Christchurch earthquake,- Day 13 updates

A badly damaged building on the corner of Manchester Street and Worcester Street in central Christchurch. Photo / Sarah Ivey

5.25pm
That concludes our latest updates coverage for today. Join us tomorrow for ongoing coverage. Cheers.

5.10pm
A magnitude 3.3 aftershock has struck 10 km south-east of Darfield. It hit at 4.54pm.

5.04pm
Police say Operation Reassurance will continue as Christchurch moves into a recovery phase following the midday lifting of the state of emergency.

This means 24/7 patrols - consisting of 10 four-person groups - of parts of the city affected by the earthquake will continue.

"We want to reassure the public that criminals can expect to be stopped by police. Residents with any concerns about people acting suspiciously in their neighbourhood should not hesitate to call Police on 111," Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Dave Cliff said.

4.44pm
Waimakariri homeowners should contact the council if they have safety concerns in their homes or feel they have been missed in the initial safety assessments of homes.

People who have left the district because their home is uninhabitable should also contact the Council.

Teams of building assessors have now reassessed homes already marked with a red or a yellow notice in these areas.

The assessments relate to the structural safety of homes and the wellbeing of residents. Homeowners should contact the Earthquake Commission for an assessment of damage and the formal lodging of an insurance claim.

The council's red-yellow-green structural safety assessment is:

· Red - the building is too badly damaged for anyone to stay. Homeowners are advised to secure their homes, turn off the power, gas and water, and leave.

· Yellow - there is damage to the building and you should occupy the home only after you have received confirmation from a qualified builder or structural engineer that it is structurally safe.

· Green - the house is safe to occupy. The property, however, may have suffered damage and if so homeowners should contact the Earthquake Commission.

The Council customer service number is 03 311-8900 or Kaiapoi toll free 327-6834.

4.10pm
Cantabrians affected by the devastating earthquake now have a one-stop website where they can research and engage local reconstruction professionals from plumbers and electricians to builders and civil contractors.

The EarthquakeFIX web portal is a collaborative initiative between seven national membership organisations and has been launched to ensure quake victims can confidently search out qualified and registered tradesmen.

The initiative has quickly attracted widespread support, with the Insurance Council of NZ, NZTE's Industry Capability Network, the Construction Industry Council, Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce and the Building Research Association of NZ all endorsing the move.

3.44pm
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has reminded parents forced out of their homes by Canterbury's earthquake to follow basic safety precautions to avoid increased instances of sudden death syndrome (SDS).

With many families forced to sleep away from quake-damaged homes, some babies may be sleeping in dangerous places, such as on sofas or in a bed, with other children or adults, where there was an increased risk of SDS, the ministry said.

The ministry's chief adviser child and youth health, Pat Tuohy, said while the quakes had disrupted lives people still needed to follow basic safety precautions.

"The quakes have caused major disruption to the lives of many people - I'd like to make a plea to parents and caregivers to stick to this safety routine when putting their baby down to sleep," Dr Tuohy said.

Basic safety measures included not sharing a bed with a baby after consuming alcohol or when very tired, making sure babies sleep on their back, making sure their face is clear of bedding or pillows and having a smoke free home.

"SDS is extremely rare for babies protected by this safety formula," Dr Tuohy said.

3.38pm
About 100 offenders on community work are helping with the Canterbury earthquake clean-up each day, Corrections Minister Judith Collins says.

"The workers have helped Civil Defence and the region's three councils, as well as the wider community," Ms Collins said.

"They have cleared debris in heavily silted areas such as Kaiapoi, and they have assisted some elderly people by clearing driveways so they can use their cars."

Anyone wanting help from community work offenders could call 0800 266 975.

1.45pm
The Christchurch railway station clock tower has been stuck at 4.36 since September 4, a constant reminder of the exact time the city was rocked by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake.

The clock tower overlooks the city centre from Moorhouse Avenue, one of Christchurch's busiest streets. The building is registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and was opened in 1960. It is now used as an entertainment complex.

It is owned by the New Zealand Science and Technology Charitable Trust.
It was a significant reminder to everyone that drove past of the quake and many had commented on it, said Neville Petrie, board member and chief executive of Science Alive, which is housed in the building.

"We haven't started to fix it and we won't until the aftershocks have stopped," he said.

"The clock itself is fine but a trip switch has stopped the pendulum which keeps it going. It will be a case of going inside the clocktower and getting the hands to the right time before we start it up again."

1.30pm
A man who police say ordered the evacuation of a building at Lincoln University has been charged with falsely representing himself to be a civil defence official.

Name suppression was granted to the 46-year-old New Brighton man when he appeared before Judge Jacki Moran in the Christchurch District Court today.

The application was made by defence counsel Michael Knowles when the man was remanded on bail to September 30. Mr Knowles said he wanted the remand to see the police evidence in support of the charge.
Police prosecutor Anselm Williams did not oppose the suppression application.

The man is alleged to have been a civil defence volunteer during the emergency in Christchurch but is accused of telling officials that damage to a building at the university meant that it had to be evacuated on Monday.

1.20pm
KiwiRail says it is confident trains will be running between Picton and Christchurch later today following the clearing of the massive slip south of Kaikoura.

Crews have worked 24 hours a day since last Friday's slip was stabilised on Monday night, and had made good progress in removing the estimated 30,000 cubic metres of debris, which closed State Highway 1 and covered the rail tracks.

The New Zealand Transport Agency is planning to reopen the road at 4pm and KiwiRail this morning said it was confident the Main North Line would also re-open this afternoon.

To help speed up the flow of essential goods into quake-stricken Christchurch, KiwiRail will run additional trains overnight tonight.

The full TranzCoastal passenger service will resume tomorrow after it was replaced by a bus service.

12.17pm
Housing Minister Phil Heatley has announced how the Government intends to help displaced Cantabrians.

The Minister has in been in Christchurch today, visiting quake damaged areas.

Mr Heatley says Housing New Zealand will take over managing the rental of private homes to people who have lost their homes in the quake

He is encouraging Cantabrians who have unoccupied properties to offer them up.

They will be managed under a new programme called HELP - the Housing Emergency Lease Programme.

12.15pm
The State of Emergency in Christchurch has been lifted.

11.56am
Christchurch mayor Bob Parker hopes the state of emergency in Christchurch will be lifted today - it was due to be lifted yesterday.

Christchurch mayor Bob Parker hopes the paperwork will be done so the state of emergency can be lifted today.

The city, along with Waimakariri and Selwyn still have the declaration in place - and it's now expected to be lifted at midday.

Mr Parker doesn't want a gap between the state of emergency and the next phase - the state of urgency.

He says the three districts want to be able to transition from the emergency powers to a new set of powers that will enable the recovery process to be sped up.

The state of emergency was originally set down to be lifted yesterday.

11.50am
Housing Minister Phil Heatley is appealing to homeowners with unoccupied properties in Canterbury to help put a roof over the head of people who need a home in the wake of the Canterbury earthquake.

A new programme will see Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) managing the rental of private homes to people whose own home has been deemed uninhabitable.

The intent is to source houses that would not usually be offered for lease, including farm cottages, holiday homes and homes that may have otherwise been intended for sale.

"A number of people in Canterbury cannot return to their homes and while many are making arrangements with insurers or friends and family, there are some who need short or medium term accommodation, while their homes are repaired or rebuilt," said Mr Heatley.

11.10am
Another aftershock hit Canterbury at 10.47am, 40 km west of Christchurch and within 5 km of Darfield. It measured 3.3 on the Richter scale and struck at a depth of 9km.

10.15am
A Recovery Assistance Centre is being established in Kaiapoi as the district lifts its state of emergency and moves into recovery mode.

The centre will offer support to members of the community affected by the earthquake that has left more than 100 homes uninhabitable and at least three hundred others badly damaged.

Waimakariri Mayor Ron Keating says the centre will play a critical role in supporting residents as they try to get back on with their lives.

"Not only is there months of work ahead of us to reinstate crumbled infrastructure, but as a community we also need to be conscious of the tough times ahead for the dozens of residents who still have to deal with the loss of their homes. We will all need to do what we can to support them through it."

The Recovery Assistance Centre will open in the Kaiapoi Community Centre at 24 Sewell Street on Monday September 20th, and will open Monday-Friday 9am - 4:30pm.

The Welfare Centre at the Kaiapoi Rugby Football Clubrooms will continue to operate through the weekend.

9.30am
The Christchurch public meetings tonight are to be held in Shirley and Burwood.

The City Council is running meetings to hear from residents about concerns and discuss issues.

Tonight's meetings are in the Shirley Intermediate School Hall at 5pm and Burwood Primary School at 7.30pm

9am
Aftershocks continued to rattle Christchurch overnight.

Earlier this morning there was a 4.3 magnitude earthquake.

At 3.15am there was a 4.5 that was also shallow at 6 km deep, just before midnight there was a 3.5 and before 11pm there was a 4.4.

All were centred southwest of Christchurch.

8.45am
A house has been shaken from its foundations in the Christchurch suburb of Waltham overnight after a night of reasonably strong earthquakes.

8.10am
Farmers dealing with the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquake are getting sick of rubberneckers.

Farm advisers and researchers told a meeting at Rolleston near Christchurch this week they had heard of crops being trampled by unwelcome visitors in some areas and farmers feeling like they were ``in a fishbowl'' as ``rubberneckers'' stopped to look at damage.

A report prepared by scientists and researchers from Lincoln and Canterbury universities suggested farmers were becoming stressed by being the centre of much attention.

``One family whose house lies on the fault has had the trauma of violent shaking, a badly damaged house and land, and the news that they cannot reoccupy the site. Now, over a week after the event, large numbers of people are still treating their home as a spectacle and inconveniencing them by blocking their driveway,'' the report said.

Other farmers had also reported unapproved access to their land, which could create health and safety liabilities, especially as land and trees were destabilised during the earthquake.

8am
Christchurch locals are urged to watch out for bogus Baycorp callers.

One woman, who doesn't want to be named, was contacted by an American woman yesterday, telling her she was in overdraft.

She didn't believe it and asked to have her name and address read back to her.

The woman refused to give those details, saying they were confidential.

The Christchurch woman then rang her bank and Baycorp only to be told everything was fine.

She's concerned other people may be sucked in.