Response for 'every affected landowner'
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Christchurch Earthquake 2011
A day for Christchurch to remember
The Government is close to finalising an earthquake package that could compensate those close to hard-hit areas as well as those forced to abandon their houses.
Prime Minister John Key confirmed yesterday that the Government was preparing a response for "every affected landowner".
It is understood the Government will seek to remove even lightly damaged houses in some areas where wastewater and other services cannot be maintained, where the land cannot be built on or where most houses must be removed.
The Government is under pressure to hasten the release of details of which areas will be abandoned, after Monday's quakes, with many people facing another major clean-up of liquefaction.
A briefing for non-government parties has been set for Tuesday, when Key is due to return from a visit to Australia, sparking speculation that an announcement could be as early as Wednesday.
But yesterday Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee again refused to put a timetable on a decision.
Finance Minister Bill English said the latest earthquakes had given the matter "extra urgency" but drip-feeding information or partial decisions would not help.
"These people are suffering the severe and psychological impact of another quake and they're going to need some reasonably definitive answers, not half-baked ones."
The package is expected to bring together Earthquake Commission and private insurance compensation for those whose home or land is no longer viable, with a Government top-up to preserve the equity homeowners had on September 3, before the first quake.
Yesterday, ministers rejected an estimate by international catastrophe modelling firm EQECAT that the latest quakes had added up to $6 billion to the previous forecast cost of the quakes of $15b to $20b.
Key said the firm had "massively overestimated" costs.
The Treasury has not yet provided estimates of costs of the Monday earthquakes.
Insurance experts have warned that some parts of Christchurch may become uninsurable and premiums are likely to rise. English said disasters around the world had prompted the reinsurance industry to react "with a heightened sense of risk ... then after a while that tails off".
- © Fairfax NZ News
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House for sale.Broken foundations,broken windows,broken floors,broken driveway,broken chimney,broken cladding,broken ceilings,broken section and a broken heart. offers
@ Sheryl, if you don't care what kind of deal you get why are you shouting? You make no sense. As for having cancer, no I am grateful I personally don't have that but sadly have watched alot of my family die from it and yes I have young children. (Point to that?) Open your eyes and see what the rest of the world lives like. You are not the only one who has it rough. At least you will have somewhere to live eventually; try screaming about your lot to the millions of people who are worse off than you every day (try Haiti for example they had a bigger and much worse earthquake than we did and then cholera which has killed many, many children and adults). I am all for being sympathetic and empathise with people who have it rough but hey, settle down! You are not the only one in this boat, plenty are and they are getting on with it. Abuse people or change it? I truly am sorry for you and what you are suffering but yelling at me really isn't going to make it better for you.
Is the latest move by government to be more responsive the result of the latest earthquake or a result of the number of voting residents in the media screaming they have had enough? How is the government able to speed up a process that is already going as fast as possible?
What have they done in other countries that have had to deal with this? NZ seems pretty slow on the action. These are peoples lives!
jb i wonder if you are truly affected and have cancer and young children?? would you be so frickin PATIENT THEN??? GOD WE KNOW THE LAND IS GONE PAST THE POINT OF CARING WHAT KIND OF A DEAL I GET ON MY LAND I WILL PROBABLY BE DEAD!!!
They don't yet know all areas where houses need to be rebuilt. In my area the rapid assessments said all ok, then a few full assessments show those houses need a rebuild. Most houses in this Parklands street will probably need to be rebuilt but they don't know that, as the rapid assessments were a complete waste of time and provided inaccurate info.
Tracy, Christchurch is mainly red. If I am wrong please correct me. The rural areas are blue.
I noticed when I checked the Cera website it had little information on it, basically referring through to the CCC website. So I wonder why tax dollars are being spent on Cera? Why didn't we have a State of Emergency declared on Monday after another 6.3 quake? National have certainly lost my vote, have they not thought how many hundreds of thousands of voters live in this area?
I would like Gerry to live in one of the so called houses that are ok to live in that has liquidfaction soked floors no toilet, no water and sewerage soked lawns, for just one week, go on Gerry.
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well,I,m desperate too and I work in the building trade.I served out my notice on friday had a new job to start tuesday but monday,s quake means the job isnt there.Meanwhile the company I worked for for 4 years is playing silly buggers with my holiday pay so I have no money coming in cant pay the bills and my wife and young son are going south to get away from all the quakes and the stress.Hard luck eh Jerry?no rush...