Operation Christchurch Quake 2011

3rd Field Engineers providing fresh water and supplies at New Brighton after the Christchurch 2011 earthquake (20110226_WN_S1015650_0029).

A devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake ravaged Christchurch on 22 February 2011 at 12.51pm. Within minutes, NZ Defence Force personnel were on their way to help.

Initial Response

Engineers from 3 Field Troop, and their equipment were deployed on quake relief less than two hours after the earthquake struck.

1 Field Troop and Squadron HQ elements in Lyttleton reconnoitred damage and provided assistance to the people of Lyttleton.

Two Light Armoured Vehicles from 1 Troop were deployed within hours alongside Victor Company 1RNZIR to move into the city and assess damage.

The Army's Forward Surgical Team (FST) deployed to Christchurch within hours of the earthquake. The FST, complete with 14 personnel - three surgeons, two anaesthetists, one anaesthetist technician, three theatre nurses, three Intensive Care Unit nurses, a medical scientific officer and a radiographer, were prepared for clinical work, and to help wherever needed.

Specialist Assistance

Water Desalination

3 Field Troop along with a small specialist group of engineers from Linton deployed to New Brighton with a Micro Filtration Reverse Osmosis (MFRO) unit to start producing drinking water for the eastern suburbs of Christchurch, which had been severely affected by the quake.

The MFRO unit produced over 120,000 litres of drinking water in the five days it was deployed. Taking salt water straight from the surf beach it desalinated and filtered the water to make it safe to drink.

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)

Linton Army fire-fighter and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team technician Corporal Chris Kennedy was one of the USAR members to search through three of the most badly damaged buildings following the Christchurch earthquake.

Disaster Victim Identification

Two Burnham-based Army padres blessed every body and body part recovered and brought into the mortuary, and also offered pastoral care to the large team of specialists working to identify the victims of the earthquake.
Army contributed to the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team by way of forensic dental specialists, environmental health specialists, and a DVI search technician.

A 21 Supply Company mortuary team assisted DVI members wherever help was necessary.

Support to Civil Defence

NZDF personnel have been involved at every level, and in every facet of the civil defence response, offering specialist support and often logging some remarkable hours to provide essential humanitarian assistance.

The Army had 77 Unimogs transporting equipment and stores, and 47 Pinzgauer Light Operational vehicles constantly on the move in the broken city. Twenty-eight Light Armoured Vehicles were also working in the area.

Army drivers delivered thousands of chemical toilets throughout Christchurch suburbs that were without sewerage.

As the city's focus shifted from rescue to recovery, a task-organised composite troop from Linton relieved the Squadron in place, and began to undertake more deliberate tasks. This group was designated as "Q" (Quake) Troop and was predominately composed of field engineers from 2 Field Squadron, but also included carpenters, fire fighters, a plumber, an electrician, plant operator, driver, graphical information systems operator and a clerk.

Concurrent with residential jobs, Q Troop worked with the Ministry of Education to conduct urgent jobs to allow Christchurch's schools to reopen as quickly as possible.

Territorial Force | Army Reserve involvement

Territorial Force units from throughout the country played a vital role in the Canterbury earthquake relief effort. They arrived in Christchurch in the days following the quake and set to on a variety of tasks, ranging from cordon duties and engineering, to security and helping clear the huge piles of liquefaction that appeared throughout the city.

About 80 soldiers from the four North Island Territorial units travelled south to help and joined nearly 200 South island Territorial soldiers who had already gathered in the disaster zone.

Further reading

Ongoing Support

Cordon duty - it's the longest running and single largest NZ Defence Force task in support of the Christchurch earthquake recovery.

It involves personnel from across the Services (Army, Navy and Air Force), both full-time and part-time, and they have manned the Christchurch central business district cordon rain or shine, 24 hours a day, seven days a week since the quake hit.

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This page was last reviewed on 18 May 2011 and is current.

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