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Christchurch Devastated By 6.3 Magnitude Earthquake

The 4th September 2010 began the dark days of New Zealand history. At 4:35am, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the South Island city of Christchurch. The epicentre of the quake was located at Darfield, which is approximately 40 kilometres from Christchurch City. Two people were injured, one via a falling chimney and another by falling glass. There is an account of a third person dying of a heart attack; however it hasn’t been directly linked to the earthquake itself.

It was fair to say that residents of Christchurch were lucky that the earthquake didn’t destroy the city, as previous earthquakes have devastated places farther up north such as Napier. Damage was encountered, roads were in need of repairs, historic buildings were crumbling and homes were in need of repairs.

Christchurch began to experience aftershocks frequently after the 4th September quake.

As the country began to settle back down, aware of the disaster and relieved that no one was killed, November 19th shed another dark day on the country. 46 kilometres northeast of Greymouth, again in the South Island, the Pike River coal mine exploded, trapping 29 men. On the 20th, an attempted rescue was planned; it was later put on hold due to the fact that no one knew how safe the mine was. Five days later, a second explosion went through the mine – and any chances of the men surviving were gone. Two days later, there was a smaller third explosion, and finally, a fourth explosion ignited the coal inside the mine and a fire was visible above the ventilation shaft.

The Police have since left the case of the Pike River mine and the mine has been sealed until it can be proven it’s safe to go inside and retrieve the remains of the 29 miners.

30 deaths and two injuries left New Zealand at a loss. With a population just over four million, any loss is significant to us Kiwis. Today, the 22nd of February 2011, is no different.

At 12:51pm, 22nd February 2011, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Christchurch with a depth of 5 kilometres. Although this magnitude is significantly smaller than the September earthquake of 2010, the 5 kilometre depth was what made this quake more disastrous than the previous one. It is not entirely clear if this was one major aftershock or if this was in fact and earthquake, but the media are referring to it as another quake.

Ever since September 4th 2010, Christchurch has been experiencing multiple aftershocks and it is a sure sign that the aftershocks have slowly begun to decrease the foundations of most buildings located in Christchurch’s city. Today, the city was covered in rubble from these falling buildings.

There have been 65 confirmed deaths; people are trapped in buildings that could possibly topple over during the night. Twelve Japanese students are reported missing, an Australian hotline has been set up and there are 443 cases of Australians within the city. The phone lines are down, 80% of the people losing power straight after the quake hit. It is estimated that one thousand people will have nowhere to sleep tonight; the only sign of news getting better is the fact that 125 people have been rescued from buildings today. However, there are still 250 people missing, and the numbers may continue to rise – as is the possibility of an increased death toll overnight.

Aftershocks have been hitting the city ever since 12:51pm, magnitude 5 quake struck 12km deep and 10km south-east of Lyttelton at 7:43pm. It came on the heels of a 4.6 magnitude quake at a depth of 5km and within 5kms of the town at 7:28pm.

The 10.48pm update (22nd February, 2011) says: A Royal New Air Force Boeing 757 is heading to Christchurch from Whenuapai Air Force Base in Auckland carrying 54 Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) staff, 20 St John staff, and a staff member from Customs. Two minutes later, the 11:00pm update has confirmed that more officers will be ferrying across from the North Island to help with the recovery and as the next phase of police instalments.

“We may be witnessing New Zealand’s darkest day. This is a community that is absolutely in agony. We just need this community, as it’s done before, and as it will do again, to come together, to check and support one another,” says Prime Minister John Key. This indeed is a dark day for New Zealand, and the following weeks will serve as a test for the Nation’s strength.

It has served as a rather unfortunate day, and although other tragic events such as the Libya bombings have occurred, please keep our small nation of four million in your hearts and prayers.

Kia kaha New Zealand, stay strong.