Home-Owners Should Contact Council If They Have Safety Concerns

Waimakariri district home-owners should contact the Council if they have safety concerns in their homes or feel they have been missed in the initial safety assessments of homes. People who have left the district because their home is uninhabitable should also contact the Council.

“Our focus has been on the areas in Kaiapoi, Pines Beach and Kairaki badly affected by liquefaction during the September 4 earthquake,” said Waimakariri Civil Defence Controller Nick Harrison.

Teams of building assessors have now reassessed homes already marked with a red or a yellow notice in these areas.

The Council assessments relate to the structural safety of homes and the wellbeing of residents. Home-owners should contact the Earthquake Commission for an assessment of damage and the formal lodging of an insurance claim.

The Council’s red-yellow-green structural safety assessment is:
• Red – the building is too badly damaged for anyone to stay. Homeowners are advised to secure their homes, turn off the power, gas and water, and leave.
• Yellow – there is damage to the building and you should occupy the home only after you have received confirmation from a qualified builder or structural engineer that it is structurally safe.
• Green – the house is safe to occupy. The property, however, may have suffered damage and if so homeowners should contact the Earthquake Commission.

“A number of homes have been reassessed by the Council this week as ‘green’ but were ‘yellow’ in the initial safety assessment,” said Nick Harrison, Waimakariri Civil Defence Controllor.

“In a number of cases this is because there have been repairs or work done to remove the identified safety risk, such as an unstable chimney, allowing the house to be assessed green.”

“If residents believe there is still a safety issue in their home they should call the Council and a team will visit as soon as possible.”

ENDS

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