Red Cross Responds To Canterbury Earthquake

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit the Canterbury area at 12.51pm today. The quake, approximately 5km underground and located 10km south east of the city.

New Zealand Red Cross has activated the national emergency operations centre (NEOC) at the national office in Wellington and the Christchurch response team.

Red Cross has on stand-by emergency response teams from Blenheim, Nelson, Timaru and Dunedin.

Red Cross has offered MCDEM (Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management) and other agencies our resources and response teams as required.

We are assessing the situation closely and will make a decision on an appeal and donations tomorrow morning.

Advice from the Ministry of Civil Defence is that people in Canterbury should:

* Expect aftershocks. Each time one is felt, drop, cover, and hold on.
* Check yourself first for injuries and get first aid if necessary before helping injured or trapped persons.
* Assess your home or workplace for damage. If the building appears unsafe get everyone out. Use the stairs, not an elevator and when outside, watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines. Stay out of damaged areas.
* Look for and extinguish small fires if it is safe to do so. Fire is a significant hazard following earthquakes.
* Listen to the radio for updated emergency information and instructions.
* Do not overload phone lines with non-emergency calls.
* Help people who require special assistance - infants, elderly people, those without transportation, families who may need additional help, people with disabilities, and the people who care for them.

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