CHRISTCHURCH SIDE BY SIDE 2014 PHOTO BOOK
Christchurch Side By Side is a photo book by Hans Gerber with images of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake.
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country’s third-most populous urban area with a territorial population of 366,000.
On the 4th of September 2010 at exactly 4:35 am local time, an earthquake struck Christchurch and the central Canterbury region. With a magnitude of 7.1, it caused widespread damage to the city and minor injuries, but no direct fatalities. It was the aftershock earthquake in 2011 that proved fatal.
At 12:51 pm on Tuesday 22 February 2011, another earthquake struck. This time with a smaller magnitude of 6.3 but causing immense destruction to buildings and infrastructure already weakened by the previous earthquake of 2010. A total of 185 people lost their lives.
Touted as New Zealand’s second deadliest natural disaster, it is estimated that it will take the New Zealand economy anywhere between 50 to 100 years to completely recover. However this loss is nothing to those who had lost their loved ones due to the tragedy.
Aftershocks have still been suffered through to 2012.
Design: Studio Gerber Sydney
Photos: Hans Gerber and Lucky Huynh
Printed: October 2014