This day 82 years ago at 10.46 in the
morning occurred what was in terms of loss of life the biggest disaster ever to occur on New Zealand soil whilst it
has been inhabited by humankind. Although it is known as the Napier or
Hawkes Bay Earthquake it actually affected much of the Country. The
shock brought down buildings between Gisborne and Waipawa. It toppled
chimneys from Taupo to Wellington.
For most of the Hawkes Bay residents the disaster is something remembered at the memorial service held on Art Deco Weekend and also in the very fabric of the area's culture and physical rebuilding. For those in Christchurch the earthquakes of 22 February 2011 and 4 September 2010 and the 11,000 (yes, 11, 000!) smaller earthquakes experienced since the first one is a much greater disaster.
The impact of the HB Quake can be judged from the letters, diaries, memoirs and photographs of rescuers who desparately worked to free victims from wreckage before the town was consumed by fire, of nurses and doctors who tended the injured in makeshift hospitals and the refugees who walked down broken roads with what they could carry from their salvagable belongings.
The wooden buildings of central Napier largely escaped the earthquake only to be destroyed by the fire that raged through the business district of the town an hour or so after the quake.
The official death toll was 256 with, despite outstanding efforts, two people unaccounted for. Over 400 were hospitalised with serious injuries. At least 2500 received minor injuries although this was never fully evaluated because many people with minor injuries never bothered to report them to the authorities.
The cost was not just death and injury nor was it just physical destruction of property. It threatened an already depressed economy - the second summer of depression - with complete ruin. News of the calamity even depressed prices on the London Stock Exchange.
The following are a few of the photos that appear on the Napier Government website. I will post more about the earthquake over the next weeks particularly in relation to the land changes that took place. The Wikepedia web entry is informative as is The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
Emerson Street
Emerson Street
Napier Earthquake building damage and the buildings today.
Posts
It is a wonder that anyone survived.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of this disaster.
It always amazes me that people rebuild in the same places that have been wiped out by natural disasters. Lightening, tsunamis, hurricans and floods do strike the same place twice and three times.
I'm not sure how many survived Adrian but 256 died. Much of present day Napier is built on land that didn't exist before the earthquake which heaved 40 square kilometres out of the sea. Another earthquake could occur. Buildings are built to different standards now but that wouldn't stop or help liquefaction of huge areas of former seabed. A tsunami could strike at any time. Napier has warning drills. Life can be pretty uncertain crossing the road and when one is living on top of a country as volatile as New Zealand it's just one more thing not to worry about.
ReplyDeleteHi GB,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments re the Postman/Telegram Boy. Even though you're only a half-time resident of the UK you must be aware of the spread of H & S.
I knew a Nurse from Napier with a Dutch name (of little interest to your blog or my comments really). I understand that the Art Deco architecture of central Napier is the result of the earthquake destruction, and has preservation order protection. Will that protect it from another quake?
Hi Mike. Thanks for visiting. I still see bikes in use by the posties in Stornoway but out in the sticks where I live everything is delivered by van - bikes would be impractical of course. Of course no one can live in the UK without being very aware of H & S (I was in my job anyway) but I haven't made any connection between them and bike-riding Posties yet. Seems pretty healthy occupation to me.
DeleteYes Napier is the Art Deco capital but I suspect the forces of the earth will do as they please regardless.
I have to fight (once again) an instinct to say "be careful"... (I know, I know...)
DeleteThat's no problem Monica. It's nice to know that you think that. I shall be and modern buildings are safer than they were in those days. So far the earthquakes `I've experienced have been pretty minor ones in comparison.
DeleteThis was a sad and very interesting post.
ReplyDeleteWe felt the effects of an earthquake here (epicentre in Martinique) back on Nov 29th, 2007, and it was a scary ordeal for me, even though it only lasted about 3 minutes. Not sure how comfortable I would be living in an earthquake prone area, but then again, many would not want to live in my hurricane prone area either.
When one lives with the possibility of earthquakes and tsunamis you always hope that the biggie isn't going to happen Virginia. You have to prepare and hope. I also live with hurricanes in the Outer Hebrides but the houses there are built to withstand the weather (the main walls in my house are solid stone/concrete and 15" - 40cm - thick) and there's little of your lush vegetation to be affected.
DeleteNatural calamities are beyond anything we can do.It is very sad but it is very inspiring to see how undaunted people are in its aftermath, rebuilding things and bringing in a new world. Great post GB!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ruby. Yes when one looks at Christchurch people are getting on and rebuilding the city and their lives. That's not to say they don't feel it because of course they do. On the other hand they can rebuild. However the world has forgotten Haiti's 2010 earthquake where an estimated 316,000 people died, 300,000 were injured and 1,000,000 made homeless and where little has been done since.
Delete