How social media identified and offered solutions to repair and rebuilding problems during Canterbury earthquakes

Abstract

New Zealand has been struck by a series of destructive earthquakes in the Canterbury area since 2010 September. The earthquake in September 2010 and the aftershock in February 2011 resulted in catastrophic damages to the buildings and houses in the CBD district and the rural areas around the city. As a consequence, the governments at each level, the involved agencies and the individuals and the communities in the affected areas have partnered and worked in collaboration to build a greater Christchurch. The performance of the response and recovery process significantly determined how well the affected individuals and communities, and the government and organizations react and recover from the adversity of the catastrophe. Among the different sorts of identifying factors that can make great differences, the forms of communication between the people who are in need and those who are able to provide recommendations and advice, between government and the involved agencies and between individuals and the contractors, have proven of significant importance to assist with response and recovery progress. The impact of online social networks is deemed an important source for information, including assisting with understanding general issues and the mood of the population, in particular for making changes for the benefits of the housing repair and rebuild. In terms of response and recovery, people are inclined to be proactive in seeking information they require on repair and rebuild their properties. Also, the problems during repair and rebuild process can be rather easily found and clearly identified in social media and the sharing of solutions and advice can lead to better outcomes. The people are also able to implement self-help by participating in the social media platform to inform, discuss and share their own stories. The affected community have used social media to share their experiences of repair and rebuild, so they can deal with their issues more efficiently and effectively. All in all, the people in need appear to have benefited from social media in gaining advantages to recover quicker. Key words: earthquakes, Canterbury and Christchurch, social media, response and recovery, repair and rebuild.