Rain may force evacuations in quake-hit Canterbury
BY STAFF REPORTERS
LATEST: The reality of Saturday's earthquake is beginning to set in for Canterbury residents, with many facing a second night in shelters away from their homes.
High winds and aftershocks continue to rock the region, with some jolts measuring up to magnitude 5.0.
Saturday’s quake measured 7.1 and was felt as far north as Palmerston North in the North Island.
Heavy rain is now threatening Waimakariri, north of Christchurch, where residents are already dealing with contaminated water and extensive traffic jams caused by rubberneckers wanting to look at the destruction.
From tomorrow, the army and extra police will be called in to restrict access to the area as the volume of people were hampering workers trying to repair utilities.
Civil Defence Minister John Carter said they were mindful the weather was going to turn nasty and were preparing for an evacuation if that happened.
He said stop banks which provide flood protection to lower lying areas were damaged in the quake, meaning swollen rivers now pose a serious problem.
“Waimakariri is the area we are most concerned about,” Mr Carter said.
He urged people to look after each other, especially those most vulnerable such as the elderly.
CITY SHUTDOWN
Most of Christchurch's central business district will remain off limits tomorrow, city leaders have confirmed.
Schools and buses will not run until Wednesday at the earliest, a press conference this afternoon also heard.
Rubbish bins would be collected as usual.
Mayor Bob Parker said the scale of the disaster was becoming clearer as the day went on.
A cordon around the central business area is expected to be reduced later tonight but Mr Parker said businesses in the inner-city area would not be open tomorrow.
Employers were urged to take the responsibility to contact staff and advise them if they were needed tomorrow.
The state of emergency, due to expire at noon tomorrow, would be reviewed but Mr Parker hinted it may be extended.
He said fatigue was becoming the new enemy for volunteers, many of which had been working since the earthquake struck.
He and emergency services were concerned about a forecast weather event predicted in the next 36 hours.
The closures follow the Chief Medical Officer of Health advising that all public buildings are to remain closed until Wednesday.
Karen Sewell, from the Ministry of Education, says the school closures are in the best interests of safety and continued assessment of school property.
"This allows more time for structural assessment of school buildings and grounds."
"Safety is paramount and the time will be used for the ongoing assessments to ensure school buildings are safe and to make sure water and sanitation is clean in school grounds," Mrs Sewell says.
The Christchurch City Council said there are more than 500 damaged buildings, 90 of which were in the central city area.
The council's building evaluation team would inspect all buildings within the central zone, tagging red placards to buildings considered unsafe, yellow on buildings assigned restricted use, and green on buildings with no restrictions.
TAKING A TOLL
For those in shelters unable to go home, the trauma of losing a house in earthquake-ravaged Christchurch is taking an increasingly emotional toll.
Red Cross workers said today the three shelters at Linwood College, Burnside High School and Addington Raceway were looking after people who were only now realising the enormity of the earthquake damage.
The shelters looked after about 250 people overnight but that could double tonight.
Many would never return to their homes because they were so badly damaged and would have to be demolished.
For others the repairs could take weeks.
Yanni Tromp, who was running the Red Cross emergency centre at Linwood College, told NZPA today the trauma was reducing many people to tears.
“It is starting to sink in. We are starting to see more nervous and upset people than yesterday,” she said.
“Most of them will need a shoulder to lean on.''
PRIORITY: KEEP SAFE
Minister John Carter said the priority now is to keep people safe.
“People of course want to see the affected areas get back to normal as soon as possible, particularly the central business district of Christchurch. However, the infrastructure damage is significant and until such damage is assessed officials and emergency staff in the area and the Government must make the safety of civilians the number one priority.''
Mr Carter will brief the Cabinet at 11am tomorrow.
Funding the rebuild, and a contribution to the mayoral fund would be discussed, but he could not yet say how much money would be provided.
Meanwhile, schools and early childhood centres in Christchurch, Waimakariri, and Selwyn districts will be closed until Wednesday.
Most of Christchurch's central business district will remain off limits tomorrow, city leaders have confirmed.
Mayor Bob Parker said the scale of the disaster was becoming clearer as the day went on.
A cordon around the central business area is expected to be reduced later tonight but Parker said businesses in the inner-city area would not be open tomorrow.
Employees heading back to work tomorrow are being urged to put safety first.
WINDS EASE IN CHRISTCHURCH, WARNING FOR RURAL AREAS
The wild winds forecast for Canterbury tonight are unlikely to reach full force in Christchurch.
Winds, forecast to reach up to 130kmh tonight and tomorrow in inland Canterbury, had actually eased in Christchurch this morning before they were expected to gather strength.
"Gale force winds, of 62kmh and more, could cause serious issues for trees and buildings that were weakened in yesterday's huge earthquake," WeatherWatch forecaster Philip Duncan said.
"Regardless of whether Christchurch sees gusts of 130km/h, the threat is very high that strong winds tonight and tomorrow could cause further serious problems."
ASSESSING THE DAMAGE
Parts of Christchurch city centre will be "no-go areas" for weeks while teams of structural engineers scour buildings for damage, focussing on those which were critical to the functioning of the CBD.
The council's building evaluation team are inspecting all buildings within the central zone, tagging red placards to buildings considered unsafe, yellow on buildings assigned restricted use, and green on buildings with no restrictions.
There is also damage to hundreds of homes, and residents are being warned that damage to hundreds of brick chimneys in Christchurch may be under the roofline and not visible, and the chimneys should be treated as dangerous until they can be inspected.
Hundreds of pets in Canterbury have also been affected by the earthquake, with many animals reported missing.
SPCA manager Geoff Sutton asked people not to panic if their cats and dogs still had not come home, because some could still just be hiding from the aftershocks.
"Pets are a highly emotional issue, but people need to keep calm," Mr Sutton said.
The SPCA is asking anyone who has lost their pet for more than 24 hours to contact their tracking line on 0900 56-787.
New Zealand had turned down offers of support from the US military, based in Hawaii, and the UN he said.
The army and Burnham and some additional troops in Linton are available to help police but so far weren't required, he said.
Ninety per cent of the city has power, he said, but there are issues in the rural areas with power and drinking water.
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