earthquake in the world.

(Christian Science Monitor, The Australian)

Uploaded by TVNewZealand on Jun 13, 2011

ONE News: Wrap of Christchurch aftershocks

ONE News at 6pm looks into the recent aftershocks which took place in Christchurch on June the 13th.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tTRTiAXzGI

Uploaded by CilyPudii on Jun 13, 2011

3 RAW Videos of Earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand June 13, 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH7fvSCb1yY

References

Wikipedia: June 2011 Christchurch earthquake

Wikipedia: 2011 Christchurch earthquake (February 22, 2011)

Wikipedia: ChristChurch Cathedral, Christchurch

The 6.3-magnitude 2011 Christchurch earthquake on 22 February 2011 left the cathedral damaged and several surrounding buildings in ruins. The spire that had withstood damage in the September 2010 quake was completely destroyed, leaving only the lower half of the tower standing. While the walls and roof of the cathedral itself remained mostly intact, the gable of the west front sustained damage, and the roof over the western section of the north aisle, nearest the tower, collapsed. Further Inspections showed that the pillars supporting the building are severely damaged and investigations of damage to the buildings foundations will determine whether the cathedral can be rebuilt on the present site.

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