However, the Otago University research found that it appeared “the psychological impact of the quakes could have been worse if community spirit were not so strong”.
It was the biggest earthquake since 1931. [152] The Royal Australian Air Force also assisted with air lifts. The earthquake was felt across the South Island and parts of the lower and central North Island.
The department responded to the situation by activating their crisis plan, forming 20 trauma teams. [155], A field hospital providing 75 beds was set up in the badly affected eastern suburbs on 24 February. [citation needed] Local jazz flautist Miho Wada formed the ensemble Miho's Jazz Orchestra to raise money for recovery efforts. Three RNZAF Bell UH-1H Iroquois helicopters were also used to transport Police, VIP's and aid to locations around Christchurch. [138][139] [216][217] Avonside Girls' High School returned to its original site at the start of 2012. The residents began the recovery process, plagued by frequent aftershocks. This is a difficult topic to research because fixing the physical damage from a disaster is usually the first step a city takes towards recovery. ", CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (, Television interview with Minister Brownlee on NZ TV One, 24 February 2011 at 19:30 NZT. There is evidence that suggests that the mental health effects of natural disasters can be debilitating and detrimental to the community affected.[256][257][258][259][260][261][262]. [89], Several areas in and around Christchurch were deemed infeasible to rebuild due to earthquake damage resulting from soil liquefaction and rockslides. Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. or its licensors or contributors. Drinking and illicit drug taking rates did not increase significantly among those adversely affected. [136] On 1 March, it was announced that the New South Wales Government would be donating A$1 million (NZ$1.3 million[175]) to the victims of the Christchurch earthquake. Click here to re-enable them. Finance Minister Bill English advised that the effects of the 2011 quake were likely to be more costly than the September 2010 quake.
[147] Over 1400 Army, Navy and Air Force personnel were involved,[148] and Territorials (Army Reserve) were called up. According to this data, 68 suicides occurred during 2012/13 compared with 81 the previous year. The cancellation required an amendment to the Statistics Act 1975, which legally requires a census to be taken every five years. The Civic, the council's third home, was heavily damaged in February and was demolished.
Official visitation teams were organised by Civil Defence and there were engineers or assessors from EQC. The 21-storey PricewaterhouseCoopers building, the city's tallest office tower, was among the office buildings to be later demolished. Effects of the Christchurch earthquake on the environment 194. The reaction to the statement sent the New Zealand dollar down. [79], The historic Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings were severely damaged, with the Stone Chamber completely collapsing.[14][80]. [189] All Black Sonny Bill Williams and Sky Television both made large donations from Williams' fourth boxing bout which was dubbed "The Clash For Canterbury". [136] It was equipped to provide triage, emergency care, maternity, dental care, isolation tents for gastroenteritis, and to provide primary care since most general practices in the area were unable to open. The court subsequently ruled in favour of Phillipstown and overturned the merger. The M7.1 earthquake and associated aftershocks have caused extensive impacts on the local built, economic, social, and natural environments. [183] Twenty Chinese students were reported missing following the quake.