'Ripped apart in 60 seconds'
BY GLENN CONWAY AND ANDREA VANCE
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Inner-city Christchurch remains off-limits to an estimated 50,000 workers today and the city's mayor has warned it could be months before life returns to normal after Saturday's shattering 7.1 earthquake.
Damage to buildings and properties from the quake came with an estimated $2 billion bill but business and city leaders say a "silver lining" would be the injection of money to rebuild the city.
Scientists believe not one but three earthquakes just seconds apart ripped a 13km gash across the Canterbury Plains and unleashed energy to equivalent of 67 nuclear bombs speeding into Christchurch about 4.35am.
An inner city cordon and curfew remained last night and the state of emergency, which runs out at noon, was expected to be extended. Public buildings like the Christchurch courthouse, central city library and Christ Church Cathedral will remain shut.
Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said workers based inside the cordoned area should not go to work.
Council staff had not yet inspected other buildings outside that zone. Employers had to take personal responsibility and decide if their staff could return.
"We don't want employees coming into the CBD. That area is closed to the public because it is a dangerous area."
Canterbury's medical officer of health Alistair Humphrey said no building owners should allow staff or the public to enter shops, workplaces until they had been cleared by a structural engineer.
"The message for people is if in doubt, stay out."
Schools, except for those in Rangiora, and all city buses will not operate until at least Wednesday and Parker said there would be "a significant amount of disruption to public life."
Parker praised the efforts of worked and volunteers and said it was a miracle no-one had been killed. "This has been the most extraordinary, miraculous event. It is unbelievable we have been spared that."
But the scale of the disaster was `enormous" and residents needed to understand things would not return to normal for "a significant amount of time."
"This was a moment of intense violence that ripped apart a community in 60 seconds. Yesterday (on Saturday) we were glad to be alive. Today (yesterday) we are worried about our lives.
Less than 5000 customers should still be without power by this morning, Orion chief executive Roger Sutton said.
There was the danger of lines lying on the ground and he urged everyone to treat all lines as live.
Staff would be working for the rest of the week restoring power and making urgent repairs, he said.
Police said there had been two incidents where "known criminals" impersonated tradesmen to enter the cordon area.
Canterbury district commander Superintendent Dave Cliff said police were being vigilant and checking the credentials of people entering the area.
People needed to stay away from the "restricted access zone" because of the danger of falling glass and other debris.
About 20 per cent of city residents still had no potable water.
Cabinet ministers will meet today to discuss how to get quake-ravaged Canterbury back on its feet – but the Government won't say how much it is willing to spend.
Prime Minister John Key will return to the region tomorrow and last night said early estimates putting the cost of repairs at $2 billion were a "finger in the air figure."
Hundreds of homes would need to be demolished and there will be 1000s of homes where damage was not immediately apparent.
But he said it was too early to say how much the Government would commit to a mayoral fund established by Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker on Saturday.
Ministers will be briefed by civil defence minister John Carter and Agriculture Minister David Carter on the scale of the devastation and what help is needed.
Central government will look at where it can step in to fix local infrastructure, such as rail, road and water, which is usually funded by local government. "We can't expect them to pick up that tab twice." Police and army resources will also be considered, he said.
Mr Key said Cabinet will appoint a civil defence commissioner to oversee reconstruction and aid. "This isn't a short-term thing," he said.
The Earthquake Commission (EQC) expects claims from at least 100,000 households to cost about $1b. It has $15b invested, largely overseas, and $6b in cash, Mr Key said.
Householders can claim $100,000, plus GST, on buildings and $20,000, plus GST on contents.
Civil Defence director John Hamilton said offers of help had been turned down from the United States military in Hawaii and from the United Nations.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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