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Aerial view captured by RNZAF of a Kaiapoi farm after the September quake - Source: Defence Force RNZAF -
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The wrap of day seven from tvnz.co.nz's live updates, following the aftermath of last Saturday's 7.1 quake in Canterbury.
Midnight: There have been 12 aftershocks today ranging in size from 2.5 to 4.3. This compares with yesterday, when there were 16 aftershocks ranging in size from 2.5 to 5.3.
10.04pm: Aftershock of 4.3, 30km south-east of Darfield, at a depth of 8km.
9.39pm: A 3.7 aftershock hit at 9.07pm, 10 km west of Christchurch at a depth of 15 km.
8.33pm The Christchurch City Council issued a
release at 8pm that said the cordon in inner-city Christchurch
has been removed this evening. The cordoned area bounded by
Worcester, St Asaph, Madras and Colombo Streets has
been re-opened to public.
However, some central city streets remain partially closed. The
situation is being reviewed continually.
Streets that remain partially closed are:
- Worcester Street
- Manchester Street
- Hereford Street
- High Street
- Cashel Street
- Tuam Street
Civil Defence Controller Peter Mitchell says the public should continue to exercise caution.
7.40pm: A quake 6km deep and registering 3.0 on the Richter scale, hit at 7.29pm, within 5km of Darfield.
6.49pm: At 6.22pm there was a 3.7 quake, 20 km south-east of Darfield at a depth of 15km.
6.29pm: Gastroenteritis and possible norovirus
present threats in crowded welfare centres. St John has brought in
more paramedic staff to deal with the potentially serious diseases
and people who already feel unwell should ask for assistance before
entering welfare centres.
5.53pm: Civil Defence controller Darryl Griffin is
calling on the public to show constraint over the weekend in the
central city. He says some bars will be open and during aftershocks
bar staff will need to safely evacuate their premises.
He says bars sited next to damaged buildings should give careful
consideration to the damage that music vibrations may cause.
Extra police will be patrolling the central city over the weekend
and damaged buildings will be guarded. Police have assured Civil
Defence staff that drunkenness will not be tolerated either in the
street or in the city's bars.
5:01pm On Saturday, the Christchurch City
Council will begin work on making the Sumner Road area safe. Sumner
Road was closed following Wednesday's aftershock which loosened
rock outcrops above the road.
Contractors will begin rock face inspections in the morning and
then on Monday September 13 will start blasting
away dangerous rock. Residents in nearby suburbs should expect
to hear loud noises however it is far enough away from residential
areas that vibrations will not be felt.
The process could take up to a fortnight to clear the road of debris.
4.57pm The last remaining Canterbury highway
closed by the earthquake has partially re-opened. State Highway 74,
a key route into the Port of Lyttelton, has been closed for six
days while road foundations damaged by the quake have been
repaired.
NZTA's Peter Connors says SH74 in Christchurch city is open from
Travis/Frost/Anzac Drive to the intersection of Dyers Road/Bridge
Street.
He said SH74 remains closed from the intersection of Dyers Road/Bridge Street to Metro Place until further notice while the Christchurch City Council replaces damaged waste water pipes across the highway. The detour for this section of SH74 is via Breezes, Cuthbert's and Maces Roads, and will be suitable for all traffic.
The SH74 Heathcote underpass remains closed due to potential
rockfall hazards above the road. A permanent repair is underway,
involving blasting and the installation of rock netting. This work
could take up to a week complete.
4:50pm
The main cordons are lifted in the Christchurch CBD
but there is a 30kmh speed limit in force in the city. A few
streets are still cordoned off.
4.12pm: Donations to the Canterbury Earthquake Appeal have now reached $3.5 million - and pledges from businesses take it to more than $4 million.
A Commission has been set up to handle the fund which is the only appeal fund receiving donations for Canterbury. It is holding its first meeting this afternoon.
3.50pm: An aftershock of 3.2 has been felt at 3.30pm. It was 9km deep and centred 5km out of Darfield. There was also a 2.5 at 3.21pm, 10 km north-west of Christchurch and 5km deep.
2.40pm: Civil Defence Emergency Management has passed its biggest test in recent history, Civil Defence Minister John Carter said today. "Six days after the 7.1 earthquake hit Canterbury, most essential services are back in operation," he said.
2.15pm: Two kiwi eggs that survived the Canterbury earthquake in their incubator at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve are ready to hatch, Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson says.
"One of the chicks has already been nicknamed Richter and could emerge from its shell anytime between now and Sunday," Wilkinson said.
1:40pm: More footage has come in of the destruction from Saturday's quake. The security camera footage is from the Kaiapoi Super Liquor store. Watch it here.
1:10pm: 3.5 aftershock 30km south-east of Darfield.
1:05pm: Civil Defence Director John Hamilton says public services are recovering in the Canterbury region, despite a series of aftershocks that accelerated this morning after a relative lull yesterday.
Civil Defence says the possibility of a large aftershock up to magnitude 6 remains though the likelihood of this is decreasing as time passes (currently less than 10% chance).
CD also says the New Zealand Defence Force is supporting police in Christchurch and over the past two days has moved more than 300 prisoners out of Christchurch. A further 62 prisoners will be moved today.
12:59pm: 3.3 aftershock within 5km of Christchurch.
12:55pm: Aftershocks rattling Canterbury and unnerving its inhabitants are likely to last for "weeks" rather than days but will get less frequent and probably weaker, says a Wellington seismologist.
"As time goes on, the likelihood of very large ones is reducing. But we really can't be sure about this, and I'm just aware that people in Canterbury are understandably getting very edgy and irritated and anxious and scared...but actually, a week isn't that long," Dr Warwick Smith, of GNS Science, told NZPA.
He said the number of aftershocks - an estimated 395 by midday today, including 10 above magnitude 5 - was expected after a magnitude 7.1 quake, and would not be stopping anytime soon.
12:41pm: The Waimakariri District Council estimates the cost of repairing community buildings, utilities, roads and footpaths ranges from $67 million to more than $120 million.
Chief Executive Jim Palmer says insurance will cover the bulk but the council will still need to find around $1.5 million.
The council is currently spending more than $200,000 a day on much needed immediate repair work to restore services to Kaiapoi and the surrounding area.
12:32pm: The Salvation Army says it will distribute the first of 10,000 care packages to Canterbury's earthquake-affected citizens on Monday morning.
Up to 20 trauma counsellers from Australian Salvation Army territories, who have experience working in the aftermath of large scale bushfires, are also expected to start arriving next week.
Salvation Army spokesman Major Robbie Ross says 12 Salvation Army counsellers are already at work at the emergency welfare centres and Salvation Army centres.
12:21pm: There does not appear to be a large number of uninsured homes affected by the Canterbury earthquake, the Earthquake Commission (EQC) says.
EQC insurance manager Lance Dixon told NZPA that of the more than 40,000 claims lodged he had only heard of one or two that were not covered by private insurance.
11:53am: Walking tracks in the Canterbury region have suffered no major damage following last weekend's earthquake, a preliminary search has found.
The Department of Conservation said that some tracks were open while others remain closed while further inspections were made.
Trampers should stay away from the closed tracks to ensure their safety, DOC spokeswoman Cheryl Colley said.
11:32am: The NZ Transport Agency says the Lyttelton Tunnel will be periodically closed to traffic in the days ahead in order to allow for the safe passage of fuel and gas trucks through the tunnel. Delays of up to 10 minutes can be expected during the closures.
Temporary closures will be used as needed to allow the safe passage of fuel and gas trucks, but in order to minimise disruptions for motorists no closures will be enacted from 7am-9am, 12pm-1pm or 4pm-6pm.
Up to date information Canterbury state highways including the Lyttelton Tunnel can be found at highwayinfo.govt.nz or by phoning 0800 44 44 49.
10:45am: Earthquake strengthening standards in Christchurch have been pushed up dramatically after a meeting this morning.
The Christchurch City Council has unanimously agreed to raise the bar for the reconstruction of quake-affected buildings. Under previous legislation, restored buildings must be strengthened to up to 33% of the building code. Now that figure is 67%.
10:20am: Jim Anderton says he would consider quitting parliament if he wins the Christchurch mayoralty because the southern city needs a full-time mayor in the aftermath of the earthquake.
Anderton had previously indicated he would stay on as MP for Wigram even if elected as mayor.
9:57am: Volunteers in Christchurch welfare centres are now turning their focus to helping people return home.
Welfare Manager Carolyn Gallagher says the city is returning to recovery mode. Each person seeking help is being interviewed to assess how they can re-establish their lives.
Last night 214 people stayed in the Addington Raceway welfare centre and a further 102 were in the Linwood College welfare centre.
9.32am: Residents in Waimakariri say they are tired of being treated like a freak show.
With the weekend approaching, local civil defence is issuing an urgent plea for rubberneckers to stay away from Kaiapoi, Pines Beach and Kairaki.
District Council chief executive Jim Palmer says residents are getting irritated with the number of people coming to inspect the damage in the centre of town and nearby residential areas.
9:17am: 3.4 aftershock 20km south-east of Hanmer Springs.
9.15am: Police and army personnel at the Christchurch City Centre cordons have issued a statement thanking the public for their support.
Senior Sergeant John Robinson said: "From the hot coffee to home made scones, from the friendly chats to pats on the back, the many police and army staff who have been working long shifts greatly appreciate the support of the Canterbury public. I am confident that this continued tolerance, goodwill and support of each other will get Canterbury through these difficult times."
8:26am: The notorious Undie 500 student car race has been cancelled and funds will instead be channelled into helping with the clean-up in Christchurch in the wake of the earthquake, organisers say.
The student-run car race was due to run later this month, on September 24, as an overnight event heading north from Christchurch to a mystery destination in Canterbury.
But in a notice posted on Facebook, organisers, Canterbury University's Engineering Society (Ensoc) said it could not justify such an event - now renamed the Roundie 500 Charity Drive - when so many people in Christchurch were going through strife.
7:58am: Emergency packs containing baby wipes and other items are on their way to Canterbury.
Canterbury/West Coast NZ College of Midwives regional co-chair, Kate Nicoll, says the packs from Johnson & Johnson will be distributed by midwives to expectant and new mothers.
7:30am: The Press reports one side effect of Saturday's earthquake and the many aftershocks has been a record number of heart attacks.
David Smyth, clinical director of cardiology at Christchurch Hospital, said patients were saying when the quake hit they got pains and every major aftershock had triggered more.
The heart unit usually had about 50 beds for Canterbury patients as well as taking transfers from Ashburton, the West Coast and Timaru. Yesterday morning there were 68 cardiology patients in the hospital, after a record 77 on Monday.
7:10am: 4.6 aftershock 20km south-east of Darfield.
7:05am: The government's earthquake helpline has received nearly 9,000 calls and hundreds more are coming in every day, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says.
6:50am: Plans to lift the cordons in central Christchurch this morning have been put on hold. The cordons put in place after Saturday's 7.1 quake were to be lifted at 5.00am, however, Civil Defence has decided that in the interest of public safety they should remain in place.
6:28am: 3.9 aftershock 10km north-east of Darfield.
6.10am: There's been a 3.6 aftershock at 6.10am, 20km south-east of Darfield, but quite deep at 15km.
5.52am:Classes will resume for many Canterbury
students this morning as more and more schools reopen after
Saturday's quake.
5.30am:
Tension started to show at a farmers' meeting in
Darfield, west of Christchurch last night. Earthquake Recovery
Minister Gerry Brownlee and Finance Minister Bill English faced
questions from a 300-strong crowd, including the issue of
compensation for cracks in their paddock, which are not covered by
either the Earthquake Commission (EQC) or private insurers.
The Ministers said they would talk about a possible resolution but would not commit to providing any funding towards those affected.
A rural recovery organisation is being formed to deal with problems arising from the earthquake.
It's part of a focus by authorities to move into the recovery phase, with a building recovery office operational in Christchurch from Monday, while a business website, recovercanterbury.co.nz, has been started as a one-stop shop for all business support issues.
The Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri districts are all forming recovery groups.
12.25am: 4.3 aftershock 20km south-east of Darfield.
Read yesterday's live updates .
