Ruptures in farmland around Conway near Kaikoura. (click here)
People are literally unable to move to safer ground. The main roads are all destroyed in one way or another, including the main truck route. The railroad tracks are disturbed and they are unusable.
It is a terrible. Heroic dialogue regarding the quakes and people may save lives in the future. I am sure the citizens have insight to the best outcomes. Perhaps an appeal for aid within the United Nations might bring needed funding for repair or resettlement.November 16, 2016
By Fran O'Sullivan
How many more major earthquakes (click here) can New Zealand sustain without crippling the country's ability to maintain current economic growth rates?
It's an unpalatable question.
But away from the cameras, that is exactly the question which John Key and Bill English should be pondering.
Whether they like it or not, they will have to reorder their fiscal priorities so the major infrastructure challenges in Auckland and Christchurch can still be addressed, at the same time as they gear up to fund what will be another very significant rebuild. Not all of the costs will be covered by insurance.
This will reduce the Government's options for next year's election.
The good news is that major businesses have taken steps to become more resilient since the first major earthquakes in 2010 and 2011....
