Human consequences
The second-deadliest natural disaster in New Zealand’s history.
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EarthquakeChristchurch earthquake
185Deaths
Not quantifiedDisplaced / homeless
$30bnEstimated cost
- 185 deaths, 115 of them in the collapse of the CTV building.
- About 40 billion New Zealand dollars.
A shallow magnitude 6.2 earthquake centred very close to the city produces some of the strongest ground accelerations ever measured in an urban area. The cathedral and much of the centre collapse.
Consequences
Environmental consequences
Massive soil liquefaction in the eastern suburbs.
Economic consequences
One of the costliest disasters in the world relative to national GDP.
Political consequences
A “red zone” of about 7,000 properties is bought by the state and abandoned.
Further reading
Similar disasters
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- Kobe earthquakeEarthquake · Japan1995
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- Sichuan earthquakeEarthquake · China2008
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