Shaken Masterton store closes for safety check

Staff turned up to work at Masterton's Farmers store to find themselves locked out until the building was structurally checked to ensure it had not been damaged in the latest earthquake to rock the region.

About 5pm Sunday a 6.5 tremor hit near Seddon, rocking the central part of New Zealand and causing damage to buildings in Wellington. It has been reported at least four people have been treated in hospital for minor injuries as a result of the earthquake. Some of Wellington's streets were closed off to the public, with debris and glass falling from buildings.

Rail services between Wairarapa and Wellington were stopped after the earthquake with a half-hourly time-table running from 1pm yesterday, affecting 860 commuters from the region, most from the South Wairarapa. Normal services are due to resume today.

Meanwhile, there were signs on both entrances to Masterton's Farmers store yesterday morning apologising to customers about the shop being closed until further notice. A small number of staff stood outside the Queen St entrance about 9.15am. None were prepared to comment on why the store was shut.

However, a spokeswoman from head office, who didn't wish to be named, said unofficially they had received a memorandum stating stores in the Wellington region were closed until civil engineers had checked out the buildings.

"They are closed as a result of the earthquakes in the past three days. They will remain closed until engineers have checked for damage and cleared them as structurally safe," she said.

Masterton Civil Defence co-ordinator Paul Walker said there was no reported damage to roads or buildings in the Wairarapa region after the earthquake. However, people needed to be prepared in case a major earthquake struck the region by knowing what to do and having a survival kit ready in case the power was cut, Mr Walker said.

When the ground started shaking, people needed to take cover if indoors and keep clear of power lines and buildings if they were outside, he said.

"Drop, cover and hold is the basic skill. If you are outside then stay away from buildings and power lines that could come down ... tiles can fall off buildings ... if outside, curl up into a ball and put your hands over your head."

If you happen to be driving in a car when an earthquake occurred, the driver might think the car had a flat tyre, Mr Walker said.

"Pull over and stop until the shaking stops. Only go if it is safe and keep an eye out for power cables that may have come down."

It's also important to have a survival kit which includes at least nine litres of water per person to last up to three days, medication needed, a torch and battery-operated radio and enough food to last up to three days.

A portable gas cooker or barbecue and gas heaters would be ideal to use if the power were out, he said.

"You need to be able to look after yourself for at least three days," Mr Walker said.

People also need to ensure their survival kit includes enough cash to be able to buy food or emergency supplies if shops are still open.

Mr Walker recommends people keep their petrol tanks half-full at all times.

"One thing we learnt from the Christchurch earthquakes it is that people need to have some money available to be able to go to the supermarket if it is open or to buy petrol ... You can't always guarantee Eftpos. We have become very dependent on cards."