Citation

McColl GJ, Burkle FM. Disaster Med. Public Health Prep. 2012; 6(1): 33-43.

Affiliation

South Island Regional Emergency Management, New Zealand Ministry of Health (Mr McColl) and Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and Harvard University School of Public Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts (Dr Burkle). Dr Burkle is a Woodrow Wilson International Scholar, Washington, DC.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Publisher Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1001/dmp.2012.8

PMID

22490935

Abstract

The series of earthquakes and aftershocks that have hit Christchurch, New Zealand, for more than one year has been severe and sustained, resulting in major damage to homes, buildings, essential services, and resources in water, sewerage, food, access to health care, energy for heating and cooling, and unprecedented challenges to resiliency. Large swathes of destroyed buildings, land damage, and liquefaction have made rebuilding impossible for many. Populations have moved or report that they either wish to or plan to do so. For those who remain, a "new normal" mindset has taken hold and serves as an objective measure for the process that defines daily life and future decisions. The new normal serves as an uncomfortable but realistic guideline by which further resiliency can be measured. A number of factors have led to the development of the new normal state for the Christchurch earthquake survivors.

Language: en