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Grim report into Wellington quake risksPublished: 7:55AM Friday February 17, 2012 Source: ONE News

Wellington City Council is looking to strengthen earthquake prone buildings after a new report revealed the devastating effect a major quacould have on the Capital.

The report estimates a strong earthquake, similar to the magnitude 6.3 quake that rocked Christchurch nearly a year ago, could cost thelocal economy $37 billion.

The council is looking at making the strengthening process more affordable for building owners as they are concerned heritage buildings ithe central city could be devastated in an earthquake.

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"There is a proposal to work on some financial modelling to help owners. People know they need to strengthen buildings but the money inot always there," said Councillor Iona Pannett.

The central city has 435 unreinforced masonry buildings, including 166 heritage buildings, that would not only pose a risk to occupants inthe event of an earthquake but could also block city roads.

The report found key routes in and out of the city and to the local hospital could be blocked by fallen rubble which would also stop suppliand emergency services from getting through.

The council's Strategy and Policy Committee agreed in September last year that it needed to assess Wellington's major earthquake risks,especially around earthquake prone buildings.

Ngaio School has already had to evacuate three classrooms and the school hall after engineers found the buildings earthquake-prone.

Buildings under scrutiny

A key focus of the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission has been on unreinforced masonry buildings (URMs), which have come undscrutiny as a result of structural failures leading to deaths in Christchurch.

Local governments are being urged to take a stronger approach to dealing with unsafe buildings.

The rebuild cost for Christchurch has been estimated at $20 billion.

But the report for Wellington says the city is "likely to be at greater economic risk following a major event" because of hillside damageaffecting homes, roads and infrastructure.

It also points out the vulnerability of some critical infrastructure, such as communications with the Cook Strait cable, gravity-flow piping, apower and gas.

View the report in detail

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