It wasn't just humans shaken by the big quake - hundreds of terrified pets fled during the tremors.

Savage winds battered Canterbury this morning as the province only just begins to pick itself up after Saturday's devastating earthquake.

Hundreds of people devastated by the Christchurch earthquake are staying put in emergency shelters.

Chris de Freitas says risk-management planning can help society in practical and economic ways.

The abiding memory of Xavier Trousselot-Rhodes before an earthquake threw him out of his second-storey bedroom was of the house screaming.

Dibley has the redoubtable vicar Geraldine, and Hororata has the Rev Jenni Carter.

Residents of an entire street say their homes are a write-off after the land liquefied underneath and swamped the properties in sewage and silt.

Victoria faced its worst floods in more than a decade at the weekend, with 200mm of rain falling in some areas.

The seismic shift in the South Island made headline news around the world.

After 48 hours - and what seems like countless aftershocks - the mood of the people of Canterbury is changing.

The wild winds forecast for Canterbury tonight are unlikely to reach full force in Christchurch.

Safety first is the message authorities want to convey as many displaced locals face a second night away from their homes.

Rebuilding the damage caused by yesterday's earthquake could create a much-needed economic upturn for Canterbury.

All non-essential procedures booked in Christchurch for tomorrow have been cancelled as a result of disruptions from the earthquake.

Christchurch Hospital is already seeing a stream of people with minor injuries from trying to fix their houses.

A list of websites where Canterbury residents can get more information.

Most of the CBD remains closed off to the general public, in contrast to the outer suburbs where people are going about business as usual.

One of the casualties of yesterday morning's massive Canterbury earthquake was the historic Deans family homestead in Homebush.

KiwiRail is sending almost 300,000 litres of water to Christchurch, where around 15% of people remain without it.

Audrey Young finds Canterbury farmers are sticking together after yesterday's massive earthquake.

Christchurch was "inevitably going to be brought to its knees" by an earthquake because of the nature of the ground it stands on, a scientist says.

Some residents in the earthquake zone may be without power until the end of the week, says lines company Orion.

"It's essentially a ghost town. You can see utter devastation," said Prime Minister John Key.

Weather analyst Philip Duncan gives his account of the Christchurch earthquake.