LEXI POLLARD
PRIDE STAFF WRITER

On Feb. 22, 2011 an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 devastated the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, leaving in its wake a current death toll of 75. The quake, whose epicenter lies in a town 10 kilometers southwest from Christchurch is the second to hit the South Island in five months making the death toll and missing person numbers total 300 people. The earthquake preceding the recent one rocked Christchurch with the power of a 7.0 magnitude but caused less damage due to the epicenter’s distance from the populated city.

Although no students from New Zealand currently attend Cal State San Marcos, this recent earthquake in New Zealand should concern students because of the potential threat of earthquakes in Southern California. The CSUSM website offers information and a video about earthquake procedures, emergency contacts and the campus is equipped with building monitors.

The country of New Zealand experiences multiple earthquakes a year because of its location in the Ring of Fire, an arc of islands spanning from New Zealand, the eastern edge of Asia, the Aleutian Islands of Alaska and the southern coasts on North and South America. According to about.com, the Pacific Plate collides with other plates and slides under these plates, during the process known as subduction. Around New Zealand, the Pacific Plate slides under the Indo-Australian Plate. The energy created by the interaction of these plates produce earthquakes.

Residents and people in Christchurch and surrounding suburbs have lost power, water and access to phone lines, and the New Zealand Herald reports that “About 80 percent of people in the city of about 350,000 are without water.” Historic buildings such as the Christchurch cathedral experienced significant structural damage and the resultant rubble trapped those inside buildings when the earthquake hit. According to BBC News, “About 120 people have been pulled out of collapsed buildings, with rescuers having to perform amputations on some victims to get them out.” The estimations of damage and dead and missing people are expected to rise as rescue efforts continue.

New Zealand, Australian and United Kingdom search and rescue teams continue to scour the city, and President Barack Obama deployed United States aid soon after the earthquake occurred.

Rescue teams and volunteers continue to search for victims while the country mourns the losses and damage in its second-largest city.