Special Earthquake Edition 4

Hi everyone,

The Earthquake Commission (EQC) has released the Tonkin & Taylor Stage 2 report into land damage caused by the Canterbury earthquake.

The report gives thousands of Canterbury property owners a clearer picture of the residential land repair work needed after the earthquake.

For the majority of property owners, the recovery process is relatively straightforward and the repair process can start now, as long as their EQC assessment is complete.

The report is based on a detailed suburb-by-suburb engineering assessment of the land damage caused by the earthquake on 4 September. The report also identifies land repair strategies for each suburb and area most affected by land damage, for example Brooklands, Burwood, Bexley, Dallington, Parklands and Spencerville.

It assessed and mapped 22,500 properties into three recovery zones – A, B and C.

Zone A identifies areas where there was shaking damage to buildings, but no observed signs of any land damage. There are about 13,700 properties that have been mapped in Zone A across Canterbury, but it is expected most claimants will fall into this zone.

Zone B identifies areas of land damage, with the majority of properties suffering minor to moderate land damage, as well as isolated cases of major land damage. Repairing this land will be relatively simple and will involve filling the cracks and compacting the ground surface. This land damage can be fixed on a section-by-section basis and can be done alongside repair and rebuilding work. There are about 5500 properties in Zone B.

Zone C is the land which has suffered severe land damage, or is close to the areas of major land repair work. There are about 3300 properties in Zone C.

Mapping focused on the suburbs and areas with the most severely affected reported land damage.  It is expected other parts of Canterbury will fall into Zones A and B.

For those in Zones A and B, which means they have no land damage or only minor to moderate land damage, the recovery process is relatively straightforward and the repair process can start now, as long as their EQC assessment is complete.

For those in Zone C, which are the areas most affected by land damage, the land will require wide-scale coordinated repair, or additional protection work such as underground retaining walls, before any repairing or rebuilding can take place. The Government has committed to funding the additional land protection work.

The Earthquake Commission has sent letters to claimants with information about where they fit into the recovery zones in the Stage 2 report.

The Stage 2 report can be viewed at http://canterbury.eqc.govt.nz/publications/2010/11/stage2

Please let me know if you would like a hard copy of the report sent to you.   

I will be holding an earthquake community meeting on Monday 6 December at 7.30pm at Brooklands Community Hall, 3 Anfield Street, Brooklands.

For more information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/govt-welcomes-recovery-roadmap-canterbury

Canterbury business gets additional boost

The Government has set aside over half a million dollars for new measures to assist Canterbury business in the wake of the earthquake. We’re funding expertise, mentoring, and advice to help businesses adapt to the conditions caused by earthquake damage. Including:

• Two full time business recovery co-ordinators for Christchurch, and a part time co-ordinator for Kaiapoi, will support the business community.
• Business Mentors New Zealand services will be supported by an additional part-time administrator.
• Christchurch and Kaiapoi will share $100,000 funding for promotional and marketing activities to attract customers back into their shopping areas. This is particularly important during the lead up to Christmas and the tourist season.

The Government has contributed over $12 million to assist businesses in Canterbury with measures to help business ride out the worst and be ready for the upside.

More information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/canterbury-business-gets-additional-boost

Land Information NZ to re-survey Canterbury land

The Government has announced $850,000 for Land Information New Zealand to re-survey and gather critical land information in Canterbury, following significant changes to the landscape after the earthquake.

It’s important that councils and infrastructure providers have accurate information about the land so they can rebuild and re-instating services like roads, water and sewerage systems quickly. Work is expected to be completed by the end of February.

More information: http://beehive.govt.nz/release/government-approves-850k-re-survey-canterbury-land 

Final days to lodge EQC claims by 4 December

It is important that householders with any earthquake damage – from the 4 September earthquake or any subsequent aftershocks – lodge a claim with EQC by 4 December 2010.

Lodging a claim before the cut-off date of 4 December is critical. It may take some time for EQC to assess your claim but the cost of repairing the damage will be covered if you lodge your claim before the cut-off date of 4 December.

To lodge a claim call EQC on 0800 326 243 or visit www.eqc.govt.nz

EQC claims update (as of 1 December 2010)

Damage reported
	No. of properties affected	No. of payments		Paid to date
Building	113,960	25,415		$312.17m
Contents	41,650	17,881		$38.48m
Land	14,144	11		$10,717
			Total paid to date: $350.67m

EQC Targets

• Settle all claims under $10,000 by Christmas 2010
• Inspect all claims over $10,000 by March 2011
• Settle claims over $100,000 as identified
• Reinstate damaged land within 18 months

For more information

The Government has set up a website at: www.canterburyearthquake.govt.nz or call the Government Helpline on 0800 779 997.

If you have any questions or issues or if I’ve missed anything, feel free to give my office a call on 382 5701.

Regards,

Aaron Gilmore

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