Aftershocks continue to rattle Canterbury following a
devasting magnitude 7.1 earthquake which hit the region about
4.35am on Saturday.
Almost 300 aftershocks have shaken Christchurch in the past
five days, and geologists say they may continue for weeks.
Christchurch resident Karyn Mr O'Leary an initial adrenaline
rush that had carried Christchurch residents for the first
few days was being replaced by exhaustion, she said.
"A lot of people are getting tired. We try to go to sleep and
there's a shake at 12.30pm, then 3am, then 8am, or whatever
it was. It just doesn't stop."
Maps show aftershocks, location of services
The Christchurch Quake Map aims to present a
time-lapse visualisation of the earthquake and its
aftershocks, primarily to help those outside the affected
area understand what people in Canterbury are experiencing.
It plots earthquake data from GeoNet on a map, with the size
of the circle denoting the magnitude (the higher the
magnitude, the larger the circle) and the colour showing the
focal depth.
Mapquake aims to provide people affected by the
qauke with information on the location of services such as
portaloos, water filling stations, welfare centres and wi-fi
hot spots. It also marks some road closures, food outlets and
buildings earmarked for demolition.
• Curfew to remain in place
Waimakariri's overnight curfew will remain in place until at
least Monday, Civil Defence controller Bruce Thompson said
today.
Waimakariri District Council staff were continuing to assess
buildings and roads in Kaiapoi and the nearby communities of
Pines Beach and Kairaki following Saturday's 7.1 magnitude
quake.
Contractors and volunteers were clearing tonnes of silt and
debris from properties and streets, and the town centre
opened for the first time since the quake today.
Nearly 400 Kaiapoi and Pines Beach/Kairaki homes were under
restricted access or were considered unsafe, while 97 had
been red-stickered, which meant residents had to leave them
as they were uninhabitable.
Water had largely been restored to the area but residents
must still boil it before using it. However, the sewerage
scheme required major repairs.
The Waimakariri district's state of emergency would remain in
place until at least next Wednesday.
• Quake causes groundwater changes
Saturday's massive earthquake has resulted in changes to the
groundwater beneath the Canterbury Plains, Environment
Canterbury says.
"New springs have been observed, wells have shown marked
increases in water level, spring-fed streams such as the
Halswell River have risen markedly and increased turbidity
(cloudiness) has been seen in some wells," spokesman Dr Tim
Davie said.
"It is well known by scientists that earthquakes can, and
frequently do, induce a response in groundwater that can be
observed up to several hundred kilometres from the earthquake
epicentre."
Scientists from GNS Science and Environment Canterbury were
measuring the changes to get a better idea of what was
permanent.
• Prisoner evacuations continue
Almost 650 prisoners will have been evacuated from
Christchurch men's and women's prisons by late tomorrow, the
Corrections Department says.
Prisoners had been moved on air force planes, and police had
assisted with transfers between airports and prisons.
It was not known how long prisoners would be housed outside
of Christchurch, spokesman Lance Alexander said.
"We are not willing to add further pressure to emergency
services in Christchurch by placing prisoners back in
Christchurch withoutassurance that the sites are safe and
secure."
The lower security units at Christchurch Men's Prison
remained functional and there was safe and secure capacity to
manage about 360 prisoners there. Rolleston Prison was
operating normally.
All prisoners from Christchurch Women's Prison have been
temporarily moved to Auckland Region Women's Corrections
Facility (127 total).
Christchurch Men's Prison inmates have gone to Otago (87),
Spring Hill (122), Waikeria (60), Rimutaka (185) and
Tongariro/Rangipo (62).
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