Christchurch Earthquake - General Update

6.15am Saturday 11 September 2010

Central City The central city cordon was lifted on Friday evening and police reported a relatively quiet night in the central city.

The Hereford Street / Manchester Street intersection remains closed due to concerns about the safety of the multi-storey at the intersection.

Other central city buildings issued with either Red or Yellow placards have been secured and barricaded, to reduce danger to the public. People are reminded to stay well away from barricaded buildings.

Inspectors have re-checked central city buildings after Wednesday morning's 5.1 aftershock.

Welfare The Addington Welfare Centre housed 208 people overnight Friday/Saturday and the Linwood Welfare Centre housed 58 people.

Power Power has been restored to most homes in the city. Orion is asking people who still do not have power restored to call 363 9898. This number is available during the weekend.

Buses The Central City Bus Exchange is now operational. Modified routes are operating. See www.metroinfo.org.nz for more information.

Roads For updated information on road closures visit the Earthquake Information page on the Council website www.ccc.govt.nz

Building evaluations By the end of the day Friday, 4069 building evaluations had been carried out across the city

Of the 958 buildings inspected in the CBD 74.3% have received a green placard, 20% have received a yellow placard and 5.7% have received a red placard.

Of the 2290 residential buildings inspected 86.55% received a green placard, 12.2% received a yellow placard and 1.25% received a red placard.

A red placard means people should not enter or occupy the building because it has been determined unsafe. It is not a demolition order. Homes with a red placard require a further detailed structural assessment by a building professional. It is the building owner's responsibility to contact the building professional to set this up. That assessment must then be discussed with the Christchurch City Council's building evaluation and inspection team to determine options. A yellow placard means the building has limited access and further structural assessment is needed by the owner's consultants.

A green placard means the building has received a brief inspection only. While no apparent structural or other safety hazards have been found, a more comprehensive inspection of the exterior and interior may reveal structural or safety hazards. It is the homeowners responsibility to set up this further evaluation.

Building demolitions reminder People with unsafe buildings that may need to be demolished are reminded they should contact the Christchurch City Council and follow the official process before any action is taken.

The Building Act states that emergency demolition work must only be for the purpose of saving or protecting life or health, or preventing serious damage to a property. There are also provisions in the Resource Management Act for emergency work in some instances.

In all cases, the property owner and/or contractor undertaking the work is strongly advised to contact the Christchurch City Council prior to carrying out the work. Carrying out work that does not fall within these emergency provisions may affect insurance coverage and the Council's ability to authorise the work retrospectively.

ENDS

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