State of emergency lifted for Christchurch and Waimakariri

The former Kaiapoi Railway Station which sunk to a 40 degree lean as a result of the earthquake. The state of emergency in the Waimakariri District has been lifted, 13 days after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The state of emergency has now been lifted for Christchurch City and neighbouring Waimakiriri.

In an announcement at midday, Christchurch mayor Bob Parker said the state of emergency had been lifted but significant problems remained.

"We are now moving from a state of emergency to a state of urgency.

"We will be operating under the new powers brought in under the Canterbury Earthquake Response and Recovery Bill, but transferring from a civil defence situation and back closer to business as usual."

"This doesn't change the fact that many people are still facing great difficulties" he said.

The state of emergency has been lifted in Waimakiriri but, at the same time, a recovery assistance centre will open next week in earthquake-hit Kaiapoi to support residents.

The 7.1 earthquake that rocked parts of Canterbury on September 4 left more than 100 homes in Kaiapoi inhabitable and at least 300 others badly damaged.

The new assistance centre will be open Monday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm in the Kaiapoi Community Centre, from September 20, and will provide support to residents as they try to get back on their feet.

"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," Waimakariri Mayor Ron Keating said.

For the first week, the recovery assistance centre will also operate as a one-stop shop where residents can access support from organisations, including Work and Income, Housing New Zealand, Department of Labour and Inland Revenue.

The welfare centre at the Kaiapoi Rugby Football Clubrooms will continue to operate this weekend, and the Kaiapoi Community Support will continue to assist with food and have people available to provide support.

The council is also establishing a temporary service centre offering limited services at the community centre.

Mr Keating said "even though the `emergency' itself is over there is still a lot to be done, and we would ask the community to be patient with us as we get on with the business of rebuilding. The journey to recovery has only just begun, and it will be a long one."

The council said it could take months, in some cases years to return services in Kaiapoi, The Pines and Kairaki Beach to the state before the quake.

Mr Keating acknowledged Waimakariri will continue to need outside assistance and thanked the Government, other councils and aid organisations for their help and commitment.

But he said "much of the responsibility for getting our own lives back on track now lies with us".

Residents in Kaiapoi, Pines Beach and Kairaki are reminded to continue to boil their water for three minutes before drinking, as E. Coil has been found in the water for a second time.

- NZPA