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Two people had a lucky escape from an unstable brick building when a large aftershock struck Christchurch at lunchtime.
The 4.5 magnitude tremor led police to cordon off more streets, and more buildings were evacuated.
The two people were removing property in one of the shops on the corner of Westminster and Cranford Streets when the shock hit.
The two storey block has subsequently been demolished.
Detective Paul Johannsen said there is now a large cordon in the area.
Westminster and Cranford Streets in Christchurch are now no-go zones, and police are asking the public not to enter the area because of danger from falling debris. They said cordons may vary depending on the weather conditions and aftershocks.
The strong 4.5 magnitude quake early this afternoon followed a number of aftershocks overnight which reached more than four on the Richter scale. The biggest occurred just after 4.00am, measuring 4.8, and experts say the aftershocks could continue for weeks to come.
The 12 storey Radio Network/Newstalk ZB building in Worcester Street is one that officials ordered evacuated after the tremor at 12.35pm. The building had sustained some damage during Saturday's quake, and the aftershock has made some of the cracks worse. The network will continue to broadcast from back-up facilities.
Civil engineers and Urban Search and Rescue teams are moving through the city and police say further buildings may be deemed to be at risk. They are asking the public to take due caution around these buildings.
Inspector John Price said safety is paramount: "Unfortunately it appears as though a small number of people are interfering with taped off areas and removing safety cones. They are there to ensure people know what areas still pose a danger. Removal prevents the protection and safety of everyone."
The state of emergency in Christchurch was this morning extended until midday Wednesday.
Eighty soldiers rolled into the city centre just after dawn to assist tired police.
"Some of our staff are getting quite fatigued. They've been doing very long hours and we need to make sure that our people have had a break," said Superintendent Dave Cliff, Canterbury District Commander.
He said having the troops in the city is "fantastic".
Around the CBD, the army relieved police at cordons with the central city still in lockdown as the working week began.
And this morning a new danger presented with water contamination and disease now a very real threat.
"We're getting reports coming in this morning of a bit of gastro-enteritis in the city," Mayor Bob Parker told TVNZ's Breakfast programme.
"It's starting to emerge and that'll be because we've got 360 breaks in water and wastewater that we've identified. We've fixed 100 of them. There's a danger that water and wastewater can mix in places. You've got to boil water, got to wash those hands, use those hand disinfectants."
Around town, business owners returned to find their shops in ruins, their livelihoods in jeopardy.
Cabinet discusses aid
Meanwhile Cabinet is discussing what aid it will give to Canterbury residents.
Prime Minister John Key said on Breakfast this morning the government would need to "step up" and bear much of the cost of infrastructure that was previously paid for by Canterbury ratepayers.
"From the government's point of view, we've got to move to the rebuilding and refocusing stages, how we get Christchurch up and running again."
He said he would probably return to the quake region tomorrow.
Hundreds of people spent their second night away from home in aid shelters in Christchurch after their houses were destroyed in the pre-dawn 7.1 magnitude quake centred about 40 kilometres away.
Many people will never return to their homes which were so badly damaged they will have to be demolished. For others, the repairs could take weeks or months.
After the initial shock, it was dawning on people they would have to find somewhere else to live, and continuing aftershocks are keeping many people on edge.
The trauma was reducing many people to tears, Yanni Tromp, who was running the Red Cross emergency centre at Linwood College, said yesterday.
"We see them in all sorts from very strong people who stand up and help others to people who become nervous and are not really capable of thinking rationally for a little while."
Key said the Ministry of Social Development was contacting all its elderly clients to make sure they are okay, and ACC was contacting people with serious injuries.
Flooding fears
High winds hit the region overnight, but were not as strong as had been feared, while concerns remained that some areas could be flooded.
"Stopbanks in some areas have been weakened by the earthquake and if we do get flooding, which we could get with this rain, then there could be issues," Civil Defence duty manager James Thompson said.
About 150 people were evacuated from Riverlands Holiday Park near Kaiapoi due to fears the Waimakariri River could breach a weakened stopbank.
People have been urged to stay away from all surface flooding.
Medical Officer of Health Alastair Humphries said sewage pipes in some places are leaking and when the raw sewage pools over the ground it looks a lot like water.
Humphries said forecast heavy rain could compound the problem.
Checking buildings
Much of the central Christchurch remained cordoned off and under curfew overnight, but engineers have made progress inspecting an estimated 500 damaged buildings and parts of the downtown area have reopened.
Superintendent Cliff said on Breakfast that potentially hundreds of buildings would need to be rebuilt or repaired.
Buildings were being colour-coded as they were checked for soundness: green for sound, red for dangerous, and yellow for having structural problems "but people can get in and get out".
Cliff said most buildings have now been graded and most people know the position with their own building.
Business owners were able to get inside the cordon to check businesses and buildings today, but many could not do business. Panes of glass were seen falling from damaged buildings yesterday, and falling debris remained a concern.
Anyone wanting access to Christchurch's city centre has to go through one of two checkpoints. Police said these were the only two access points to the CBD and people should not put pressure on staff at other checkpoints.
"I did hear that Ballantynes (department store) ... had lost $10,000 worth of crystal. If that's an example, there is going to be a lot of business damage, and a lot of business disruption," said Peter Townsend of the Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce.
The Department of Labour advised employers to get expert advice about safety and security in their buildings, and ensure there was proper sanitation.
Business owners and managers were required by law to provide a safe workplace, but employees also had a responsibility for ensuring their own safety, and had the right to refuse work they considered unsafe.
"This is an unusual situation, and much of it is probably not covered by employment agreements," Department of Labour southern regional manager Sheila McBreen-Kerr said.
Check fire alarms, chimneys
The Fire Service says people must still check their fire alarms are working. Fire Chief Dan Coward said fires are still occurring and people need to check their chimneys are secure, particularly if they plan to light a fire.
Cost put at $2 billion
Cabinet is to discuss aid for the region, and appoint someone to oversee the ongoing claims and repairs. Up to $600,000 can be distributed automatically.
Estimates put the cost of repairs at $2 billion, with claims from at least 100,000 households to cost about $1b, but it will be some time before the final amount was known.
However, rebuilding could create a much-needed economic upturn for Canterbury contractors and tradesmen who have been struggling for work since the recession.
Visitors were urged to stay away for at least a week, unless absolutely necessary.
Buses, schools disrupted
Bus services have been suspended today because of damage to roads.
Schools and early childhood centres in Christchurch, Waimakariri, and Selwyn districts will be closed until Wednesday under the Civil Defence Act.
But an earlier notice that all public buildings were to be closed until an engineering inspection was completed has been withdrawn.
That was because some businesses provided essential services and it was critical that property owners were able to make their properties safe, resume business as soon as possible and protect the safety of staff and the public, Civil Defence said.
The city's landmark heritage buildings are relatively unscathed, but assessments will continue.
Up to 20% of the city has no drinkable water, and householders were being advised to boil drinking water.
Among offers of aid from around the country, the Red Cross has sent blankets from Auckland, tarpaulins were arriving from out of town, water was sent by train, and support is arriving for police and other emergency staff.
Millions of dollars have been pledged to a mayoral relief fund, and agencies such as Save The Children and Red Cross have launched appeals.
Petrol
Petrol supplies are gradually returning to normal after contractors checked to make sure the tanks underground were fine and that all the pipework was stable. Initial visual checks were followed up with pressure checks.
LPG isn't yet back on at every site.
Suppliers said it was very busy at first with people coming in to stock up but has now largely returned to normal.
Limited court sittings
There will be limited court sittings in Christchurch. The court house has been deemed safe by structural engineers but jury trials have been postponed because of the unlikely availability of jurors.
Jurors summoned for jury duty are advised to call on the Christchurch jury service phone number 03-962-4399 for further instructions.
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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?