Earthquake Recovery by Warren Bull
On February
22, 2011 at 12:51 p.m. an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale hit New
Zealand’s South Island. It was centered 10 kilometers southeast of
Christchurch’s central business district. The quake occurred about six months
after a September 2010 earthquake. Although the earlier quake was more violent,
at a magnitude of 7.1, the second quake was more shallow and closer to the
city.
It occurred about lunchtime on a
weekday, which meant that the business center was full of people. 185 people
were killed. More than 130 deaths resulted from the collapse of two multi-storey
office buildings.
In July of that year my wife, Judy,
and I came to Christchurch. Judy was hired to teach a class in Pediatric
Audiology at Cambridge University. I came along too.
In August of this year, 2016, we
returned to Christchurch. This time Judy came on a fellowship to teach the same
subject as before. As part of our
stay we went on a rebuild tour, which focused on what had been accomplished in
rebuilding the city and what remains to be done.
Part of Christchurch was built over
what had been a swamp. With the seismic event heavier material sank as much as
a meter and a half while lighter materials such as dust, sewage and water came
to the surface. Homes had geysers
of sewage come up through toilets. Water and sewage pipes broke under streets.
Older buildings were especially vulnerable. Many of the heritage buildings that
had given Christchurch a quaint and charming appearance were destroyed. Much of
the downtown area was fenced off. People were not allowed to enter that area. Houses
were rated as red, unsafe to enter or green safe.
Some people were angry that they
could not enter their own houses. Other getting a green rating were too
frightened. When we left on November 12th, the last people living in
tents got upgraded to better temporary housing.
On the tour we saw considerable
progress. We also saw how much still needs to be done. The central city is
being created with height restrictions on the buildings. It will be smaller
than before and it will have more parks and green areas in and around it with
wider streets. Major corporations
are building offices. Smaller businesses have reopened. Restaurants and other
service industries are also opening. Buildings are still being taken down.
Empty lots full of rubble are common. The city allowed people to paint the outside
walls of buildings with bright colors. Some walls resemble cartoons. Others
look like fine art oil paintings.
Along side the demolition,
construction is continuing. People who live here tell us that the central city
changes from week to week as more damaged buildings are razed and new
businesses start.
A cathedral at the heart of the
central city is still the center of controversy. Some people want to save as
much as possible of the broken outer shell that exists. Other people want to
tear it all down and start from scratch. A proposed modern church was extremely
unpopular. That design was abandoned. The debate continues.
A stadium built for the 2011 rugby
world cup games is another project without a plan. The city and the insurance
company have disagreed about the value of the stadium. No resolution of
differences is in sight.
There are certainly fewer places
that look like bombed- out buildings than there were five
years ago. At that time people predicted at least a decade would be needed to
restore Christchurch. I’m happy to report that progress toward that goal is
happening. I also think that more
than another five years will be needed for a full recovery.
On a positive note, Canterbury
University’s enrollment, which had dropped drastically, is now
back to former levels. One student started a “Student Army” that helped people
dig out and re-start. Farmers started a “Farmy Army” using their farm vehicles
to open roads and clear debris.
People here are resilient.
