CLOSE UP. EARTHQUAKE

John Kier introduces CLOSE UP
“Can we cope when the big one strikes?”
The next big earthquake to hit New Zealand could be catastrophic. Experts say that an earthquake measuring 8 on the Richter scale occurs every 100 years, the last one was in 1855. Could New Zealand cope with a massive natural disaster of this magnitude? Is enough money is spent on civil defence? Dr Warwick Smith, seismologist speaks about earthquake predictions. The 1931 Napier earthquake measured 7.5 on the Richter scale and 250 people died. This was 1% of the population in the disaster area.