Case Study: Earthquake - New Zealand, Christchurch

• Magnitude: 6.3


  22nd February 2011, 12:51pm
• Primary effects


  • 181 deaths – including 80 when the Christchurch TV building collapsed
  • 2/3 of the deaths were a result of building collapse
  • Liquefaction occurred
  • 2,000 people were injured
• Secondary effects


  • Christchurch was no longer able to host rugby world cup matches – loss of income and tourism
  • The number of guests in hotels in Christchurch fell by over 75% after the earthquake hit
  • $40 billion worth of damage needed to repair infrastructure
• Immediate responses


  1. A full emergency plan was in place within 2 hours of the earthquake happening

  2. Chemical toilets provided for 30,000 people

  3. Bottled water supplied as water supplies were cut off

  4. Water supplies restored to 70% of households within 1 week

  5. Electricity restored to 80% of households within 5 days and 95% of households within 2 weeks

  6. St Johns had 16 ambulances in operation within a half mile of the quake

  7. Medical tents were set up
• New Zealand have done a TV advert informing people what to do in the event of an earthquake
• Expected within the next 30 years along the North Anatolian fault
• A major earthquake could cause up to 30,000 deaths
• A major earthquake could level 44,000 buildings
• A major earthquake could leave 2.4 million homeless
• Istanbul is Turkey's financial and economic heart and contributes 40% of GDP
• There are 1.6 million buildings in Istanbul but not all are structurally sound and wouldn't meet modern building codes
• Of the few buildings surveyed 20-30,000 are deemed a hazard
• Authorities have prioritised selling off land for services such as malls over preserving open spaces