Public Information Update: 1730, Friday 1 April 2011

Posted on Friday, April 1, 2011

Demolition update

• Civil Defence today revealed the list of 184 buildings, as at 31 March, in Christchurch set for demolition, partial demolition or make safe.
• Seven of these buildings were listed as critical, based on being more than five stories tall, proximity to other buildings and subsequent risk.
• These were:
  • Rolleston Court Apartments, 35 Cambridge Tce
  • NZ College of Early Childhood Education, 50 Victoria St
  • BDO Spicer House, 148 Victoria St
  • Community House, 141 Hereford St
  • Hotel Grand Chancellor, 161 Cashel St
  • Harcourts Grenadier, 271 Madras St
  • Kenton Chambers, 19-192 Hereford St
• Of the 184 buildings, 128 will be demolished, 37 will be partly demolished, 12 will be made safe and seven are critical.
• Other buildings will be added to the list as assessments are completed.
• Around 100 of the 128 set for demolition, have either already been demolished or are currently underway.
• The full list and a map of the CBD building locations can be found at http://canterburyearthquake.org.nz/2011/04/01/buildings-set-for-demolition-partial-demolition-make-safe/

Toilets

• All Christchurch residents are urged to use water and toilets sparingly, as sewerage systems are broken and not able to cope with large volumes of wastewater.
• If you have been given a chemical toilet, keep using it.
• If there is a portable toilet in your street or on a nearby street, please use it to help ease pressure on the overall network.

Drinking water

• People should keep boiling or treating all water before drinking, brushing teeth or using in food preparation until further advised.

Removing risk of rockfalls in Sumner

• Work is currently underway to secure or remove dangerous boulders threatening the critical transport route of Wakefield Avenue in Sumner.
• It is anticipated this work will take between two to three weeks to complete.
• Further work is also planned to remove or secure dangerous boulders in areas above houses along Wakefield Avenue, south of Duncan Street.  This is expected to take between three and six months. 
• Geotechnical engineers have also mapped dangerous boulders along the slopes above Heberden Avenue, Sumnervale Drive and Evans Pass Road. 
• Work to secure or remove some of them has already been undertaken to secure Evans Pass Road as a critical transport route.  It is anticipated that work will start to secure other areas above the houses within the next month. 

Reduction in hours of RACS and Work and Income Service Centres
The number of people seeking assistance through Recovery Assistance Centres (RACs) and service centres is now low. As a result, hours will be reduced to:`

• 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday
• 9am to 12pm on Saturdays
• Closed all day Sunday.

Traffic update

• Moorhouse Avenue overbridge is now open to all traffic with 30km speed restriction.
• Montreal Street is now open to all traffic, except within CBD between Cashel and Salisbury Streets.

Power

• Power is now on to about 60% of the CBD (within the four avenues).
• The vast majority of customers without power are within the red zone.
• A few streets and properties just outside the red zone also have no power either because access is restricted for safety reasons, or due to damaged cables and substations which supply these areas.
• There are now less than 2,000 customers connected to eight generators in the eastern suburbs. Orion expects to have these customers back on mains power supply within three weeks.
• Customers in the eastern suburbs are being asked to keep their electricity use to an absolute minimum where possible, due to the fragility of the electricity network in this area.
• Orion is about to begin construction on:
  • a new substation in Rawhiti Domain off Keyes Road in New Brighton, to replace the existing damaged Orion substation on Pages Road
  • a 1.5km overhead 66kV line from the damaged New Brighton substation in Pages Road to the new Keyes Road substation
  • a 4.5km overhead 66kV line between Transpower’s Bromley substation and Orion’s Dallington substation in Coopers Road/Strathfield Ave.
• Orion met with New Brighton and Dallington residents this week, who live along the routes of the lines and close to the substation, to answer questions and address any concerns raised
• Orion are working with Civil Defence to identify residential areas on the fringes of the red zone where power can be safely reconnected. However, residents with power need to be aware that further power cuts in the wider CBD remain likely.

Police vehicle recovery

• Nearly 500 vehicles have been recovered from the Farmer’s Carpark in the last 24 hours.
• A few vehicles have not been able to get out because Police do not have keys. People should report to the Vehicle Recovery Team located at the Armagh St entrance to Hagley Park, with their keys.
• More than 3280 vehicles have been recovered since the vehicle operation started on 10 March.

Police CBD security

• A high security presence within the CBD cordon area is being maintained with regular patrols.
• Recent checks by some business owners indicated no issues with property being removed.

Commercial vehicle / road safety
The Christchurch City Council has specified a route that heavy vehicles should take between the CBD and the Burwood landfill at Bottle Lake Forest. The route is:

• Madras Street (return Barbadoes Street)
• Bealey Avenue
• Whitmore Street 
• Hills Road 
• Akaroa Street 
• Marshland Road 
• Prestons Road 
• Landfill Road

Trucks leaving the CBD will take Madras Street north to Bealey Avenue, while those returning to the CBD will turn off Bealey Avenue and head south along Barbadoes Street.