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A building which has lost its facade in Victoria St, Carlton Corner - Source: Kate Wright -
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Pledges have started coming in after a massive earthquake hit Canterbury early yesterday morning, causing billions of dollars of damage, cutting water and power, and leaving many forced out of their homes after their houses were destroyed.
Central Christchurch streets were piled with rubble, cordoned off and under curfew until 7am today after the magnitude 7.1 quake. Buildings and infrastructure were damaged throughout the city and region, and strong winds forecast for today could cause more problems.
Three welfare centres were set up in the central city yesterday,
with the National Crisis Management Centre reporting about 70
people at each of the welfare centres early today.
The Salvation Army, which fed 1000 people at two Christchurch
locations yesterday, has launched an appeal to help feed and
support those affected by the quake.
"New Zealanders are reeling from the disaster that struck Christchurch this weekend," Salvation Army national fundraising coordinator Major Robbie Ross said.
"Not since the 1930s have we experienced an earthquake as severe and it is important that we do everything we can to help."
Red Cross has also begun accepting online and phone donations to help people affected by the earthquake.
Prime Minister John Key has pledged government support to the people of Canterbury, where damage has been estimated at $2 billion by the Earthquake Commission.
"We are here to support them. We are not going to let Christchurch suffer this great tragedy on its own," Key said yesterday.
While people who were insured would get payouts from the Earthquake Commission, there would be a mayoral fund to support those who weren't, Key said.
ANZ Bank is donating $1 million to the proposed fund, as is BNZ and TelstraClear will give $100,000.
Key's visit was also to get an assessment of what government assistance was required, he said.
Earthquake Commission and insurance specialists expected to report back on Monday, but he warned it could take months before the extent of all the damage was known.
Insurance company State spent yesterday reassuring customers
that they were insured, and that their first priority should be to
safeguard themselves, their families and
protect their property as much as they can until repairs can be
made, executive general manager Mary-Jane Daly said.
People with house and contents insurance automatically have Earthquake Commission cover.
Customers should take photos before moving anything or tidying up, making assessment of their insurance claim easier, she said.
Westpac Bank and ANZ were also offering customers relief such as deferral of home loan repayments, or waiving fees.
Eighty police officers from Auckland will help with general duties and recovery, and an air force Hercules is flying to the city with 42 urban search and rescue personnel and three dogs.
Two New Zealand Red Cross emergency management teams with 21 members had also helped around the city, using 4WD vehicles to look for people cut off in the countryside west of Christchurch.
Around a dozen people had been pulled from either lifts, buildings or holes in the ground.
A large fire in a central city building created more work for an already stretched fire service.
Power and phone services have been restored to much of the region, but water shortages and contamination remain a problem.
The 4.35am quake, the nation's most damaging since 1931, forced many people from their homes, but the only person known to suffer critical injury was a man in his 50s. A second man suffered serious cuts, and many had cuts, scratches and broken limbs.
Aftershocks continued throughout the night, with GeoNet reporting nine quakes - ranging between magnitude 3.2 and 4.9 - between 10.30pm and 3am in the Canterbury region.
A state of emergency was likely to be in place in Christchurch until noon on Monday in the city, and until today in other districts.
Hospitals
All Christchurch Hospitals were operational, though people were asked to go to hospital only if it was an emergency.
However a decision has been made to reduce deferrable hospital services, says Canterbury District Health Board CEO David Meates.
All surgical and medical procedures other than non-deferrable cases have been cancelled for Monday.
This includes all arranged admissions for Christchurch, Christchurch Women's and Burwood Hospitals.
Affected patients are being contacted. Christchurch Women's Hospital caesarean sections and inductions of labour will however continue as scheduled.
Hospital outpatient services will be maintained. However if patients scheduled for clinics cannot attend or do not arrive they will be contacted by the hospital and their appointment re-scheduled.
It is intended that we will review the situation again at 10am Monday morning to ensure that we have got appropriate ongoing recovery plans.
Anyone who needs information on income support, housing options, health issues, community assistance, Civil Defence or any other government service can call the Earthquake Government Helpline: 0800 77 999 7.
Share your experiences of the earthquake on our messageboard at the end of this article:
Add a Comment:
Post new commentgordy said on 2010-09-09 @ 13:59 NZDT: Report abusive post
Im my 51 years on this earth I have never felt so pertrified..my first thoughts was we had been hit by a nuclear bomb and it was Armageddon. Never ever want to experience it again
schicken said on 2010-09-08 @ 19:15 NZDT: Report abusive post
I thought the same thing initially. However, another quake big enough to close or shift the cracks further is likely to be heard first and all the kids will most likely be fine. If a child does get swallowed up, I'm probably not going to have huge empathy for the media coverage or their parents, but until then, let the region have a little bit of fun. Education about health risks regarding contaminated water may be a good idea for all. :)
thinkaboutit said on 2010-09-06 @ 23:06 NZDT: Report abusive post
More great coverage tonight TVNZ especially highlighting the situation at individual community levels where people reported they felt abandoned. All credit to those organising themselves into community working groups at this level despite this. Arguably the recovery process would be greatly enhanced if these community groups were psychologically and practically supported by establishing official coordination centres at individual community levels.
Madeleine Ware said on 2010-09-06 @ 17:31 NZDT: Report abusive post
You're making some good points here. Perhaps some of the donations could be towards purchasing and setting up storage of these sorts of things. Individuals are also responsible for making their own preparations. I clean and keep old 3L juice bottles filled with water. Every now and then I water my house plants with one and refill it to refresh it.
Madeleine Ware said on 2010-09-06 @ 17:25 NZDT: Report abusive post
Why are they buying water? Aren't there several tankers about the city giving it away?