What are the effects of the earthquake the local community?

Answer 1

Effects of the Newcastle earthquake were felt throughout central-eastern New South Wales. There were reports of damage to buildings in Scone, Gladstone and Sydney, the latter some 800km away. The shaking was even felt in tall buildings, in places over 5000km away.

Thirteen people were killed, and 35,000 homes, 147 schools and 3,000 other structures in the region collapsed. Most damage, and the highest death toll, occurred at the Newcastle Workers Club when walls and multiple floors collapsed, dropping 300 tonnes of concrete onto the ground-floor car park. Nine people were killed in this one location alone. In the aftermath of the Newcastle earthquake, stories emerged of insurance companies refusing to pay out, or authorising only cheap repairs. Naturally, this sort of behaviour only served to exacerbate the grief that some community members were feeling as the result of personal or material losses.

Answer 2

Earthquakes can cause local or widespread damage to structures, things inside buildings, people, property, or just about anything depending on the strength of the groundshaking. A smaller quake would likely rattle things on shelves and maybe knock some things off. a larger quake could cause extensive widespread damage, like what happened in Japan recently.