Liliana Santirso's blog

International media have been focusing attention in recent weeks on massive floods in Pakistan and China. While not on the same scale as the tragedy unfolding in Pakistan, Mexico is dealing with the aftermath of its own very serious flooding in the southern part of the country.
Weeks of torrential downpours, with rainfall in many areas reaching more than double the yearly average, have led to widespread inundations.

Time-lapse visualisation of the earthquake and aftershocks in Christchurch and Canterbury, New Zealand, in September 2010.

http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/

Saturday's earthquake took scientists by surprise, as it revealed a new faultline in a territory not known for seismic activity.

GNS Science staff yesterday found signs of the quake's epicentre, 14km south of Darfield, which lies 50km west of Christchurch.

Aerial surveys revealed a dark, 24km-long scar across paddocks and roads where the shallow tremor offset the land.

The faultline cut roads 4m apart, dug up mounds of earth, and in some places formed a waist-high step in the land.

Interview with Christchurch Mayor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcKaqEKePiA

Severe winds forecast tomorrow may be strong enough to further damage already fragile buildings after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Canterbury early this morning.

Many homes have been exposed to the elements, which are expected to take a turn for the worse with gales, and possibly hurricane force winds inland, forecast for tomorrow afternoon.

"Normally gales, up to 130km/h, don't cause too many issues across Canterbury," WeatherWatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan said.

Severe winds forecast tomorrow may be strong enough to further damage already fragile buildings after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Canterbury early this morning.

Many homes have been exposed to the elements, which are expected to take a turn for the worse with gales, and possibly hurricane force winds inland, forecast for tomorrow afternoon.

"Normally gales, up to 130km/h, don't cause too many issues across Canterbury," WeatherWatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan said.

Scientists are investigating whether the 7.1 magnitude earthquake which struck Christchurch and its surrounding communities today was actually two or three shocks in quick succession.

The US Geological Survey (USGS ) in Golden, Colorado, has said that scientists are still trying to reconstruct the way today's quake played out.

"We think that this is a very complex event," said geophysicist Paul Caruso. "We think that the main shock may have consisted actually of three earthquakes."

There are some striking similarities between the 7.0 magnitude earthquake which devastated Haiti in January and today's 7.1 shock in Canterbury, but also a big difference: 230,000 people died around Port-au-Prince, and in Christchurch only a couple of seriously wounded people known so far.

But the different impacts don't have much to do with the earthquakes themselves, the MSNBC website reported.

Emergency morgues set up in Fiji (Source: ONE News)

Residents in southern Fiji are stocking up on groceries and boarding up their homes in preparation for the brunt of Cyclone Tomas, as reports come through of a death.

A woman drowned after battling to save others in massive waves pounding a beach off Fiji's Vanua Levu.

Fiji's Disaster Management Centre has confirmed it is setting up emergency morgues around the country as they prepare to be battered by the cyclone. There have been unconfirmed reports of fatalities and injuries.

Resilience experiences...

When thinking in what Resilience implies after an event,it comes to mind that a community may not only be able to cope and to recover, but that it may also change to reflect different priorities arising from the disaster.

Creativity and flexibility will show the ability to recover from trauma or crisis in the aftermath of traumatic events .In this process building resilience interventions at the same time that the tragic events are happening is a major key issue.

Martial law in Chile

President Bachelet declared a state of siege on the basis that it was necessary to maintain order and distribute aid. Government officials blamed looters for interfering with the rescue and aid effort.
So far, the death toll from the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami stands at 723 and is expected to rise. Many who are now missing are believed to have drowned at sea, while others are still buried under the rubble. Some 1.5 million homes were destroyed, many of them wiped out by the tsunami.

EU pledges three million euros

The European Union says it is readying some 3 million euros ($4 million) in immediate aid to help Chile cope with the aftermath of an earthquake that has killed at least 300 people.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement he was "deeply shocked at the extent of the devastation" in Chile as he announced the European Union's intention to do whatever it took to help.