Tuesday 16 February 2016

Earthquake update

Facilities
Except for those already closed for repair prior to Sunday's earthquake, all Christchurch City Council facilities have been deemed safe and are now open as normal, including New Brighton Library and Linwood Library. The Council is taking a precautionary approach, and is monitoring all community facilities as part of its ongoing commitment to safety.

Sumner Lyttelton Corridor update
In response to the earthquake on Sunday, the Council and LINZ have been working to inspect areas of the Port Hills subject to geotechnical hazards.

Geotechnical engineers have noted that most of the slope stability issues relate to cliff collapse off the main cliff areas including Whitewash Head, Richmond Hill, Redcliffs and Peacocks Gallop. These are all areas previously identified by GNS Science as being at high risk. Rockfall from these cliffs has been limited to areas which are primarily red zoned.

On Wakefield Avenue and along Main Road, the temporary protection works (including ballasted shipping containers) have stopped the debris from reaching the road. The containment of rockfall and cliff collapse debris clearly demonstrates that the interim protections we have in place are effective.

More damage has been observed around the portal of Moa Bone Cave where fractures in the rock have widened. The jointing around blocks in the cliff face here has also loosened.

This latest aftershock is a timely reminder of the need to strictly adhere to access restrictions in high hazard areas.

Sumner Road – Evans Pass to Lyttelton
We don't expect the recent earthquakes to have any impact on the works planned at Crater Rim Bluffs above Sumner Road. The reports from a helicopter survey on Sunday suggest there is little damage from the most recent earthquake, other than some new rockfall on the road.

Port Hills tracks all reopened
Rangers and geotechnical experts have inspected all Council tracks in the Port Hills, and all tracks that were closed due to the February 14 Earthquake have now been reopened. Cattlestock Crag rock climbing site remains closed until further inspections can be made.

Waitaki Street stopbank
Minor cracks to a stopbank near Waitaki Street in Bexley are being monitored and repairs will be carried out as needed. The damage is superficial and does not raise any immediate concerns. Inspections of the city's stopbanks have not found any other issues, although a detailed walk-over of all stopbanks continues.

Water
The Council's water networks have proven to be resilient. No issues have been found with the city's water supply and drinking water is safe to drink.

Liquefaction
Residents affected by liquefaction on their properties are advised to take appropriate safety precautions when handling the material, including wearing protective eyewear, dust masks and gloves.

Small quantities of liquefaction can be placed into the red rubbish bin, to a maximum level of one-third of the bin.

The Student Volunteer Army is assisting residents with liquefaction clean-up. They can be contacted via email – info@sva.org.nz – or through their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/StudentVolunteerArmy

Safety checks
The Council is reminding residents and commercial property owners that they are responsible for carrying out safety checks to their own buildings and properties. However, people can contact the Council (03 941 8999 or 0800 800 169) if they are concerned that a particular building is dangerous.

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