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A car is damaged by debris in Christchurch - Source: ONE News -
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Telecom says its services are standing up well in the South Island following the earthquake.
But elements of the mobile network are running on battery back up, and customers are being urged to reserve power on the network and use mobiles for emergency calls only.
Vodafone and Telecom are both asking people to limit sending images and video from the area.
And because of lost power in homes, cordless landline phones will not be working.
Landlines and the 111 emergency numbers were still working but many Vodafone and Telecom cellular network sites in Christchurch have been running on battery power since the 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck about 4.30am today.
The earthquake took out power to much of Christchurch and surrounding areas and the batteries now powering many cellular sites had a life of up to eight hours. Both Telecom and Vodafone said they trying to get as many generators into Christchurch as they could in case the power remained off and the batteries ran flat.
Both companies urged people to stay off their cellphones unless it was an emergency.
Paul Brislen, from Vodafone, said people had so far heeded warnings to stay off the cellular network.
There was no danger of the network crashing and they had no reports cellular towers had been damaged.
"But there is no power which means we are on battery back up. Batteries only last three to eight hours, depending on how much use they get."
Vodafone was talking to Civil Defence authorities and the power companies to see when power could be restored and which sites should take priority.
"We are telling people to keep their calls to a minimum but if
it is an emergency make that call, don't worry about it.
"We are not seeing any overloading. People are being really good
about staying off the network and that is great. They are making
the calls they have to make and no more," Brislen said.
Telecom said more than 24 of its cell sites were without power.
"That problem may well get worse if the power does not come back
on," said Telecom spokesman Mark Watts.
The city and surrounding areas were still being hit by aftershocks
which could prevent the movement of generators to the cellsites
which were running out of battery power.
"People should minimise their cellphone calls to essential calls and texts.
"Use the mobile wisely because that situation is likely to get worse before it gets better," Watts said.
Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee said he expected power to be
restored this afternoon as there had been no major damage to the
infrastructure.
For more advice visit the
Civil Defence
Website.
AIRPORT
Christchurch airport is now open but there is a major backlog of
flights and some may not take off until tomorrow. People should
contact their airline before heading to the airport or if possible
check the airline website.
Are you in Canterbury? Do you have images or video of the earthquake? Send them into news@tvnz.co.nz
Share your experiences of the earthquake on our messageboard at the end of this article:
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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?