Darfield Quake Report Released - Cheapest Options To Be Taken

 
The much waited for report into the 4 Sept Canterbury Quake has been released and not all remediation and protection work will be provided for by the Earthquake Commission’s insurance cover.

Of the 16,630 properties that were inspected, 6855 suffered land damage.
According to a report in The Press newspaper :

The report identifies three areas where the damage was worst:
* Riverside areas, particularly the inside and on some outside of bends. Areas include Avondale, Avonside, Burwood, Dallington, Kaiapoi, and parts of Fendalton, Halswell and St Martins.
* River delta areas. Areas include Bexley, Brooklands, Kairaki, Pines Beach, and Spencerville.
* Inland loose alluvial deposit areas. Areas include parts of the suburbs of Belfast, Casebrook, Fendalton, Halswell, Hoon Hay, Parklands and St Albans.
Options to remediate the worst-effected land in Canterbury following the earthquake will likely focus on the cheapest and least disruptive methods, the first geotech report shows.
Prepared by engineering firm Tonkin and Taylor, the report was couriered to the 1200 worst effected homeowners yesterday…
…The report says Tonkin and Taylor has been instructed by central and local government to work on rebuilding with no ground treatment and treating the perimeter of the worst affected areas..read the full report Here

A Press conference is being held to discuss the report.

But where is the report?
The report may be found on the EQC’s website. The Earthquake Commission has said in a letter to residents that

..Tonkin & Taylor have presented some proposals for land repair and protection which go beyond the scope of Earthquake Commission insurance cover. The Government is committed to providing funding for this additional work to give greater protection to your property should a similar earthquake happen in the future…

But as we know, “committed to providing funding” is very different from “will meet the full costs,” it will be interesting to see how much actually gets paid out for this “additional” work.

A copy of Stage 1 of the Darfield Earthquake Geotechnical Land Damage & Reinstatement Report may be found HERE.

Problems Between the EQC and Insurance Companies
Contributors to Trademe’s forum are already talking about alleged squabbles that have broken out between insurers and the EQC:

“According to the guy I spoke to, both parties are behaving as badly as each other. It just confirms how they are failing to work together. Remember the public meetings where Chris Ryan said there was no shortage of funds due to being internationally insured and nobody would be disadvantaged and the EQC and Insurers would work together.
This is about to get even uglier than it already is.”

One poster has advised residents to organise themselves before it’s too late:

“Those people with land issues really need to organise themselves together and get some legal representation ASAP. You are all too vulnerable independently, and it is too much to expect that EQC and insurance are going to be working together in your best interests. Just my 2 cents worth.”

For all posts about the Canterbury Quakes click HERE
Today's posts - click here

Home Invasion Victim Out Of Hospital

Source: NZ Herald, Tues 9 Sept, 2008

"A 67-year-old man attacked by two teenagers in a Wanganui home invasion last night is expected to be released from hospital today.

Detective Constable Aaron Bunker said the man had suffered cuts and bruises to his head after answering his door to two males in their mid teens about 9pm. The pair burst into his home, demanded personal items and attacked him with a weapon.

He was taken to Wanganui Hospital, where he stayed overnight, and was expected to be released later today.Mr Bunker said the man was in "relatively good spirits" and had spoken to police.

Wanganui police said the man's stolen Eftpos card was used at the Gonville Shopping Centre ATM half an hour after the attack.

Police are looking for the two teenage males described as Maori, who may have been seen in the Hackett Street area or at the shopping centre about 9.40pm."

Home Invasion in Dallington, Christchurch

Source: The Press, 4 Sept, 2008

"A Christchurch woman was bashed around the head after being roused from her bed by a balaclava-wearing attacker last night.

The home invasion in the suburb of Dallington happened about 10.30pm and left the woman, aged 58, with serious bruising and concussion.

A neighbour said the woman, who lives alone, was in bed when her attacker broke down the back door of her Snell Pl home. He asked her for money and jewellery before bashing her several times around the head, the neighbour said.

"She told me she's pretty disorientated and can't really remember much,'' he said.

The offender is believed to have taken some money and jewellery.

The woman is staying with a friend in the neighborhood while police check her home for evidence, the neighbour said.

"She's a really nice woman and this is a really terrible thing to have happened to her,'' he said."