KEY POINTS:
Gisborne Hospital staff are on a clean-up mission after last night's earthquake caused flooding and minor damage at the hospital.
Eleven people were treated at the hospital's emergency department for minor injuries following the 8.55pm quake, which measured 6.8 on the Richter scale.
An apartment block and two shops collapsed, roofs caved in, water tanks and winery vats burst and gaping holes opened up in roadways.
Tairawhiti District Health Board chief executive Jim Green told NZPA the hospital roof water tanks overflowed, causing flooding, and lighting was lost for about 30 minutes.
"I happened to be in the hospital myself at the time and it was a very frightening experience, because of the magnitude of the quake and the fact that you're in a multi-story building, so it did shake a lot," he said.
"Immediately nurses did a really good job in helping to calm patients and check that nobody had been injured, which was the case.
"There was concern from patients about the fact that there may be aftershocks, that the building may have been damaged but we were able to very quickly ascertain that the building was safe."
Nurses used torches and lightsticks to get around while the lights were out, and patients found that reassuring, Mr Green said.
Most patients stayed in the hospital during the quake but some were briefly evacuated.
"We settled things down by about midnight last after getting the patients back in their areas and settled down for the night," he said.
"The areas that were affected by water entering the building were not direct patient areas so the patients didn't need to be moved from those areas."
Staff were this morning facing an extensive clean-up, with equipment off shelves, ceiling tiles down and sodden carpets. The building would be assessed to ensure its extensive earthquake-proofing had held up.
"We're on a cleanup mission this morning," Mr Green said.
- NZPA
