7.0 earthquake hits Christchurch, New Zealand

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the 7.0 earthquake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand, focusing on the immediate impacts, personal experiences, and the broader implications of the event, including political aspects and community responses. Participants share their thoughts on the nature of natural disasters and their societal effects, as well as personal anecdotes related to the quake.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that natural disasters often become political issues, questioning the appropriateness of discussing such topics in the forum.
  • There are mixed feelings about the level of debate that can arise from the earthquake, with some expressing skepticism about the potential for meaningful discussion.
  • Personal accounts of experiencing the earthquake highlight varying degrees of damage and emotional responses, with one participant describing significant aftershocks and infrastructure damage.
  • Concerns about looting were raised, with some participants downplaying the extent of the issue and emphasizing the disciplined response of the community.
  • Participants discuss the structural integrity of buildings, contrasting wood and concrete construction, and how these materials perform during earthquakes.
  • There is mention of the historical context of earthquakes in New Zealand, including the potential for more severe quakes in the future.
  • Some participants express gratitude for the lack of fatalities, while acknowledging the significant financial costs associated with the damage.
  • Discussion includes reflections on the effectiveness of civil defense responses and community preparedness for such disasters.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the absence of fatalities being a positive outcome, but there are multiple competing views regarding the political implications of the disaster and the adequacy of community responses. The discussion remains unresolved on several points, particularly regarding the nature of the debate and the extent of damage and looting.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the long-term implications of the earthquake, including potential future seismic activity and the effectiveness of current building codes and preparedness measures. There is also a lack of consensus on the characterization of the community's response to the disaster.

  • #121
The frequency and magnitude of earthquakes are way down, but they nevertheless persist.

7,500 earthquakes shake resolve in NZealand city
http://news.yahoo.com/7-500-earthquakes-shake-resolve-nzealand-city-161243790.html

Seismic activity has picked up from the North Island, NZ, to Kermadec Islands to Tonga to Papua New Guinea.

And the swarm continues off Fukushima.

Something has definitely changed along the western side of the Pacific plate.
 
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  • #122
It is certainly not over for Christchurch.

Just today - http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/newshome/12446921/two-buildings-collapse-as-quakes-hit-chch/
 
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  • #123
A 5.8 then a 6. On a known fault that is out in the bay - but likely runs right through the central city. Quite bad news if it unzips anymore.
 
  • #124
ugh, there is no end to this
 
  • #125
This is a great graphic mapping the unzipping of a maze of small faults over the past 15 months. Four major events moving from one side of Christchurch to the other.

http://www.canterburyquakelive.co.nz/QuakeMap/Swarms/

About 5% of the city's housing stock, and 60% of its central city, is having to be pulled down and rebuilt or relocated.

Luckily the place is about the best insured against earthquake damage of anywhere and the rural economy is going great guns.

Christchurch has an interesting history because it was a planned "liveable" city, a bit of a utopian dream set up by Victorians reacting against the growing squalor of urban industrialisation.

This means it has always had good bones and a lot of social capital - people were proud and protective of a place they had designed. Here, the local metropolitan authority still owns the port, the airport, the electricity grid, the broadband cabling.

Now it has suffered the worst natural disaster damage of any reasonable sized city (it's only 350,000 pop). But there is also the opportunity to rebuild it green, modern and re-energised.

For instance, all the small scattered IT firms are gathering together to form an IT campus right in the central city. The high tech health sector wants to do the same, as does the foreign student language learning industry.

About 50 years of city evolution is going to be packed into the next 5 years.
 
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