Almost 3500 claims from Boxing Day quake

Freshly fallen bricks at the Community of the Sacred Name on Madras Street in central Christchurch after a series of aftershocks on Boxing Day. Photo / Simon Baker

There have been almost 3500 claims so far from the Boxing Day earthquake that struck Canterbury, the Earthquake Commission (EQC) said today.

"Many people will be back from holiday now and have found new damage and/or that existing damage has got worse," EQC chief executive Ian Simpson said.

EQC had now received 3483 claims from the 4.9 magnitude Boxing Day quake, well up on the 2139 claims from the October 19 aftershock and the 1986 so far from the November 14 aftershock following September's 7.1 magnitude quake.

The total number of claims received from the September 4 earthquake and the three main aftershocks to date was 165,203, Mr Simpson said.

Residential property owners with new damage or old damage made worse by the aftershock should contact EQC, he said.

If an owner has lodged a claim for the September 4 earthquake and/or a previous aftershock, has not had the property inspected, and the damage has worsened, EQC will add this to the existing claim.

Mr Simpson said if an owner had not made a claim before, or if it was new and separate damage, or if the owner had had an earlier claim settled, then the owner would be lodging a new claim. People had three months from December 26 to make a claim.

For emergency repairs owners need to arrange the work themselves and send the invoice, with supporting documentation, to EQC.

Mr Simpson said that as of today, EQC had settled 28,250 claims, completed assessments for a further 22,424, and begun assessments for another 24,755. The total of 75,429 was just under 47 per cent of all claims received and 2638 up on this time last week.

Mr Simpson said EQC had paid out $591.8 million to claimants with residential property damage.

- NZPA