A tale of two cities, an earthquake, and some bold decisions

David Ayers, former mayor of Waimakariri, says the area has two of the country’s most earthquake-safe cities, though he would be happy not to test them in his life.

It has been 10 years since the devastating earthquake of September 4, which caused a fifth of the Kayapwe district to be red, and severely damaged other parts of the region.

At the time, his name was in the mayor’s hat, a role he played just a month later.

Ian MacGregor / Staff

High Street in Kayabwe was severely damaged after the September earthquake.

He was heavily involved from the start, being one of the four civil defense monitors at the time.

Read more:

* Downtown Rangura is becoming more and more interested in entertainment and relaxation as people shop online

* Rangura’s growth inspires the council to work on a glamorous, modern city plan

Kaiapoi’s regeneration efforts continue to transform the riverside city

* Developers seek riverside land in Kayabwe as the city’s transformation continues

With two of these officers linked to building inspections and other quake-related issues, it was up to Ayers and fellow observer Nick Harrison to take charge.

explicit

The town of Kayabwe was devastated by the first Canterbury earthquake in 2010. Pictures of upside-down and broken homes shocked the nation. Then what happened? After a decade of disaster, Frank Film is back.

“I heard on the radio that Kayabwe was badly injured. Of course at that time we thought it was the Alpine Rift.

I went to the council building and a man came in and said, ‘Do you need a helicopter?’

“ As soon as he lights up, he starts running his helicopter outside of Southbrook all day. ”

Ayers and two engineers were on the first flight, and the damage to some parts of the area was very visible from above.

“The Mandeville Bridge was bent and warped, and when we passed Hilton Saint we could see the mess.

Kirk Hargreaves / Extras

David Ayers says that while he never felt stressed out for himself as the next mayor, for many affected residents he felt through Waimakariri.

“ People on the street were just wondering what hit them. ”

Despite all the apparent damage to Kiapoi and neighboring Pines Beach and Kairaki, Ayers remembers it could be repaired soon.

“I thought, ‘We can fix roads and homes, so why does it take more than a year? “

He didn’t think he would look back on his tenure as mayor to see how many years he would actually spend working on recovering.

“We had meetings for Africa. I never felt stressed out for myself, but I did feel for others – there were a lot of people in very difficult places, and a lot of them never lived indoors again.

Homes in the residential Hamra district of Kayapoi have been decontaminated.

Ayers recalls the many hours he spent consulting and preparing society for the next trip.

“We were planning to fix the land,” he says.

We promised to start by the end of June, had contractors and everything ready. ”

But the plans were thwarted as the government declared the red zone.

“I’m sorry, but I have to make you stop,” Jerry Brownlee told us.

Stacy Squires / Staff

Roatanewa Center, Kayapoi Library, a new modern building resulting from the earthquake.

“ The government abandoned the idea of ​​reinforcement and decided on the red zone. ”

Brownlee visited Kayabwe and met with mixed reactions, including a woman who was the last house on her street to be designated green – her next door neighbor was red.

“She burst into tears because she wanted a new home.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind creating a dog park,” Ayers says through her tears. “Well, she has one now.”

In addition to declaring the traumatic red zone, the council needed to deal with earthquake-prone buildings in the area, which had a major impact on commercial buildings, in both Kaiapoi and Rangiora.

Supplied

The Rangiora red area includes a dog park and BMX track.

The MainPower Building in Rangiora was one of the first to be demolished, and the Town Hall closed after a revaluation, as did the Oxford Town Hall.

“It was a very difficult period. As a council, we had to make some bold decisions, but we got tremendous support from our community until the end.”

Much heritage was lost in the process, including the former listed building of Class 1 Kaiapoi BNZ, but there were a lot of positives to come from the rebuilding as well.

The Rangiora was not fully planned, and as a result there was a strange configuration of roads around the city center.

David Walker / Staff

Rangiora Town Hall reopened in 2015 after being closed due to seismic reinforcement in 2012.

“Downtown’s plan has always been to settle that, but then the encouragement of High Street reform became more urgent.”

Even the new-looking Rangiora got the first set of traffic lights as a result, an event attended by more than 200 people.

“We got our first red light runner while standing there, it happened within minutes of turning on the lights.”

Shannon Pinon / Staff

A crowd of people came out to see the first batch of Rangura traffic lights in operation in 2015.

Ayers, who achieved world fame after purchasing his first pair of underwear after the earthquake when farmers reopened their doors, says he couldn’t walk down the street without telling people how good their city looked.

“ It was a very reassurance. ”

On the way, Kaiapoi has also undergone a regeneration process, and while it hasn’t diminished the impact on those affected by the earthquake, Ayers says the community should be viewed with great pride.

Supplied

Some bold decisions by the council were needed to get the most out of rebuilding the city.

The council bought the area where the riverside restaurant, Port and Eagle, now sits, and rebuilt the library for its modern two-story buildings overlooking the river.

“For Kiabwe, this area is extremely important to the city, and we now have the most seismic strength city in the country.

“ A lot of good things have happened as a result, but we cannot forget those who were affected in their personal lives. ”

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos