Tuesday saw hundreds of Christchurch residents come together at the Canterbury earthquake memorial to mark the 11th anniversary of the 2011 tragedy. Among outpouring of emotions, they joined to remember and pay respects to their friends, family members and fellow Canterbarians who lost their lives on the fateful day on 22nd February 2011.
185 people were killed and many injured by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake on the day.
Covid19 restrictions made this year the first when no official memorial service took place to commemorate the Christchurch earthquake. Instead, people commemorated in their own ways by offering flowers at the memorial.
Mayor Lianne Dalziel laid a wreath at the Oi Manawa Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial in the morning rather than at 12.50 when earthquake actually happened and is usually commemorated. Christchurch City Council instead released a pre-recorded tribute which went online at 12.50pm.
Manager of International Relations at Christchurch City Council, Matt Nichols said the mayor laid the wreath earlier in the morning because pandemic controls restricted gathering sizes.
He said, “We wanted to give the families of those who lost their lives the space and time they need to remember their loved ones,’’ he said.
Even after 11 years since thousands of homes were damaged, some homeowners are still dealing with unpaid insurance claims. According to media reports, more than half a million insurance claims were lodged with Earthquake Commission or private insurers. There are still more than 1150 cases unresolved - the majority of these are reopened cases. More than 100 cases are in dispute.
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