3 ms·
A big problem in the Christchurch region is liquefaction. There's not much earthquake codes can do to keep the ground from turning to goop.
by idlewords 10y ago
A big problem in the Christchurch region is liquefaction. There's not much earthquake codes can do to keep the ground from turning to goop.
- EdwardDiego 10y agoIt wasn't liquefaction that killed people though. That is what removed a large portion of the housing stock in the east, however.
- idlewords 10y agoYou're completely right. Earthquake codes save lives, but in liquefaction zones, the structures may be unlivable afterwards even if they're completely intact.
- disordinary 10y agoThe point of earthquake codes is not that the buildings are livable in afterwards, in fact in Christchurch something like 30% of all buildings had to be demolished. The point is that they stay up long enough for rescuers to get in, and if they do collapse they collapse with survival cells rather than pancake. In Christchurch the buildings performed very well with exception of the CTV building which pancaked. Although I know that a few buildings were only seconds away from collapsing so we were very lucky.
- EdwardDiego 10y agoDon't forget the PGG building... and all the unsecured facades that collapsed onto streets killing people, a risk known about since the 90s.