The recent Supermoon earthquake in New Zealand has caused major problems with waste disposal and clean drinking water in Kaikoura.
Three days after the massive quake around 25% of the town was still without water. A boil water notice was still in place, meaning that any water from the tap had to be thoroughly heated before it could be drunk.
Civil Defence Emergency Management Director Sarah Stuart-Black said:
“The water supply was 50 per cent we announced yesterday, with the intent late yesterday that it might be increased to 75 per cent of the town’s water supply being back up, but it’s not drinkable water, there’s that ongoing challenge then about making sure we’ve got available drinking water coming into the township in order to make sure that supply is still there in the meantime.”
The HMNZS Canterbury was used to transport 449 people out of the area overnight after the quake and then to bring in chemical toilets from Christchurch on the return trip. There was still more bad weather forecast, and it was feared that this would cause more problems for helicopters delivering necessary equipment as well as for sea-going vehicles and rescue craft, which would also hamper efforts to deliver food, nappies, fuel, pet food and whatever else those stranded after the earthquake require.
Monday’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake would have created a lot of very loud noise under water, and it is a concern as to whether the whales would have been affected by it as they are known to be affected by loud explosions, which can interfere with them and causing them to strand or rise to the surface too quickly to get away from the disturbance. The local seal community may also have lost their breeding spot at Ohau Point in a landslide.
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