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Hawke’s Bay hazard mapping targets liquefaction

Hawke’s Bay hazard mapping targets liquefaction

The Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group (CDEM) has been coordinating a joint piece of work to review liquefaction risks for Hawke’s Bay.

Stated simply, liquefaction is the process of loose soil acting like a liquid or quicksand during a severe earthquake. It was a significant feature and obstacle following the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011.

The results of this project are expected to enable improvements to present liquefaction susceptibility maps for the region, including developing options to improve Hawke’s Bay resiliency to liquefaction during future earthquakes.

Ian Macdonald, Group Manager of Hawke’s Bay CDEM, says he is extremely pleased that all Hawke’s Bay councils are supporting this project, which will lead to better liquefaction information for property owners, councils and developers.

“As a result of the collaborative approach between Hawke’s Bay Councils, we’ve been able to leverage over $200,000 in central government funding in support of this project,” said Mr Macdonald.

Hawke’s Bay CDEM Group is grateful for the support of the Natural Hazards Research Platform, the Earthquake Commission and GNS Science in funding this work along with Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Napier City Council and Hastings District Council. GNS Science will lead the project.

“The result of research conducted after the Canterbury earthquakes is a much clearer understanding of how liquefaction occurs and where it is likely to happen during a large-scale earthquake,” said Mr Macdonald.

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“We believe Hawke’s Bay will benefit from an updated liquefaction study, to give us the best possible information for emergency preparation and planning.”

Mr Guy Lethbridge is Chairman of the Hawke’s Bay Institute of Professional Engineers of New Zealand (IPENZ) and believes that this project will provide valuable insights to Hawke’s Bay.

“This project lets us look at the nature of the ground we’re building on, and will potentially reduce the costs of assessments for new buildings through information sharing,” said Mr Lethbridge.

This important regional project is considered overdue, as previous research was completed more than 14 years ago. Completion is expected over the next 18 months with a final report due in early 2015.

IPENZ Chairman Mr Lethbridge has also requested local IPENZ members assist with requests for geotechnical information they have on file for the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council to help get the project under way.

The Hawke’s Bay IPENZ meeting planned for Tuesday 23 July at HBRC will give an overview of the liquefaction mapping joint project.
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