Notes

At 4.35am on Saturday September 4, 2010 a massive earthquake hit Canterbury. Centred near Darfield, about 40 kilometres west of Christchurch, the quake measured 7.1 on the Richter scale and caused the most structural damage to a New Zealand region since the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake. The tremor lasted for a terrifying 30 seconds, and the damage was horrendous, with a huge impact on homes and property and the loss of several historic landmarks. While lives were not lost, the quake crippled the city and some suburbs. There was massive disruption, including widespread power outages, cut-off water supplies, water contamination, sewage-disposal problems, business destruction and dangerous housing. In less than a minute, a modern, relatively prosperous city was suddenly experiencing scenes reminiscent of a Third World disaster : City streets strewn with rubble, sand and water bubbling up through suburban lawns, chimneys collapsed through roofs and flooded and broken roads. Aftershocks, ranging up to 5.4 in magnitude, kept residents on edge for several weeks. The Big Quake tells the story of the quake through the words and images of The Press.