Big aftershocks felt in Christchurch

LATEST: Some of the largest aftershocks since yesterday morning's 7.1 earthquake have reportedly been felt in Christchurch.

Staff at the Christchurch civil defence emergency centre said one jolt at just after 1pm felt a lot bigger than recent shocks.

"We had one just now, in the last two minutes, and one ten minutes ago that definitely felt very big. It was very shaky," a spokesperson said.

GeoNet's last reported quake, at 1.04pm, measured magnitude 5.0 and hit 20km north-east of Leeston.

The biggest aftershock since the 7.1 quake measured 5.1, at 5.20am this morning, 10km south of Darfield.

The aftershocks are expected to continue throughout the week and potentially cause more damage to already-fragile buildings.

Meanwhile, strong winds expected to gust to 130km in exposed places today are likely to cause more problems, while forecast rain is likely to create stormwater issues for the already stressed infrastructure.

NO-GO AREAS

Parts of Christchurch city centre will be "no-go areas" for weeks, Civil Defence head John Hamilton has said.

He said teams of structural engineers were in place, scouring buildings for damage, focussing on those which were critical to the functioning of the CBD.

''It could be weeks [as in] some cases overseas. Until a building has been rendered safe by demolition, in some cases. You just have to keep people away because its too risky.

''The number of buildings that have been damaged is quite high. It's a big task.''

Officials will know later today which schools can be opened.

''Schools are a problem. We don't want to put children into risky buildings. You can't have schools operating if there is no fresh water or sewerage. There is a process in place for checking schools.''

Although two local civil defence centres closed because they weren't needed, he expected demand to increase tonight because of bad weather.

Resources, such as tarpaulins, to make buildings weathertight could be deployed by air, but there was no demand for them at yet, he said.

New Zealand had turned down offers of support from the US military, based in Hawaii, and the UN he said. This was met with surprise, he said.
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The army and Burnham and some additional troops in Linton are available to help police but so far weren't required, he said.

Ninety per cent of the city has power, he said, but there are issues in the rural areas with power and drinking water.

WATER SENT

KiwiRail is sending almost 300,000 litres of water to quake-struck Christchurch.

KiwiRail chief executive Jim Quinn said the water would arrive aboard a train early this afternoon and was in response to the city's need for fresh water after earthquake damage caused by yesterday's 7.1 magnitude tremor.

About 15 percent of the city remains without water, and those with it are being urged to use it sparingly.

Any drinking water should be boiled for at least three minutes.

"It's a practical contribution we can make to Christchurch's emergency response and we will be looking for other ways that rail can be used to support the region's recovery," he said.

"We are grateful to Fonterra for making the tanks available for the shipment."

KiwiRail opened the railway line south of Christchurch last night but continuing aftershocks meant a speed limit of 40kmh had been imposed. That was reduced to 25kmh over bridges.

"We still have work to do repairing damage to the track and one bridge between Belfast and Rangiora. We will be road bridging freight to Christchurch from Rangiora while this work is being completed," Mr Quinn said.

Emergency centre staff in Christchurch would focus on the water supply today, which could still force evacuations in worst-hit areas such as Brighton, Brooklands and parts of Avonside.

Water supply had resumed for all but 15 to 20 percent, and the council said today's efforts would focus on the remaining areas.

There were more than 200 water leaks around the city, about half of which were significant, the council said.

Residents with water should flush toilets sparingly, portaloos had been provided and water tankers would be located around the city.

Power was back to 90 percent of the city, and would be restored in central Christchurch when buildings were checked.

Eighty police officers from Auckland would help with general duties and recovery, and an air force Hercules was flying to the city with 42 urban search and rescue personnel, and three dogs trained to search for human remains.

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.

The quake was the nation's most damaging since 1931, but the only person known to suffer critical injury was a man in his 50s, who was in a serious condition in intensive care after being hit by a falling chimney.

A second man suffered serious cuts, and many had cuts, scratches and broken limbs.

Around a dozen people were pulled from either lifts, buildings or holes in the ground, and a large fire in a central city building created more work for an already stretched Fire Service.

Aftershocks continued throughout the night, with GeoNet reporting more than 15 quakes - ranging between magnitude 3.2 and 4.9 - between 10.30pm and 8am in the Canterbury region.

A state of emergency would remain in place until noon on Monday in the city, and until today in other districts.

CIVIL DEFENCE MEETING

The country's top civil servants met this morning in the Beehive's bunker to discuss how to deal with forecast adverse weather conditions, and implications of the quake on education, transport and other infrastructure concerns.

The ODESC (Officials of Domestic and External Security Committee) includes civil defence head John Hamilton, deputy police commissioner Rob Pope and top brass from the defence force.

The meeting began at 10.30am and lasted about 90 minutes.

Officials will now brief Civil Defence Minister John Carter.

ODESC will meet again on Tuesday.

Civil Defence authorities are advising Christchurch residents especially those in areas badly affected by yesterday's quake or with significant damage to their properties, to ensure they continue to have contingency plans in place, especially as bad weather is forecast for the Canterbury region.

Central Christchurch streets are piled with rubble and cordoned off after the magnitude 7.1 quake, which hit at 4.35am yesterday.

A curfew had been put in place in the central business district between 7pm last night and 7am this morning. Police said several people had been arrested trying to enter the area while the curfew was in place.

Jon Mitchell, Canterbury Emergency Management Office Emergency Manager, says that as the emergency enters day two, residents need to look at their longer term plans and prepare for the emergency to continue into next week at least.

"As residents return to their homes or begin to assess damage, they need to be aware of a cold weather front moving across Canterbury throughout the day.

"The forecast indicates that the front will reach Canterbury around mid-morning today, bringing the strong possibility of gale-force winds early on Sunday, followed by rain in the west of the region by Monday.

"The wind may cause further damage to properties and make ongoing repairs difficult," said Mr Mitchell.

"People should remain in their homes and avoid non-essential travel whenever possible, and make provisions to stay with friends or relatives for at least the next 24-48 hours, possibly longer."

Mr Mitchell said that aftershocks are likely to continue and emergency services, local government and voluntary sector personnel are actively supporting affected communities.

Structural engineers are assessing damage. You can report damage to you local council and seek advice from welfare assistance by calling 0800 77 9997. Residents are advised to be patient, as these lines will be busy.

HOUSE DAMAGE

The damage to hundreds of brick chimneys in Christchurch may be under the roofline and not visible, and residents are being warned to treat them as dangerous until they can be inspected.

Christchurch roofer Tony Stuart, who spent most of yesterday repairing roofs and inspecting and removing damaged brick chimneys following yesterday's 7.1 magnitude earthquake, said today visible damage could be only part of the picture.

Mr Stuart said he removed one chimney down to the roof line yesterday and covered the hole with roofing iron. However, below the roof line the chimney had moved on the base and further inspection was needed because it could be unstable.

Other chimneys still standing above the roof line could be fragile.

"In lots of chimneys bricks have gone from the lower part of the chimney but the top part is still there, which makes it really dangerous," he said.

"There is bugger-all supporting the top of it and bricks are really heavy.

"In many chimneys, the mortar holding the bricks together is just sand and cement but over the years it has lost its capacity to hold the bricks together. The bricks are just stacked on top of each other."

People could visually inspect their chimneys from the ground but said the rest should be left to experts.

"They need to get a roofing company to check their roofs and chimneys. They shouldn't get up there themselves. It is too dangerous but they need to be checked.

"Often you can't see the cracks that have appeared around the chimneys until you get up there on the roof."

Before the earthquake he had removed many brick chimneys and in most cases they just picked the bricks off, Mr Stuart said.

"We didn't even have to knock them or do anything," he said.

FARMS DAMAGED

Agricultural minister David Carter is visiting farms west of Christchurch this morning, affected by the quake, accompanied by Selwyn MP Amy Adams. Her home was also badly damaged.

Mr Carter said 50 or 60 farms in the area were affected.

"We are mainly concerned about farms still without electricity which will be dealing with stock water issues as well as other problems with farm operations. I've had reports of about six dairy sheds with structural damage, but I am also hearing of about 50 or 60 farms in the epicentre area that could be affected," Mr Carter said.

"Reports of damage to essential farm infrastructure are our major concern.''

He said he was grateful for the quick response from the rural community and from Fonterra for providing fresh water for residents.

Mr Carter is visiting Hororata, Glentunnel, Sheffield, Darfield, Dunsandel, Lincoln and Tai Tapu. He has been to parts of Banks Peninsula this morning.

CALLS TO AMBULANCE SERVICE

St John has had steady calls to ambulance communications throughout the night following the quake.

It has first aid teams on rosters stationed at the three welfare centres at Linwood College, Burnside High School and Addington Racecourse.

These teams have dealt with some very minor injuries (cuts and bruises) as well as providing care and reassurance to worried and anxious people.

St John was encouraging members of the community to look after each other and check on their neighbours, particularly the elderly or unwell.

CIVIL DEFENCE SHELTERS

More than 250 people took shelter in civil defence welfare centres in Chrischurch last night.

Civil defence spokesman Stony Wallace said approximately 270 people sought refuge in the three shelters set up at Addington Raceway, Burnside High School and Linwood College.

Mr Wallace expects most of those at the raceway to go home today, but all of the shelters will remain open.

"Their point is to provide a sanctuary for people who have worries about their property," Mr Wallace said.

"There are more aftershocks expected today, as well as high winds. It's a changing situation, it's not static and people's needs may change with that."

Two welfare centres were also open in Waimakariri but no one was using them yet, he said.

The National Crisis Management Centre in the Parliament bunker remains operational.

MORE THAN 500 BUILDINGS DAMAGED

More than 500 buildings in Christchurch are damaged after the quake.

Buildings and infrastructure were damaged throughout the city and region.

The Christchurch City Council said in a statement that of the 500 damaged buildings, more than 90 were in the central city area.

While there had been damage to minor bridges, major ones had withstood the quake. However, some roads had been closed due to liquefaction or flooding.

In total, damage from the quake has been estimated at $2 billion by the Earthquake Commission.

The central city would remain cordoned off and there would be no public access before Monday, with the exception of residents, the council said. People were urged to minimise travel.

The council's building evaluation team would inspect all buildings within the central zone, tagging red placards to buildings considered unsafe, yellow on buildings assigned restricted use, and green on buildings with no restrictions.

The council said it hoped to have the damage assessment completed today, and the yellow and green tagged buildings cleaned up on Monday.

PROMISES OF AID

Promises of aid had started coming in with the Salvation Army, which fed 1000 people at two Christchurch locations yesterday, launching an appeal to help feed and support those affected.

Prime Minister John Key has pledged government support to the people of Canterbury.

"We are here to support them. We are not going to let Christchurch suffer this great tragedy on its own," Mr 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, Mr Key said.

ANZ Bank is donating $1 million to the proposed fund, and TelstraClear will give $100,000.

Westpac Bank and ANZ were also offering customers relief such as deferral of home loan repayments, or waiving fees.

Mr Key will return to Christchurch later this week.

He told Q+A this morning he will likely go on Tuesday afternoon. "Relevant Ministers" would accompany him, he said.

Mr Key returned to Auckland fron the quake-ravaged city last night.

He said Cabinet would be briefed by the civil defence minister tomorrow. It was likely the Government would contribute to the mayoral fund, he said.