Quake: What's working

LATEST: What's working, what isn't and what to do after the earthquake.

ARTS CENTRE

The Arts Centre site remains closed to the public following Saturday's earthquake.  A number of buildings were damaged during the quake, with the Great Hall, the Clock Tower, the Observatory and Boys' High receiving the most extensive damage.

Work continues to identify areas of danger and remove hazards.

WATER STATIONs

Five water stations have been set up around the city those still without running water.

Water would be available from tankers at the corner of Locksley Ave and McBratneys Rd in Dallington and Anzac Drive and Birch St in Bexley until 3pm.

From 4pm-8pm, water tankers would be stationed at Central New Brighton School, Palmers Rd and Rocking Horse Rd in New Brighton.

Christchurch City Council said people should bring their own containers and boil the water for three minutes.

HOSPITALS

All surgical and medical procedures, other than non-deferrable cases, have been cancelled today, including all arranged admissions for Christchurch, Christchurch Women's and Burwood hospitals. Patients were being contacted. Christchurch Women's Hospital caesarean sections and inductions of labour will continue as scheduled.

Hospital outpatient services will be maintained. However, if patients scheduled for clinics cannot attend or do not arrive they will be contacted by the hospital and their appointment rescheduled.

WINZ

Five Work and Income offices in Christchurch are confirmed safe and will open today (Monday) to provide emergency support.

They are: Linwood, Hornby, Riccarton, New Brighton and Shirley. Work and Income sites at Papanui, Rangiora, Kaiapoi and Sydenham remain closed, as well as CYF's Torren house.

LEGAL SERVICES

People in Christchurch needing legal work have been told it may get done on time but Saturday's earthquake may also cause serious delays.

The New Zealand Law Society said people with urgent legal matters should contact their own lawyer first as many law firms reopened for business, particularly those in suburban Christchurch.

The society's Canterbury-Westland branch manager, Malcolm Ellis, said many firms could be contacted by telephone or email.

He said one property sale was settled today and settlements through the major banks could probably be done at banking centres outside Canterbury.

He said anyone with an urgent legal inquiry who could not contact their own lawyer could call one of three lawyers.

"We will not be able to give full legal advice, but will be able to discuss concerns and suggest the next course of action."

The three were: Malcolm Ellis (027 229 1773 for general inquiries; Allister Davis (027 227 5333 for inquiries on litigation; and Ferne Bradley (03 343 5880) or 027 223 4289 for property inquiries.

PRESCHOOLS AND SCHOOLS

All preschools, primary, intermediate and secondary schools in Christchurch, Selwyn district and Kaiapoi have been closed today and tomorrow under the Civil Defence Act.

The closure is to ensure the health of students and teachers and will also give time for proper structural assessments of buildings.

CANTERBURY UNIVERSITY

Canterbury vice-chancellor Rod Carr said all staff and students were to stay away from the university, including the halls of residences, as the institute would not open before 6am on September 13.

The fourth term had been scheduled to start today after a mid-semester break.

Students at Canterbury's halls of residence were not able to return to their hall before September 12 and were advised to check the university's website before leaving home.

Carr said there was no obvious serious damage at Canterbury University, aside from cracks in buildings, chemical spills and messy libraries, but building surveys and a cleanup were needed.

The spilled chemicals, which included formaldehyde in the biological sciences department, had been contained, he said. Specialist teams would be brought in to clean up.

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY

Roger Field, Lincoln's vice-chancellor, said the university would be closed until further notice.

Field said many of Lincoln University's buildings were in "bad shape" with broken windows, computers in disarray and general mess.

No staff were allowed on campus without permission from a senior management team member.

Students at Lincoln's halls were also discouraged from returning until next weekend.

CPIT

The Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology is closed today, when an assessment will be made about when it can reopen.

DESIGN AND ARTS COLLEGE

The Design and Arts college of New Zealand on Worcester St Closed to all students until Monday 13.

COURT

There will be limited court sittings in Christchurch today after the court house was deemed safe by structural engineers, but jury trials have been postponed because of the unlikely availability of jurors.

Jurors summoned for jury duty are advised to call later today on the Christchurch jury service phone number 03-962-4399 03-962-4399 for further instructions.

BUSES AND FERRIES

Metro bus services for Christchurch, Selwyn, and Waimakariri districts will not operate today. Damage to roads in Christchurch and surrounding areas have to be assessed before passenger services can resume and the central-city cordon has made operations difficult.The Bus Exchange building in Lichfield St also has to be assessed before it can reopen.

The Diamond Harbour ferry will operate as normal, allowing people to travel to Lyttelton, although there will be no connecting buses for travel to Christchurch.

LYTTELTON PORT

Lyttelton Port of Christchurch chief executive Peter Davie said the port had suffered "tens of millions of dollars" of damage during the earthquake.

Port roads, storage areas and walls, most of which were built on reclaimed land, had slumped and would need major repairs.

Despite the damage, Davie said the port would be able to handle the unloading of any supplies that needed to be shipped in.

RAILWAYS

All rail services in the Christchurch area likely to be restored by Tuesday.

The main south line, south from Christchurch, has reopened with a 40kmh speed restriction and 25kmh restriction on bridges between Christchurch and Ashburton, KiwiRail public affairs manager Kevin Ramshaw said this morning.

The Midland Line, west of Otira in the Southern Alps, was open and the line between Otira and Christchurch was expected to open this afternoon, again with speed restrictions.

Freight traffic was expected to resume this afternoon and the Tranz Alpine to run from tomorrow.

North of Christchurch, the main north line, which sustained 4km of damage in the Kaiapoi area including damage to the abutments of one bridge, was expected to reopen tomorrow.

In the meantime, freight was being off-loaded at Rangiora and moved the 30km into Christchurch by road, Mr Ramshaw said.

Tranz Coastal passenger services were expected to resume between Christchurch and Picton on Wednesday.

EARTHQUAKE COMMISSION

At 6pm yesterday, the commission reported a total of 4164 Canterbury claims, with 3400 from Christchurch.

Those affected are asked to record the extent of the damage, and contact the Earthquake Commission on 0800 326243 0800 326243 (DAMAGE), with their insurance company policy number.

WELFARE CENTRES

Three Christchurch centres have been set up at Linwood High School, Addington Raceway and Burnside High School. Food, water, accommodation and other help are provided.

ROADS

A list of road restrictions and closures in Christchurch can be found on ccc.govt.nz.

The New Zealand Transport Agency said it was continuing to assess the impact of the earthquake on Canterbury's state highway network.

State Highway 74 in Christchurch is closed between Breezes Rd and Metro Place, due to a broken sewerage pipe underneath the motorway. Single-lane access is expected to be restored this morning.

State Highway 77 has re-opened with a 2km detour from Glentunnel to Glenroy, where subsidence has occurred. A signposted detour is in place.

All other state highways in the region are usable, while major structures, including the Lyttelton tunnel, have been assessed for structural integrity and given the all-clear.

CITY COUNCIL HEADQUARTERS

The new Hereford St civic centre is closed until September 14. Other council service centres are closed until they have been structurally assessed. The city council helpline is 941-8999

LIBRARIES, SWIMMING POOLS

All libraries and city council swimming pools have been closed until further notice.

SUPERMARKETS

Foodstuffs, which operates New World, Pak 'n Save and Four Square stores, said its stores were open, with the exception of Rolleston and Kaiapoi.

The Rolleston store was expected to open today.

Progressive Enterprises have announced all All Countdown, SuperValue and FreshChoice supermarkets in the Canterbury region are now open, although stock damage has occurred.

No staff were injured as a result of the earthquake.

Progressive is donating $100,000 to the Christchurch earthquake fund to assist with the rebuilding of the city and supporting people as the attempt to re-establish their lives.

 Customers are able to contribute donations to the earthquake fund at any Countdown, Woolworths, Foodtown, SuperValue or FreshChoice store throughout New Zealand.

The distribution centres in Christchurch were also significantly damaged however, grocery supplies are being shipped from Auckland or direct from local suppliers to ensure essential items are available.

 We also ask customers to bear with us while we work to ensure all products are available.

 Regular information updates will be issued.

CIVIL DEFENCE

People planning to visit Christchurch this week are being advised to put off their travel unless it is essential.

Canterbury Civil Defence emergency manager John Talbot said there was a significant amount of infrastructure damage in and around the city.

WATER AND SEWAGE

Canterbury residents are advised to continue to boil water for at least three minutes before drinking it. This includes any water collected from tankers.

A shortage of drinkable water has been identified as an issue in Kaiapoi. Water reticulation in Selwyn District has nearly returned to normal in urban centres but is still problematic in rural areas.

Engineers have so far found 26 major breaks in the Christchurch sewerage system, meaning some sewage is going directly into the Avon and Heathcote rivers. Residents are asked keep toilet flushes to a minimum.

If you do not have water, make a temporary toilet with a bin lined with two plastic bags. Cover the bin between uses. The contents can be buried when the bin is no longer needed.

Showers and baths are fine.

RUBBISH

Rubbish bins will be collected on the normal designated days. However, the council has asked residents to keep building materials, such as bricks, out of their bins; these will be cleared out at a later date.

HEATING

Residents are advised not to use open fires due to the risk of further aftershocks. Please also be careful when using candles for lighting.

ORANA WILDLIFE PARK

Orana Wildlife Park has reopened. There is no structural damage.

Staff are mourning the loss of Gidro, a 10 year old black and white ruffed lLemur that sadly drowned as a result of the Christchurch earthquake.  Gidro is believed to be one of the few fatalities of the earthquake.

However, native fauna keepers remain very concerned about a Kiwi egg that is due to hatch soon. "We lost power for almost four hours and that poor little egg was rocked about inside its incubator. Today we saw movement in the egg so we are hopeful that the chick will hatch - but it will be a miracle if the chick is alright" says Tara Atkinson, Head Keeper of Native Fauna.

SOUTHERN ENCOUNTER AQUARIUM

Southern Encounter Aquarium & Kiwi House in Cathedral Square suffered some damage as a result of the earthquake.

However, Operations Manager, Dave Bradshaw, says things could have been much worse: "Unfortunately two fish died and there has been a lot of water damage owing to water slopping out from the tanks into the aquarium and our gift shop. Luckily we have waterproof carpet. There is no apparent damage to any of our tanks and, pending an engineer's inspection, we hope to re-open again this Thursday."

WILLOWBANK WILDLIFE RESERVE

Willowbank's animals and property are safe and sound and the reserve is fully operational.

WESTFIELD MALL, RICCARTON

Westfield New Zealand Limited said rumours about a collapsed roof at Westfield Riccarton, which have been posted on Twitter within the past hour, are incorrect.
 
A story based on the incorrect Tweets was also posted on the Christchurch Star website.  
 
Westfield New Zealand Limited advises that following safety assessments carried out at Westfield Riccarton after Saturday's earthquake, the centre has opened today.

WOMEN'S REFUGE
Christchurch Women's Refuge advises that their family violence crisis services, which include telephone support and residential services, are operating as normal.

As usual, the Safe House is available for those with urgent family violence related safety needs.

If you need assistance or support please call the free phone line on 0800 1 REFUGE (0800 1 733 843).

PETS

Advice from Merivale Papanui Veterinary Clinic: We have been responding to a number of enquiries from our clients whose pets are very stressed or still missing after the earthquake on Saturday morning.

Cats are very good at surviving and will often come back in a few days time.  If they are missing we advise that you look around the neighbourhood carefully because it is quite common for cats to be holed up in someone's garage close by.

If your pet is fearful and hiding it is important that you do not exacerbate the situation by over cuddling and excessive attention.  Behaving as normally as possible and sticking to a normal routine is the best way to show your pets that all is well.   Keep to your normal feed times and walking times.  If they are anxious, try to be calm yourself and try to divert their stressed behaviour.  Work on some training exercises with your dog or play with your cat.  Try and make the play/exercise as positive as possible with plenty of rewards.

Calming agents are available.  Feliway and DAP are products that contain a natural appeasing pheromone that can be plugged in like an air freshener or sprayed onto bandanas and tied around the neck of the pet.  Others include rescue remedy, lavender oil and some other natural products.

In severe stress there are other prescription drugs that may be useful in the short term to keep your pet calm.  We are available for consultation to discuss their safe use.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO OFFER BOILED WATER TO YOUR PETS!  Contaminated water is just as dangerous to your pet as it is to us.  Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting and can lead to very serious health problems so please contact us if you believe your pet may be ill or if there are any other issues you want to discuss.