Quake: Latest updates

LATEST: 5am: Christchurch's Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is likely to be closed for up to a year because of earthquake damage.

5am: Claims lodged with the Earthquake Commission (EQC) show 2700 Canterbury homes are uninhabitable and another 3000 are not weatherproof.

5am: Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker calls for the appeal to rebuild the city's heritage buildings to go global.

Saturday 18 September

1pm:

The Food and Grocery Council estimates the damage to stock at its members' Christchurch warehouses at $95 million.

12pm: Scientists say Canterbury's Greendale Fault has grown another 4km and is now 26km long.

6am: Canterbury is still being subjected to a flurry of seismic activity nearly a fortnight after the 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck, with a swarm of shallow aftershocks hitting the region overnight.

Friday 17 September

12pm The Christchurch City Council has lifted the state of emergency in Christchurch.

11am The Canterbury District Health Board has set up four specialist "recovery centres'' to provide a one-stop shop to help people recover from the quake.

10am A Recovery Assistance Centre is being established in the quake ravaged town of Kaiapoi as the district lifts its state of emergency and moves into recovery mode.

Thursday 16 September

8am Emergency legislation rushed through Parliament has given the Government extraordinary powers to rebuild Christchurch.

7am: Contractors have worked through the night to clear a slip blocking State Highway 1.

6am: The likely movement of several faults in Canterbury's quake may be good news.

Wednesday September 15th 

2pm: Christchurch district court jury trials will resume tomorrow, Wednesday, Courts Minister Georgina te Heuheu announced this afternoon.  

1pm:  Inland Revenue will waive interest on late tax payments for victims of the Canterbury quake, Earthquake recovery minister Gerry Brownlee said.

12pm Leading Wellington architect Ian Athfield has been named as the city's "architectural ambassador'' to head up a team to help rebuild Christchurch.

11am The Christchurch City Mission is calling for donations for Cantabrians "in great need'' following the 7.1 magnitude earthquake on September 4.

Tuesday September 14:

2:20pm:

Maori Party MP Rahui Katene has called for a public apology over the treatment of a 30-strong Christchurch whanau evicted from an Earthquake Welfare Centre.

1:45pm: The Arts Centre site has now re-opened to the public.

1:40pm: Boil water requirements remains in parts of Waimakariri.

1:00pm: Cranes in the CBD - the company must contact the Christchurch City Council before attempting to move onto the site as there are traffic management issues to resolve.

11:40am: At least 300 animals have been reported missing since Christchurch's big earthquake, the Canterbury SPCA. Help find your pets.

11:00am: Waimakariri district home-owners should contact the Council if they have safety issues in their homes or feel they have been missed in the initial safety assessments of homes. The Council customer service number is 03 311-8900 or Kaiapoi toll free 327-6834

9:00am: Most children will be able to return to school and preschool in Canterbury today. Nine schools will remain closed until later in the week, and two have suffered serious structural damage, but more than 200 schools will open.

8:00am: A special commission to direct earthquake recovery work in Canterbury will be announced today.

Monday September 13th, 7:00am: Ten Australian trauma counsellors are due to arrive in quake-ravaged Christchurch today

4.05pm: More of inner-city Christchurch will re-open this afternoon but police have imposed a 30 kmh limit for safety reasons.

3.35pm: A fast-tracked recovery plan for Canterbury is still being organised and won't be announced till next week.

3.15pm: More than $3.5 million has been donated for the Red Cross' Canterbury Earthquake Appeal. And pledges from businesses take the total to over $4 million.

12.27pm: Bill English, the minister responsible for the Earthquake Commission, says questions have been raised over whether some areas that suffered massive damage in the weekend's quake should have been built on to begin with.

11.23am: Lyttelton Tunnel with be closed at times during the next few days so fuel and gas trucks - normally prohibited from using the tunnel - can travel safely through. NZTA warned of delays of up to 10 minutes.

Canterbury State Highways Operations Manager Peter Connors asked motorists to be patient. "We are trying to cause the least amount of disruption for drivers, but it is vital to the region’s recovery that these fuel trucks are able to get to and from the port safely."

11.17am: The biennial SCAPE 2010 art exhibition has been postponed. A meeting would be held later this month to set a new date.

11am: Christ Church Cathedral's doors won't open to the public till the risk of aftershocks subsides. Engineers examined the building yesterday and said it was in very good condition.

 Friday 10 September, 7am: Cordons in the Christchurch central business district will remain in place for the time being in the interest of public safety. The cordons were meant to be lifted at 5am this morning. However, Civil Defence has decided to keep them in place following concerns from the police about the structural stability of some buildings.

10.06pm: Christchurch City Council inspectors checked 1500 homes today in the east of the city. And 90 per cent were deemed safe.

 

7.37pm: A business recovery website www.recovercanterbury.co.nz has also been set up to help Canterbury's commercial revival.

 

 

 

7.24pm:  An overnight curfew will remain in place in earthquake impacted areas of the Waimakariri District until at least Monday as the massive clean-up continues through the weekend. See http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/4096400/Earthquake-city-council-advisories for more.

 

 

7.17pm: From 9.30am on Monday, the Christchurch City Council will have a building recovery office on the ground floor of the new Council offices at 53 Hereford Street. Staff will deal with repairs, demolition and eligibility for relief funds, etc.

6.38pm: Another aftershock measuring 4.0 has just hit Canterbury. The tremor struck 10km south-west of Christchurch at a depth of 5km.

4pm: The last of Christchurch's inner-city cordons should be lifted at 5am tomorrow, Mayor Bob Parker has just announced.

2.24pm: All Blacks captain Richie McCaw has been recruited to encourage stressed out Cantabrians to accept help.

 

1.57pm: Community organisations in quake hit Canterbury can draw on a new $7.5 million fund, social development minister Paula Bennett has said. Environment Minister Nick Smith also said the $10 a tonne waste levy on Canterbury landfills for earthquake waste would be waived.

 

 

12.22pm: Part of Christchurch's Riccarton Road has been closed because of concerns over the stability of two buildings. A police spokesman said the public is asked to avoid Riccarton Rd.

 

 

11.42am: Christchurch City Council will hold a special emergency meeting tomorrow to fast-track its earthquake policy so owners of damaged properties can speed up urgent repairs.

 

11.35am: Oxford Area School has re-opened after the earthquake, the Ministry of Education has confirmed. Southbridge School in the Selwyn District also opened its doors to staff and pupils today.

11.13am: The earthquake will not disrupt next month's local body elections. The Press has been told city councillors and officials were briefed yesterday and told the timetable for the October 9 poll would proceed in the wake of the earthquake.

10.45am: People are being warned not to take water, fish or shellfish from the Waimakariri River, and not to swim or go boating there. The river is contaminated downstream of McLeans Island.

9.10am: Kaiapoi's New World will take a year to rebuild, Foodstuffs South Island says, leaving 90 staff potentially out of work.

Thursday 9 September, 7.33am: The wider South Island is welcoming Cantabrians fleeing the region to escape nerve-jangling aftershocks - including a clutch of five overnight. There were five sizable shocks between midnight and 7am, ranging between magnitudes 3.5 and 4.5.

9.12pm: Christchurch City Council has warned property owners not to demolish heritage listed buildings without the express written authorisation of the council. See the city council advisories on this site for more information: http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/4096400/Earthquake-city-council-advisories

8.28pm: Orion has said 200 of its customers could still be without power and if they have not rung in the last 24 hours they could try again on 03-3639898.

8.23pm: The aftershocks are still coming. But they've been quite minor these past few hours. Since 6.57pm there have been three very small shakes, measuring between 2.6 and 3.6 magnitude.

7.36pm: The University of Canterbury is planning to resume lectures on Monday September 20. A clean up will start tomorrow, continuing into next week before students return on Wednesday September 15.

That's all assuming there's not more significant aftershocks, vice-chancellor Dr Rod Carr says.

 

7.20pm: Some good news. Christchurch people will no longer have to boil their water before use as restrictions have been lifted.

 

 

The Emergency Operations Centre lifted its restriction on the boiling of water across the whole of Christchurch City including Banks Peninsula yesterday evening.

4.00pm: The full cost of the Canterbury earthquake could be as high as $4 billion, double the previous estimate, Treasury has revealed.

3:15pm: Canterbury has received 270 aftershocks or magnitude 3 or above so far since Saturday's earthquake, according to GNS Science.

2:30pm: A strong smell of sulphur spreading across Christchurch's eastern suburbs is unlikely to be gas, Civil Defence says.

2pm: From next Monday (13 September) the Council will have a Building Recovery Office in place in their new building in Hereford Street. This is for businesses affected by the Disaster.

1:30pm: All power has been restored to those customers who lost supply due to the 7:49am after shock this morning

1:17pm: The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra has announced a free concert in Christchurch next week as respite for quake-rattled residents.

1pm: No reported casualties from this morning’s aftershock.

12:45pm: The Government has set aside $2.4 million for trauma counselling for Christchurch earthquake victims.

12:53pm: Christchurch Hospital have confirmed all outpatient visits have been cancelled for today.

12:18pm: The Press building has temporarily been closed today (Wednesday) as a precautionary measure following this morning's shake.

12 noon: The Canterbury Earthquake Appeal is the single appeal fund receiving donations to support those affected by Saturday’s earthquake in Canterbury.

11:45am: Special legislation to speed up the recovery in earthquake-hit Canterbury could be pushed through, allowing building to get underway without normal consents.

11:00am: The state of emergency in earthquake-stricken Christchurch has been extended for a further seven days after a violent aftershock this morning.

10:18am: The Queen has asked the New Zealand prime minister to send her good wishes to those affected by, and helping with, the aftermath of Saturday's earthquake in Christchurch.

10:00am: Cracks appeared in Lyttelton tunnel, forcing its closure.

9:10am: Prime Minister John Key is touring through the areas of Canterbury hardest hit by Saturday's earthquake.

9:00am: Mayor Bob Parker has called for calm following this morning’s major aftershock. People are asked to avoid travelling and to stay at home with family if it is safe to do so. Many traffic lights are not functioning and there are some road blocks. Please listen to your radio for further updates.

8:30am: Power has been lost in the CBD with buildings including hotels evacuated.

08:15am: Christchurch Police will show zero tolerance to any suspicious activity around unsecured or damaged property following Saturdays earthquake.

Wednesday September 8th 8:00am:

The magnitude 5.1 aftershock - initially believed to be as powerful as 6.1 - hit Canterbury at 7.49am at a depth of 6km in the Lyttelton area.

10.10pm:

Small aftershocks are still striking Canterbury.

Between 8.50pm and 9.10pm there were three measuring 3.9, 3.8 and 3.9. All originated near Darfield.

10.06pm:

News on the buildings at 160 Manchester Street and 68-76 Manchester Street, two Christchurch properties which were set to be demolished today.

Plans have now changed and demolition may take weeks.

A council statement released tonight read, ``A demolition plan for the building at (the seven storey) 160 Manchester Street will be developed by the owner. The process of dismantling the building may take several weeks.''

It continued, "The building at 68-76 Manchester Street (a two storey building) does not have a demolition notice in place at this time. A further assessment will be undertaken to determine its future.''

8.52pm:

Christchurch police say they will show zero tolerance to any suspicious activity around unsecured or damaged property following Saturdays earthquake.

Their release tonight reads:

"There seems to be a bit of an urban myth that burglaries are dramatically increasing. We have arrested a couple of people trying to take advantage of this situation and we continue to take a zero tolerance approach to this sort of criminal behaviour," said Inspector John Price.

"People are generally reacting very well in this event and we encourage continued patience at this difficult time."

Provisional data shows that burglaries have decreased by 11 percent in comparison with the same time last year, he said.

"Times like these do bring out the best in people and Police and Defence staff on the cordons have really appreciated this."

Price said it was also a time of significant stress on families for a number of reasons. "We know from experience that times of stress do correlate with an increase in family violence incidents and this has occurred following Saturday's earthquake.

"It is a time to show tolerance and patience and realise when you are under stress and may need to take affirmative action to prevent the stress escalating into violence to those closest to you."

Provisional statistics show there has been an increase of 53 per cent in family violence offences since Saturday morning in those areas affected by the earthquake.

"Our advice is if you are suffering from stress, talk to family or friends or seek advice and assistance from agencies that can help such as Women's Refuge."

 

8.43pm:

The Canterbury District Health Board candidates'  forum, which was scheduled for Wednesday at 12.30pm at 878 Avonside Dv, has been postponed to next Wednesday at 11.30am at the same location.

For any information ring Betty Chapman on 03 385 5502.

8.19pm:

Some Canterbury schools may be open by Wednesday.

According to the the Regional Controller of Civil Defence Emergency Management there is still concern about the structural integrity of some public buildings.

And as a result, all schools in the Christchurch City area will remain closed tomorrow.

But quotes from a press release just issued read, ''Some schools in Christchurch may re-open on Thursday depending on individual decisions to be made by the Board of Trustees for each school. Those boards must consider the safety of opening their own schools.

''And in the Selwyn and Waimakariri districts some schools may be open from tomorrow – Wednesday - depending on decisions made by each Board of Trustees.

''Parents should attempt to contact their own schools for specific information.''

 8pm:

Christchurch city council have released more info on building evaluations.

The evaulations are likely to be completed by Monday 13 September at the earliest, with essential inspections being given priority.

Building and resource consents will resume once the majority of evaluations have been completed.

There have now been 821 building evaluations completed.

A green placard means the building is considered safe for its intended use - 70 per cent of buildings have received a green placard.

A yellow placard means the building has limited access, as noted on the placard, and further structural assessment is needed by the owners consultants - 25 per cent of buildings have received a yellow placard.

A red placard means the building is considered unsafe and further structural assessment is needed.  These buildings have generally been isolated with barriers - 5 per cent of buildings have received a red placard.

6.44pm: More on schools.

 Most Canterbury schools and early-childhood centres will be closed until next week.
Education Minister Anne Tolley said  Christchurch, Waimakariri and Selwyn schools and centres would be closed until at least Monday because of ''serious health and safety issues''.

They were initially closed on Monday and Tuesday.

''Those schools cannot open while there are serious health risks,'' Tolley said. ''The safety of children is seriously paramount.

''Any board that wishes to open its school does so at the risk of providing an unsafe environment, and they can't do that.''

5.30pm: Seven of the Christchurch City Council libraries will reopen tomorrow. Bishopdale, Fendalton, New Brighton, Papanui, Shirley, South and Spreydon have been deemed safe. The others will remain closed until assessments have been completed.

 3:54pm: Schools are closed until next week.

  3:30pm: Rolleston Avenue between Worcester Boulevard and Hereford St has been closed following the discovery of structural damage to the turret above the Arts Centre's Great Hall.

3pm: Most of the CBD is back to normal, with businesses and services running as usual.

14:23pm: Prime Minister John Key has given a statement to Parliament on the Christchurch earthquake, praising the people, businesses and civic leaders of New Zealand for their response.

1:30pm: Christchurch residents are advised to keep following public health advice regarding water use and sanitation as tap water in Christchurch may not be safe.

1:00pm: A website has been set up to help Canterbury residents access services and keep informed in the aftermath of Saturdays major quake. www.canterburyearthquake.org.nz contains information from councils, the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, the Ministry of Social Development, Environment Canterbury, The Ministry of Health and Canterbury District Health Board, EQC and ACC, Metrolink and others.

12:40pm: Engineers are planning to demolish two category one listed heritage buildings this afternoon - The former New Zealand Express Co /MLC building on the corner of Manchester and Hereford St, and Cecil House/Country Theme, on the corner of Manchester and St Asaph St.

12.39pm: Red Cross requests that people wanting to donate goods to those affected by the earthquake are requested to make cash donations instead. Managing goods during a response to and recovery form from a civil defence emergency can be difficult and divert essential resources. It is also logistically easier to use cash donations to obtain the goods required. www.redcross.org.nz

 12.30pm: Orion advises that about 2000 homes are still to regain power.Between 400 and 500 staff and contractors were working long hours to reconnect the homes. Orion asks people to treat all power lines as live and asked that people remember to disconnect the power before demolishing any building. Meanwhile, council staff are working to restore the water supply and wastewater infrastructure. There are 60 streets where water mains are shut off affecting all or part of the street

12:23pm: Police moved one of the access points to the Christchurch central business district restricted zone. The checkpoint on the corner of Cashel and Madras streets has been relocated to the Manchester and Worcester street corners because of a building being further destablisized by ongoing aftershocks.

12:15pm: Next week's secondary school teachers' strike has been cancelled in Canterbury

11.45am: GNS Science said this morning that aftershocks are likely to continue for some weeks, becoming less frequent throughout that time. The shocks since the 7.1 earthquake on Saturday are following a normal pattern. With the continuing aftershocks, people should be very careful about being in or near damaged buildings, because further damage could be caused, scientists say.

11am: Canterbury's home-owners are being urgerd not to light their fires until chimneys have been checked by building officials or insurers.

10am: Canterbury District Health Board says almost 200 rest home residents in Canterbury will be relocated due to damaged buildings and on-going problems with water supply.

9.32am: Prime Minister John Key cancels his trip to the United Kingdom where he was to meet the Queen at her country estate in Balmoral for a private visit. Mr Key said a number of aftershocks over night had changed his mind about going to Europe.

9.10am: Police reduce the cordon area in central Christchurch. The restricted access area is now bounded by Colombo, Worcester, Madras and St Asaph Streets.

9am: Corrections says prisoners will be moved out of Christchurch Women's and Christchurch Men's Prison on special flights "to relieve pressure on emergency services''. 

8am: Cordons in Cathedral Square and Colombo Street relaxed. Some of the CBD will remain shut due to the strength of the aftershocks and fears for public safety.

The area that remains cordoned off is bounded by Worcester St, St Asaph St, Colombo St (with the side streets to its east remaining out of bounds) and Madras St

7.50am: The terminal is re-opened after engineers deem it safe.

7.30am: Christchurch City Council says Metro bus services are operating and will be dropping passengers as close to the cordon in Christchurch CBD as possible today.
 
Drop off points will be along Moorhouse Avenue, Madras Street, Durham Street and Montreal Street.
 
However, the situation in the city may change, and as a result, the location of the dropping-off points may change.
 
People need to check if they can enter the cordon before travelling and for updates and further information go to www.metro.co.nz

6am: Christchurch airport domestic terminal closed after cracks appeared in the building. Some flights are re-directed through the international terminal.

Overnight Monday: The latest in a series of more than 100 aftershocks since Saturday morning's destructive 7.1 earthquake hit Christchurch. The largest were two magnitude 5.4 tremors.

8:12pm: Christchurch jury trials have again been postponed, despite the court complex being undamaged and outside the central city cordon.

Ministry of Justice media adviser Steve Corbett said tomorrow's jury trials would be postponed as many jurors were likely to be unavailable.

The ministry would make decisions on proceedings "day by day" so potential jurors should check the jury phone line regularly, he said.

All disputes and tenancy tribunal cases were also postponed.

6:07pm: The Midland railway line that connects Christchurch and the Port of Lyttelton to the West Coast reopened to rail freight traffic this afternoon following completion of track repairs, inspection of bridges and the successful running of a test train.

4:15pm: Residents in parts of the Christchurch suburb of Bexley are moving out this afternoon as their houses have been deemed unfit for habitation.

2pm: Police have cordoned off Westminster and Cranford streets, Christchurch, and are asking the public not to enter the area because of falling debris.

Cordons may vary depending on the weather conditions and possible aftershocks. As civil engineers and Urban Search and Rescue teams move through the city, further buildings may be deemed to be at risk.

Inspector John Price said safety is paramount: "Unfortunately it appear as though a small number of people are interfering with taped off areas and removing safety cones. They are there to ensure people know what areas still pose a danger. Removal prevents the protection and safety of everyone."

12.30pm: Cabinet has convened to talk about the Government's response to the Christchurch quake. Civil Defence Minister John Carter took up a seat next to Prime Minister John Key before the meeting got under way this morning. Key is expected to outline any decisions at his post-Cabinet press conference this afternoon.

11.30am: Five Work and Income offices in Christchurch are confirmed safe and will open today 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. 

More than 2500 people have phoned the department's 24 hour earthquake helpline. The helpline number is 0800 779 997.

Staff are working to call 16,000 elderly people in the area to see if they need help. So far they have reached 10,000.

9.45am:  Police ask anyone wanting access to the centre of Christchurch City to use one ot two checkpoints. The first is at the corner of St Asaph and Colombo Streets, and the second at the corner of Colombo and Armagh Streets. No other checkpoints will be allowing access. Police are asking the public not put extra pressure on staff at other checkpoints and to have patience.

8am: Metro bus services are still suspended.

7.30am: Met Service predicts gusty northwesterlies in Christchruch will die down this afternoon giving way to cooler southerlies and patchy light rain this evening.

7.15am: Civil Defence warns upwards of 200mm of heavy north-west rain fell along the Alpine Divide yesterday.

The major alpine rivers of Canterbury will rise sharply during the day and evening. People should keep clear of the beds of these rivers throughout the day.

In particular, because of earthquake damage, people should keep clear of the stopbanks of the Waimakariri River below SH1 and the Kaiapoi stopbanks on the west side in the vicinity of Courtenay Stream and also above the Williams Street Bridge on the south side.

River engineers are working with Civil Defence at regional and local level.

7am: 12-hour curfew covering the centre of Christchurch lifted. It was the second night that police have maintained a lockdown of the central business district.

MONDAY 6am: State of emergency extended in Christchurch until Wednesday.

200 people stayed at welfare centres last night. Linwood welfare centre hosted around 90 people overnight; Addington another 90, and Burnside hosted 20 people

There are around 60 streets where water mains are still shut off - affecting all or part of the street. The focus is now on restoring those and improving the overall reliability and pressure in the water supply.

11.50pm: The Christchurch City Council advises residents that their rubbish will continue to be collected as usual in most areas of the city.

The exception is cordoned-off areas in New Brighton where residents are asked to take their bins to the end of the street.

11pm: The earlier notice that all public buildings will closed until an engineer's inspection is completed is withdrawn. It was recognised that some businesses provide essential services.

10.30pm: The Old Waimakariri Bridge, Main North Road, is closed until further notice.

10pm: Motorists are urged to take extreme care on roads from South to North Canterbury due to the stormy, windy weather conditions being experienced across the region.

Police, Fire, Councils and other agencies were responding to numerous instances of trees and power poles being blown onto roads, in some cases completely blocking roads and knocking out power.

9.30pm: Christchurch city council warns the city bound lane on Harper Ave between Fendalton Road and Helmores Lane will be closed until further notice due to a substantial crack in the road.

City-bound traffic is advised to turn into Deans Avenue from Fendalton Rd.

The road from the Sign of the Kiwi to Governor's Bay is also closed because boulders have fallen on to the road.

9pm: 4164 householders already lodged claims with the Earthquake Commission, and the total is predicted to rise to at least 100,000.

8.30: About 150 people were evacuated from the Riverlands holiday park, south of Kaiapoi, on Sunday because of fears the Waimakariri River could breach its banks.

8.20pm: Civil Defence warns if people to take action if they discover your hazardous substances or tanks have been ruptured.

Major spills need to be notified to the Fire Service immediately otherwise notify Environment Canterbury. Contain spills if you have adequate material to do so, and hold these on your site, remember safety comes first.

8pm: Donations to relief funds begin to roll in. The ASB, ANZ and Westpac banks have all opened accounts to which people can donate.ANZ Bank, Westpac and Fonterra have each given $1 million.

3.13pm: The Canterbury Disctrict Health Board says extensive damage to underground sewerage and water systems has the potential to cause major public health issues for residents.

Councils in affected areas are working hard to re-establish services, checking structures and water safety.

In the meantime, people need to take the following advice to avoid getting sick with stomach bugs and other illnesses.

People living in the Christchurch, Waimakariri and Selwyn districts should assume at the moment that tap water is unsafe and contaminated.

Avoid contact with sewage. Use as little water as possible to flush your toilet if you have water.  If you don't have water, make a temporary toilet with a bin lined with two plastic  bags.

2.17pm:  The Canterbury SPCA asks those forced to evacuate with animals to first take them to Christchurch City Council Animal Control in Bromley before going to a welfare centre.

Cats should be in a cage and dogs on a lead. Animal control will arrange for their care.

The number for emergency animal welfare incidents is 03 366-3886. If anyone has lost an animal for more than 24 hours they should call SPCA Track-A-Pet line on 0900 56-787

If anyone finds a stray dog they should call Christchurch City Council Animal Control.

If anyone finds a stray cat, provided it is not injured, they should leave it alone and not feed it. 

If the cat is still around in a few days they should take it to the SPCA in Hornby.

1.55pm: It may be two to three days before power can be restored to some houses. In extreme cases, where a single home or business is still without power in an area where power has otherwise been restored, it may up to five days. Orion is currently focusing on Avonside, Brighton and Halswell, as well as rural areas around Highfield, Greendale and Brookside.

1.32pm: The University of Canterbury confirms it will remain closed until the September 13, however the halls of residence will not close.

1.04pm: The biggest aftershocks since yesterday's 7.1 magnitute earthquake felt in Christchurch. The shock measured 5.0 on the richter scale, and hit 20km north-east of Leeston.

12.02pm: InterCity Coachlines advises services into and out of Christchurch are operating as normal, however due to inner city cordons, all services will operate from the Christchurch Town Hall at 86 Kilmore St (not from the normal location at 123 Worcester Street) until further notice.

11.30am: Ministry of Education confirms school closures for Monday 6 September - Kaiapoi Borough School, West Melton School and Hillmorton High.

11.23am: Canterbury District Health Board advises two birthing units will remain closed.

Lincoln Maternity Hospital and Burwood Birthing Unit will be shut until further notice.

Women who were intending to give birth at the units prior to the earthquake should go to Christchurch Women's Hospital.

11am: Christchurch City Council, Waimakariri District Council and Selwyn District Council are currently still assessing damage in their own areas.

10.30am: The Earthquake Commission has so far received approximately 2800 claims for damage to homes.

9am: Twenty-five teams from the city council's building evaluation team being to move through the cordoned off area of the central city, inspecting all buildings within this zone. 

Each building will be tagged after it has been inspected - with red placards assigned where buildings are considered unsafe and can not be entered; yellow placards assigned where restricted use is permitted; and green placards assigned where there are no restrictions on a building's use. 

It is hoped that this process can be completed for all buildings within the cordoned off area by the end of the day today. 

Once this information is available, yellow and green placarded buildings will be able to be cleaned up on Monday. 

8.55am: Weather analyst Richard Green told Newstalk ZB the Canterbury region is set to face norwesterly winds between 60 and 130 kilometres an hour.

Winds of up to 80 kmh have been measured near the epicentre of the earthquake in Darfield.

7am: Curfew on the centre city in Christchurch lifted.

However, the cordon is still in place in the area bounded by Madras, St Asaph, Montreal and Kilmore Streets.

There will be no public access to the cordoned central city area before Monday - with the exception of residents. 

SUNDAY 6am: Residents are advised not to use open fires because of the risk of further aftershocks that could damage chimneys. 

There have already been more than 30 significant aftershocks in the city since the major quake yesterday morning (recording magnitudes of up to 5.4) and these could continue for several weeks.

These aftershocks could cause further damage to already weakened structures and buildings, or could cause fresh damage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- © Fairfax NZ News