Christchurch Earthquake - Project East

3pm Thursday 9 September 2010

The Christchurch City Council is carrying out residential evaluations in the eastern suburbs of Christchurch.

At 9am today (Thursday), Christchurch City Council staff, along with an additional 60 building inspectors from around the country, began carrying out evaluations on buildings and checking on the welfare of residents.

The evaluations are expected to take approximately 10 minutes for each home and structural engineering expertise is available if required.

Council building inspectors started in Brooklands yesterday and as of 12pm Thursday 368 homes have been assessed.

A total of 1,798 commercial buildings assessments have been undertaken in the CBD and on arterial routes around the city.

The Christchurch City Council has received an influx of requests for building evaluations. Resources are stretched and staff are only dealing with properties which pose an immediate danger to people or other property. Property owners will need to seek independent building advice for matters not posing immediate danger

Placards on homes

Please note the red, yellow and green placards that have been placed on damaged residential properties have the same meaning as those placed on commercial buildings. Residents need to read the information on the placards.

* A red placard means people should not enter or occupy the home 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 homeowner'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 home has limited access and further structural assessment is needed by the owner's consultants.

* A green placard means the home 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.

ENDS

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