Historical Disasters By Region
Earthquakes:
•1893 - the magnitude 6.9 Nelson earthquake cracks ceilings and crockery. The spire of Nelson Cathedral is nearly a metre out of vertical after the quake.
•1929 - the magnitude 7.8 Murchison earthquake damages buildings, including the tower and dormitories of Nelson College.
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Tsunami
•1855 - a tsunami is caused by the Wairarapa earthquake.
Storms:
•1968 - Cyclone Giselle causes much storm damage in parts of the country.
Floods:
•1970 - two people killed during floods in Nelson.
•1983 - flooding in Takaka and Tapawera causes $4.9 million damage.
•1990 - forty-five people are evacuated and one person is killed during flooding in Nelson/Tasman.
Non-natural Disasters:
•1918/19 - Spanish flu, our worst disaster, kills over 8,000 New Zealanders.
•1957/58 - the Asian flu comes in two waves, and affects about 70-80% of the population, though few people die.
•1968/69 - the Hong Kong flu reaches New Zealand. As it occurs mainly during the Christmas holidays, it does not spread as fast amongst schoolchildren and their families.
•2009 - human cases of non-seasonal influenza A (H1N1) 'swine flu' resulting from human to human transmission are identified in Mexico in April, with subsequent spread to many other countries, including New Zealand. All of New Zealand’s cases have recently returned from travel in affected areas or are close contacts of cases. New Zealand continues its efforts to contain the influenza A (H1N1) swine flu virus and prevent community transmission. By late May case numbers in New Zealand remain stable, but the number of overseas cases being notified to the World Health Organisation continues to increase.