Shaken but not Stirred - University of Canterbury

Contents
Forward ............................................................................................................................... 4
1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 7
2 The September 4th Earthquake .................................................................................. 7
3 The University Context .............................................................................................. 10
3.1 About the University of Canterbury ....................................................................... 10
3.2 Prior Understanding of the Earthquake Risk ......................................................... 10
3.3 The University’s Emergency Preparedness and Resilience .................................. 11
3.4 Timing of the Earthquake ...................................................................................... 13
4 The Initial Response .................................................................................................. 14
4.1 Availability of Key People ..................................................................................... 14
4.2 Having a Safe Place to Work ................................................................................ 16
4.3 Initial Reconnaissance .......................................................................................... 18
4.4 Running the EOC ................................................................................................. 21
4.5 Having the right resources .................................................................................... 25
4.6 Communicating with the Campus Community....................................................... 27
5 Getting back to Business .......................................................................................... 30
5.1 The Decision to Close the University .................................................................... 31
5.2 Control of Access onto the Campus ...................................................................... 32
5.3 Mucking In ............................................................................................................ 35
5.4 Delaying the Start of Teaching for a Second Week ............................................... 36
5.5 Appointing a Claims Preparer for Insurance ......................................................... 38
5.6 Repairs and Restoration ....................................................................................... 40
5.7 Researching the Earthquake ................................................................................ 43
5.8 Managing Ongoing Risks and Seeking the Silver Lining ....................................... 44
6 Final Thoughts ........................................................................................................... 49
7 Postscript: The 22 nd February 2011 Earthquake ..................................................... 49
8 Summary of Lessons Learnt ..................................................................................... 51
9 Contacting Us ............................................................................................................ 54
10 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... 54
11 References ................................................................................................................. 54
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