By the EERI Reconnaissance Team.
March 20, 2011. Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.
Heather Taylor, a Ph.D. Student at Massey University, has spent the past several years studying children’s experiences with flood risk in Indonesia. When Christchurch was rocked by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake aftershock in February, she, like many other New Zealanders, wanted to help.
Heather, with the support of her home church in Spreydon, organized a series of “Family Fun Days” in three affected neighborhoods around Christchurch. These events offered families a “break from the quake.” Affected individuals were invited to eat, socialize, and share their earthquake experiences. A drawing table was set up for children (and young-at-heart adults) who wanted to use crayons and draw about the earthquake. There were also lots of other fun activities for children—including an art space, a play castle, and face painting.
The Family Fun Day events, which drew in hundreds of individuals at each site, also served an important educational purpose. Local academics gave a brief lecture at each of these events, where they explained the science behind earthquakes and liquefaction. Adults and children took time out from the social activities to listen to these lectures. One of the scientists who presented noted that he had “never had a more engaged audience,” as the people of Christchurch grapple to understand the causes of earthquakes.
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| Figure 1. A drawing of a child’s bedroom after the quake. | Figure 2. A drawing of a child’s house – note the cracks and chimney and falling bricks. | Figure 3. A stark “before” and “after” image drawn by a young child. | ||
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| Figure 4. This child wrote “Me and Claudia put our lunchboxes away and then there was an earthquake”. | Figure 5. Heather Taylor, Lori Peek, and Jeannette Sutton (L-R). | Figure 6. Family Fun Day flyers were distributed throughout three affected neighborhoods, inviting residents to join in the fun. | ||
Learning from Earthquakes: First person reports
