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A house damaged in the February 22 earthquake - Source: ONE News -
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Live updates following the fatal 6.3 magnitude earthquake that
struck Christchurch.
An updated information article covering services and how to
donate is
here
.
Official missing people hotline: 0800 RED CROSS, 0800 733 276.
Overseas: 64 7 850 2199
7.30pm Recap of day
- 163 people confirmed dead. Final number expected to be
220.
- 20 people have been named so far. Seven
were named today.
- Orion says power back on for 95% of customers
- 14,000 people still without power
- 78% of people have water but it needs to be boiled, and
conserved.
- Welfare centres are being closed down except for Pioneer
Stadium
- Eight new recovery centres will begin operating on
Saturday.
- the central city cordon will be reduced from Sunday and organised
into Green Zones
- from Sunday the mayor, police, fire and CD will hold community
briefings across the city
More info and advice
here
7:00pm ABC Learning Centres have announced they
are offering four weeks' free childcare per child for all children
currently enrolled at its 27 affected Christchurch centres and has
extended the deal to new enrolments as well.
6:51pm Cookie Time Limited has donated and delivered more than 25,000 cookies, bars and One Square Meals to the Pioneer Station emergency shelter; Civil Defence headquarters and the Airforce. The company's Templeton factory, 20km south west of the Christchurch CBD, only suffered minor damage in the quake and re-opened on Monday with 95% of staff turning up keen to get the business back on its feet. 6:49pm Wellington's sister city, Sakai, has donated $16,236.00 toward relief efforts.
6:44pm Postie Plus Group is offering vouchers to the residents of Christchurch. Postie has $50,000 of vouchers, exchangeable for goods at either Postie or BabyCity stores, available through the Salvation Army.
6:40pm Two Pacifica Shipping vessels will arrive at Lyttelton from Auckland this weekend with 7,000 tonnes of grocery items and construction materials.
6:33pm The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) says the
last remaining section of state highway in Christchurch closed
after last week's earthquake has now re-opened. Find an update of
all roading information
here.
6:17pm Air New Zealand has extended its special
domestic stand-by $50 one way airfares on direct services to/from
Christchurch for booking and travel through until the end of
March.
6:12pm Twenty cabins providing emergency shelter for those worst affected in Christchurch have been donated to the quake-stricken city. The 'Rapid Response Community Shelter' cabins were gifted to Mayor Bob Parker by PlaceMakers.
6:04pm No Girl Guide biscuits will be sold in the city this year during Guide Biscuit Season. But other regions are being asked to facilitate "gift a packet" donations so that biscuits can be given to food banks and people in need as a result of the earthquake's damage.
6:00pm The central city cordon will be reduced on Sunday. The CBD has been split into four sections, red zones will remain closed, green sections will be open for public access. There will be a 30kmh speed limit in the newly opened zones. CBD business and homeowners will be let into the green zones at 8am on Sunday to secure the properties.
5:57pm Mayor Bob Parker will host a series of information meetings on Sunday. Find out where and what time here.
5:51pm Acting Energy and Resources Minister
Hekia Parata has acknowledged and thanked electricity, gas and fuel
companies for the hard work and support they are providing to the
people of Christchurch.
Parata said as well working around the clock to restore vital
infrastructure, several have made significant donations to relief
funds.
5:48pm The Fire Service says there are some physically and emotionally drained USAR members, who are now being rotated. The Christchurch-based teams have been stood down and will not be re-deployed in the foreseeable future.
5:37am Civil Defence controller John Hamilton
says the central city cordon will be reduced on Sunday. The CBD has
been split into four sections, red zones will not be open, green
sections will be open for public access. There will be a 30kmh
speed limit in the newly opened zones. Business and home owners
will be let inside the cordon at 8am on Sunday to secure their
properties.
5:31pm Orion says it has now restored power to 95%
of the city. In the Eastern suburbs, the number of customers
without power has dropped from 16,000 to 8,000 in the last 24
hours.
4:56pm St John is advising the public that they
are not conducting any door to door collections. The comment
follows reports of people door knocking claiming to be from St John
and asking for donations.
Anyone who wishes to make a donation to St John can go online to
www.donatechristchurch.co.nz.
4:22pm A
new website showcasing Christchurch self-employed
creatives affected by the Christchurch Earthquake been
established.
The site aims to bring attract work to the city's freelance
creatives.
Creative Christchurch provides a database of Christchurch-based
freelancers so that companies from other cities can book them for
projects.
3:57pm More than 370 University of Canterbury students will fly Adelaide on Sunday, where they will continue their study. The flight was chartered by the University of Canterbury, with the assistance of Qantas.
3:21pm The Palms Shopping Centre in Shirley will be closed for a minimum of four weeks to allow for the necessary safety checks and clean up operations.
2:52pm Red Cross is advising Christchurch
residents who have moved away from Christchurch, even temporarily,
to register themselves by calling 0800 REDCROSS (0800 733 276).
Self-evacuees should also update their details with the Red Cross
when they move from one location to another.
"It's really important that people register. The information will
help make sure services can be better targeted and the government
will be able to allocate funding to agencies working in particular
areas" said National Crisis Management Centre spokesman David
Coetzee.
2:17pm Text messages have been sent to Christchurch residents through Telecom, Vodafone and 2degrees. These are messages of support that keep residents informed on welfare, public safety and useful information. The feedback is that they have been well received.
1:56pm LifeLine says it is concerned at the
growing levels of grief and trauma within Christchurch and wider
New Zealand.
"If anyone is in need of emotional support a call to LifeLine can
reduce stress and potentially save a life" says LifeLine National
Clinical Manager, Melanie Ingram.
LifeLine is available nationwide and accepts mobile phone calls.
Lifeline 0800 543354.
1:13pm
Meridian Energy will freeze power
prices for at least another six months for its 107,000 electricity
customers in Christchurch.
1:07pm Fletcher Building is
pledging $5 million in support to Christchurch,
in the form of projects. The building giant says a number of
projects are being considered, including repair of historic
buildings in the city, and relief accommodation for those displaced
from their homes.
1:04pm A mobile insurance claim centre is
available for AA customers in Burwood today. Customers can head
along to the Burwood Bowling Club to get advice on what their
insurance policies entitle them to.
12:45pm
Information about the disaster is now available in
nine languages - English, Tongan, Maori, Japanese, Korean, Thai,
Arabic, Chinese and Farsi. It's on the official
Canterbury Earthquake page.
12:26pm There's been a huge turnout of people dressed in red and black all around the country today, in support of the people affected by the Christchurch quake.
12:08pm The official names of dead released by police today are Joan Dorothy Wield, 76, of Christchurch and her husband Graham Wield, 77; Matthew Stuart McEachen, 25, of Christchurch; Neil Glyn Stocker, 58, of Timaru; Haruthaya Luangsurapeesakul, 32, of Thailand, Scott William Emerson Lucy, 38, of Timaru, Dr Maysoon Mahdi Abbas, 61, of Christchurch. Seven more names may be released today.
11:23am Just over 1100 portaloos have been
distributed, with a further 62 to go out today. There are
another 960 toilets on order. Around 1750 chemical toilets
went into eastern areas yesterday and that work will be completed
today. Around 3500 more will arrive next week and another
20,000 later.
11:19am Civil Defence boss John Hamilton said at
the 10.30am media briefing that from Saturday there will be six
recovery assistance centres in the eastern suburbs. More will be
created in the next week and the locations will be available
later today.
11:14am People using Rangiora, Burnside and
Windsor welfare centre will be transitioned to alternative
accommodation options. From tonight, the Pioneer
Stadium will be the only welfare centre open 24 hours a
day.
11:08am Police have named seven more victims, six from New Zealand, one from Thailand. The official spellings of their names are still unavailable on the police website. They include a married couple from Christchurch in their 70s.
10.59am Orion says power is back on in 89% of the city. It's aiming for 91% by tomorrow. 22,000 are without power still.
10:00am John Key is expected in the eastern suburbs around 11am. A 'tented village' is likely for the area Civil Defence boss John Hamilton told Breakfast.
9:30am Today's quake media briefings will be held at 10.30am (during Good Morning) and 5pm and will be streamed live on tvnz.co.nz
9.10am Police have been keeping their heads up despite being greeted by some gruesome sites. NZ Police commissioner Howard Broad says as each body is removed, a police officer takes possession of it.
8:10am Waste Water's Mark Christianson says 78% of people in Christchurch now have water. Around 22,000 people are still without power.
7:30am The two bodies recovered overnight came from the Pyne Gould building.
7:25am There was another aftershock in Christchurch at 6.49am, also a 3.4 within 5km of Lyttelton at a depth of 5km. Wellington also had a 4.7 quake overnight that shook up many Cantabrians who have fled there to escape the Christchurch aftershocks.
7:01am Bob Parker says he would like a day of remembrance to include an open air service in Hagley Park. He would also like to open a walkway of remembrance on the day so people can see for themselves what has happened in the city.
6:35am The Prime Minister will visit the eastern suburbs today.
6:14am Police have confirmed the death toll is 163. Two more bodies will pulled out overnight. They have also revised the overall death toll to 220.
6:00am Today is the first full day of recovery mode and heavy machine will move into many sites.
5.55am: Christchurch City Council is checking trees in 790 parks and reserves for stability. Property owners are advised to have trees on private land checked by a qualified arborist.
5.48am: Land Search and Rescue teams have been working their way through the suburbs of Christchurch checking on the welfare of residents. The teams have to date focused on the western suburbs.
5.46am: A mobile shower unit is being sent to Christchurch. It will be placed in a different area each day for the next six weeks. Bathroomware manufacturer Kohler will take it to areas that do not have running water.
5.44am: Federated Farmers is expanding its "Farmy Army" as it looks to help schools around Christchurch reopen on Monday. Hundreds of farmers have been out with shovels and machinery, dealing mainly with the results of liquefaction.
5.35am: More than 400 workers cleared 50,000 tonnes of silt from Christchurch's streets yesterday.
5.12am: Seven people were caught drink driving overnight in Christchurch. Police said one of the offenders drove drunk through the cordon and that after being stopped the driver was also charged with possession of cannabis.
5.10am: There has been one aftershock today. It happened at 3.24am and was 3.4 magnitude, within 5km of Lyttelton at a depth of 5km.
5am Recap:
- The confirmed death toll is 161 but could rise to 220.
- Prime Minister John Key has announced a memorial day for the
victims will be in the next few weeks.
- Free bus services began in Christchurch yesterday.
- Red Cross emergency grants become available yesterday.
- Beaches in Christchurch remain off-limits due to pollution.
Updates from Thursday here.
Are you in Christchurch? Send us your information and pics to news@tvnz.co.nz or call 0800 886397.
Quake appeals have been launched. Find out more here .
Leave your messages on the messageboard below.
Add a Comment:
Post new commentroyalcourtier said on 2011-03-14 @ 21:33 NZDT: Report abusive post
The whole focus of this debate is wrong. There is no reason for any of these buildings to be demolished. It is not a case of which should be saved, but which should be demolished. There are few which cannot be saved. What people are missing is that if a building is demolished unnecessarily, and illegally, there won't be any insurance. Only the city can approve demolition - civil defence cannot do so.
Adam Chc said on 2011-03-09 @ 14:44 NZDT: Report abusive post
As a small business based near the epicentre in Christchurch we are strugeling to survive and simply can not afford a day off. I also do not think I or my staff are reasdy for a day of mourning yet. I am surprised the govenment would even consider this, it shows how out of touch they are to the impact this is having on business and staff.
annej said on 2011-03-08 @ 15:09 NZDT: Report abusive post
I must congratulate Bob Parker for his leadership and his caring nature to all people in Christchurch and his unfaultering continual contact with his people, a fine leader and the restoration of Christchurch should go through him and the council and not left to those who do not care about the uniqueness of Christchurch, sack Brownlee, send him back where he come from.
annej said on 2011-03-08 @ 15:04 NZDT: Report abusive post
At a time when the suffering is entering an unacceptable time frame of two weeks, John Key throws the baby out with the bath water and states that the government will buy the land off people who have suffered so much,this is akin to pulling the rug from underneath those who are stressed,do not know their fate and have lost loved ones, more thought and empathy is needed from central govt and to deal with the bulk of the people and not just the business sector.Thoughts and prayers to all.
Huatoki said on 2011-03-08 @ 13:37 NZDT: Report abusive post
As with every issue he's dealt with, Brownlee crashes in with an ill-advised and inflammatory attitude, then scuttles behind his officials and is unavailable for comment. Christchurch needs unifying, reassuring and competent leadership and Brownlee consistently fails on all three counts. We need resources, not divisiveness. If the minister cannot deliver them quickly and efficiently, he needs to go. We deserve better.