Christchurch – Jan. 31st – Feb. 1st

Christchurch (affectionately written as Chch) was first settled in 1850 and was to be a model of class structure in England as opposed to being another dodgy outpost like many other settlements in the South Pacific at the time.  At 4:35 on September 4th, 2010 a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the city.  Many buildings were destroyed or damaged, but there were no deaths so the city thought they had dodged a bullet.  Unfortunately, another earthquake, registering 6.3, occurred  at 12:51 pm on February 22, 2011.  This was was much more central and deadly.  Although lower on the moment magnitude scale than the previous earthquake, the intensity and violence of the ground shaking was measured to be MM IX, among the strongest ever recorded globally in an urban area.  185 people died, 115 of which were in the Canterbury TV building where many international students at a language school were studying.  70% of the building in the CBD (Central Business District) had to be destroyed.  52% of the urban roads were destroyed as well as over 75 miles of water supply lines.  Some skateboarders decided to take advantage of the chaotic roads and their video went viral.  You can check it out here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2bvozq-KK8   The water supply was so poor that people who did have running water were encouraged not to use it.   People voluntarily made long drop toilets in their backyards and there was a contest for the best one.  You can check out some of the submissions here.  http://www.showusyourlongdrop.co.nz/   Since that day there have been almost 5,000 smaller aftershocks, but the earthquake activity is reported to be moving further east into the Pacific Ocean.  It will take decades to rebuild the city to what it once was.  There are literally dozens of building projects going on; some private and some paid for by the government.  Before beginning to rebuild, the government requested submissions for what people would like in the CBD.  They recieved over 106,000 suggestions and the final product will take into account as many of those suggestions as possible.  They think the cost to rebuild will exceed $22 billion USD.  You can check out the plans and progress here.  http://www.futurechristchurch.co.nz/

The one upside to this disaster is that there is now no unemployment in New Zealand.  Due to the scope of the rebuilding, anyone who wants a job can get one in Chch.  Even if one has no building experience, training on the job is provided.  They are also recruiting people from overseas to help with the rebuilding.

I found it very interesting to see the redevelopment of Chch.  In taking to people who had already been there, most of them said to skip the city.  They said it’s depressing and sad.  In Guatemala, I had met a couple who were from Chch and were moving to Auckland as a result of the earthquakes.  I think that in this case, Chch needs our support more than ever.  Even though it was a tad depressing, it was amazing to see the redevelopment efforts.  I think that Chch is going to be a phenomenal city once they are all done with the rebuilding!