By Bhawna
New Zealand got struck by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale that was centered near Wellington on 15 February. The earthquake was massive. The epicenter was 50 km from the town of Paraparaumu. The epicenter was also at the Cook Strait. Cook Strait separates the North and South islands of New Zealand. The strait connects with the Tasman Sea and the South Pacific Ocean. The shaking was felt at Levin, Porirua, French Pass, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, Wellington, Whanganui, Waverley, and Picton.
What happened?
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The earthquake started with a huge jerk that was followed by 30 seconds of medium shaking. Then the shaking in some places was strong. More than a thousand people felt the earthquake. There were aftershocks. After a short time, another earthquake of magnitude 4.0 hit Taumarunui. There was an earthquake of 4.4 magnitudes that struck near Gisborne.
The earthquake felt like a freight train moving around the house. It is a stressful time for the people of New Zealand. The houses of people shook aggressively for 30 seconds. The buildings swayed from one side to another for 30 seconds. New Zealand was also struck by a cyclone recently and this earthquake has also struck.
There is no tsunami warning in New Zealand according to the National Emergency Management Agency. New Zealand lies on the seismically active “Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes and ocean trenches moving around the Pacific Ocean.
Causes of the earthquake
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This is an after-effect of the Turkey earthquake. The Turkey earthquake was caused by the moving of African and Asian plates against the Eurasian plate. There were significant movements in the African plate. The Australian plate is near the African plate. The Indian plate is also near it. The New Zealand earthquake has connections with the Turkey earthquake.
There was an earthquake in Christchurch on September 4, 2010. It also happened due to geologic activity. Geologic activity near the region of Christchurch makes the area vulnerable to earthquake damage. New Zealand is on the top of the boundary between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates. The two plates slip and move past each other on the South Island. It creates the Alpine Fault. There have been motion built in the Southern Alps. Hence, it can be said that New Zealand’s seismic activity is very complicated.
What is being done to combat this?
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The New Zealand Defense Force has arranged available four planes, seven helicopters, two naval ships and 58 trucks for rescue, and recovery. Bridges and roads are unsafe. The ships will supply water and other important items to remote communities like Gisborne, Wairoa, and Napier. Local governments are also trying to restore services to affected communities. It starts with communication channels. The transport systems should be sorted out in and out of flooded towns.
This has come after cyclone Gabrielle
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New Zealand was already grappling with cyclone Gabrielle. The severe weather has become better in most parts. But heavy rain can impact parts of central New Zealand. The rain can return in affected parts of the country like Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne. There can be risks of thunderstorms in the North Island’s east. Many people died in cyclone Gabrielle. Many people are living without a power supply. The impact is significant. The severity of the damage is of a kind that has not been seen in a century.
Earthquake resilience of New Zealand
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New Zealand had an improved earthquake resilience that helped them combat the Wellington earthquake. The infrastructure and resilience systems are in place to combat efficiently as compared to a few years ago. New Zealand has made progress since the Christchurch earthquake in 2011 and the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. It has improved in its response to massive weather conditions. Wellington, the city where the earthquake struck on 15 Feb 2023 was previously in a vulnerable position. Wellington is different from Christchurch. It is highly populated and geographically it is a little bit more isolated. There were risks of it becoming more isolated in the wake of a big earthquake. To combat this, money was spent on improving the resilience of the roads and access for people. This was in terms of resources and materials in and out of the city. This led to the construction of the Transmission Gully Motorway. It is a new 27 km road made with the purpose of improving safety and ensuring better access. The local authorities on the Kapiti Coast have resilience plans. They know which roads and infrastructure will be affected. They know how to respond.
After the Christchurch earthquake, there was a lot of concern shown on building regulations and how buildings should be constructed so that they are not affected that much when the earthquake strikes. There was a time when teams were checking on which buildings were made according to the regulations and which were not.