資料來源：http://chinapost.com.tw/guidepost/topics/default.asp?id=3267&next=1&sub=3
Two years on, much of earthquake-devastated Christchurch has yet to be rebuilt
Two years after an earthquake devastated New Zealand's second-largest city, killing 185 people and rattling Phil Thompson's suburban house off its foundations, the 65-year-old retiree still lives in a trailer home parked on the lawn in front of his twisted wooden bungalow.
Thompson, along with virtually everyone else in Christchurch, had thought the city would be closer to recovery by now. Instead he and his partner are resigned to spending a third winter in the poorly insulated camper. Downtown, a temporary shopping center in brightly colored shipping containers has become a symbol of resilience, but most of the historic center remains a post-apocalyptic ghost town. The only visitors to the historic center are tourists eager to take photographs.
Christchurch is but one example of how even the wealthiest countries struggle to recover from large-scale catastrophes. In some cases, developing countries may be better off. Within two years of a 2004 tsunami, half the 100,000 permanent homes needed in Indonesia had been completed. But in Japan, two years after the March 2011 tsunami flattened the northeast coast, few homes have been rebuilt.
"Many people in developing countries don't rely on governments. They just go ahead and rebuild," said Peter McCawley, an economist at the Australian National University and a specialist on disaster relief policy. Conversely, disaster agencies in the First World have become "far too bureaucratic," he said.
A major bottleneck in Christchurch is insurance. Most claims haven't been paid, as insurance companies and a government insurance fund tussle over who should pay for what. Continuing aftershocks — topping 11,000 in January — have added to the delays, as insurers wait for the ground to become more stable.
Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said rebuilding houses could take another two years to complete, while bigger projects such as a hospital, convention center and performing arts center may require six.
Parker predicts a rebound as the NZ$35 billion (approximately NT$865 billion) reconstruction gathers pace. "Two years down the track, I think we've made amazing progress," he said. "It's never as fast as people would imagine because the scale has been huge," he said.
The slow progress in Christchurch is typical of a major disaster in a wealthy country, said Paul Dalziel, an economist at Lincoln University outside Christchurch. He is part of a global network developing new disaster recovery protocols for rich countries.
"It's a universal problem that when an event of this scale occurs, it's not easy for individuals to make decisions because they have such widespread ramifications," said Dalziel, whose home was damaged in the quake. "I don't think it's appropriate to criticize anybody in particular. It's just a reality that we don't cope well with disasters of this scale."
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