DCN October Edition 2019
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NQBP<br />
A recent conference in Hobart<br />
shone light on how ports have<br />
recovered from natural disasters<br />
and how others are preparing to<br />
handle them in the future.<br />
By David Sexton<br />
Just before 1pm on February 22, 2011, as many kiwis<br />
were enjoying their lunchbreak, the great Christchurch<br />
Earthquake struck.<br />
Some 185 people were killed and the beautiful old city<br />
devastated. Nearby Port of Lyttelton, the major port for<br />
the South Island and New Zealand’s third largest port overall,<br />
was not spared.<br />
<strong>DCN</strong> reported at the time that the port had been<br />
“severely damaged” with a witness at the port describing<br />
some of the chaos.<br />
“I was there on wharf when the asphalt started flying<br />
around,” the witness told former <strong>DCN</strong> reporter Rhiannon<br />
Zanetic. “I saw a building fall down. It was pretty terrifying<br />
– it was almost unreal.”<br />
The quake, a magnitude of 6.3, had been preceded by a larger<br />
quake in September 2010 that apparently weakened some of<br />
the city’s infrastructure.<br />
In terms of port infrastructure, the quake caused massive<br />
damage to wharves, tunnels and administration buildings.<br />
thedcn.com.au <strong>October</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 33
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