Christchurch Quake — More action needed in Eastern Suburbs right now

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 4:21 pm, March 2nd, 2011 - 53 comments
Categories: Politics - Tags: christchurch earthquake

This was posted on Redcliffs Quake Newssheet – Stone Soup #2, it exemplifies what is happening on the ground now in Christchurch. Meanwhile the government seems to think that many things can wait until a May budget? Yeah right.

Peter asks

Please do something to help the media to change their script. Lost lives and broken buildings do matter, and so does our nation’s economic future. But there is potential for much more stress and suffering in the hidden Refugee City if we fail to help where help is needed, right now.

Peter Hyde, March 2, 2011 — [e-mail redacted]

It’s 2am and, like many people in Christchurch, I am not sleeping too well just now. But at least we now have power, so I can use the time productively.

My personal history of the past week will have to wait. It may be interesting to some, but it’s not important right now.

What’s important is what is is NOT happening adequately in the acute post-quake period, because the official response is dwarfed by the size of the problem.

HUGE CAVEAT: I don’t have all-seeing eyes, or a helicopter, or good bandwidth. I certainly don’t have any kind of special “in” with officialdom and their view of the situation — though not for want of trying to make contact during the past five days. So this is based on my perspective locally in the south-east, and from several drives into the middle-east, south and north-west of the city.

Here we go:

There are THREE cities in Christchurch right now, not one.

RESCUE CITY is inside the four main avenues, and it is cordoned off. That means almost all our knowledge of it comes from media, and man is it a honey-pot for them!

It’s given us understandably-incessant tales and images of injury, tragedy, loss, broken iconic buildings, heroism, sacrifice, leadership and gratifying international response. It’s extremely television-friendly.

My quake experience started there, but actually almost nobody lives in Rescue City. The resources and attention which are seemingly being poured into it right now are NOT addressing the most urgent post-quake needs of the population of Christchurch.

SHOWER CITY is any part of Christchurch where you can take a hot shower, because you have electricity and running water and mostly-working sewer lines. By latest estimates, that’s about 65% of the city — much of it out west.

In that part of Christchurch, weary and stressed people are getting on with life — though some may be wondering if they still have a job. And a few of them with energy and time to spare are wondering if they can do more to help the rest of the city.

The media naturally lives in Shower City, and they talk almost exclusively to the business leaders and the Rescue City leadership who also inhabit it.

REFUGEE CITY is the rest of Christchurch — mainly the eastern suburbs, though there are pockets elsewhere. It includes perhaps 50,000 to 100,000 people, though a more-mobile chunk of them may have self-evacuated by now.

Only half of those who remain in Refugee City have power, and almost NONE have running water. Many have been living on their own resources, and their neighbours’, for over a week now.

That means that batteries have run down, gas (if they had any to start with) has run out, other supplies are low or gone. Roads are often very bad – and a lot of those from the poorer suburbs have no transport anyway.

Their houses may or may not be intact. Their streets may be clear, broken, or full of silt. Or sewage. There are no showers. Or ways to wash clothes. Or to wash dishes. Or to heat the “must boil” water that is available — assuming they can make it to the nearest water truck, day after day. No refrigeration. No working toilets, and precious few portaloos. No face masks to defend against the blown silt.

They have no internet either, and usually no phones. And their radio batteries are dead or dying. The papers — if you can get one — are rapidly dated, and usually far too general in their coverage. It really doesn’t help someone without a car in Aranui to know that Fisher and Paykel are providing free laundries in Kaiapoi!

All the above means the locals have few resources, little information, and no “voice” either. It’s remarkably hard to call talkback radio – or your local politician — or emergency services — when your landline is out and your cellphone battery is dead. Or when it maybe has JUST enough charge to stay on hold for 5 minutes – but not 20! – when calling the sole government helpline.

The media flies over, drives past and dips into Refugee City, usually at the main welfare or water points. But they don’t cover it that much. From my observations, the officials – those who are making decisions about the relief effort – seem to do likewise.

(We saw Opposition Leader Phil Goff the other day – he stopped for a photo op with the Army group who had paused briefly at the cordon. Not that he or they talked to any of the locals waiting amidst they dust they’d stirred up, hoping for a nugget of information.)

Judging from the media coverage to date, the official response in this part of the city sounds reassuring – “Relief Centres” (if you can get to them — and if it hasn’t been relocated to Rangiora), a field hospital (ditto), Army (two drive-bys in the past week), “Operation Suburbs” teams (ditto; and this whole area is not even listed with them), increased police presence thanks to 300 loaned Australians (some sign of them, but not enough). And some worthy and welcome images of food and other supplies being distributed at marae and other central points.

IN THESE POWERLESS SUBURBS, THE OFFICIAL RESPONSE IS FAR FROM ENOUGH. Especially in terms of the fundamentals.

I come from a relatively well-off area – most of its folk were better prepared than average for something like this – good supplies of food, water, batteries, BBQs and the like.

But even here, by the weekend, many people were bailing — mainly because of lack of information about how to survive here any longer. Their only contact with officialdom was being pushed from pillar to post by often-unnecessary (and though they didn’t know it at the time, temporary) evacuations, conducted by police who were doing their best, but who themselves were overworked and under-informed. Such actions considerably eroded local confidence, especially when there was also no clear information about when power or water would return locally.

My family’s personal, local response to that situation can be seen at http://webcentre.co.nz/quake.htm – NOT the web page itself, but the physical noticeboard and printed newsletters and, especially, the local volunteers and extensive human contact and moral support which it represents.

Basically, we started making stone soup, and our neighbours and fellow citizens contributed the other ingredients. And for this suburb — though not for everyone in it — the acute phase has now passed, because more than half of us at least have electricity now. THANK YOU ORION.

But all that was ONLY possible because our family had the personal security, skills, communication equipment, stationery (pens, paper, cards, bulldog clips, noticeboard), chutzpah and, above all, electricity — “borrowed” from a cellsite generator — to make it happen. And also a couple of family members outside the city willing to be gofers for information and key supplies.

HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THE EASTERN SUBURBS HAVE ALL THAT?

You might think that there are Civil Defence or Red Cross or Army people who are doing all this as part of their role — helping people to stay in their homes by providing the essential information and (where necessary) key supplies they need to do it safely. My direct observations over the past week suggests otherwise – especially away from officialdom’s chosen central points. They are simply overwhelmed by the nature and extent of the process, and tired and understaffed to boot!

So this is a call to action.

If you are local:

* FIND OUT WHERE THERE IS STILL NO WATER and (especially) NO POWER. These are places where the acute post-earthquake phase is still happening, right now, and will go on happening until they have those services. This is where people are under the most stress, and where the risk of gastro-related illness and other major problems is inevitably going to be the highest.

* Take them batteries, clean drinking water, bulk washing water, bottled drinks, milk, camp-stove gas cartridges, face masks, transistor radios, alcohol hand cleaners, wet wipes, fresh fruit, dry and canned food (not frozen — unless you plan to hand it directly to someone at their house. If you ARE going to do that, take bags of ice too).

* Ignore the few main distribution centres – people who can get there easily WILL get help, as will those with good transport of their own — provided they have cash to spare. Instead, look for smaller water points or obvious drop-off/drop-in sites. I can’t help you find these, and nor can “officialdom” — just drive to an affected area with a carload, and ask some locals. If there’s one happening already, they will know! And even if you end up putting it on an obvious street corner with a “please take one” sign, it would do Good.

* Rinse and repeat. Until all these suburbs have (especially) power and reliable transport, the need will NOT go away.

If you live further afield:

It gets trickier. I have personally met people who drove from Timaru, Oamaru, Akaroa and the West Coast with supplies, and boy were they welcome! But in my view, the best thing to do is to find someone local who you know and trust, and who is willing to act, and send them money so they can do the above. Their time + your money = immediate help.

If you are thinking along normal lines, you’ll feel that the best thing to do is to donate to a government appeal, or the Red Cross, or the Salvation Army. Know that they are focused on the most needy cases, but they are far from omniscient. And their efforts are noticeably understaffed (and their staff are getting weary too – they often live in the same suburbs that most need help).

Help them with donations by all means ( http://www.redcross.org.nz – every dollar is spent on relief, no admin). And volunteer if you are local. But the direct response outlined above WILL have a more immediate effect on many, many people who need help today.

REGARDLESS of where you live:

Please do something to help the media to change their script. Lost lives and broken buildings do matter, and so does our nation’s economic future. But there is potential for much more stress and suffering in the hidden Refugee City if we fail to help where help is needed, right now.

So call talkback, post on Facebook and Twitter, email radio stations, hassle the Press, TV staff and any politicos you know — until the focus shifts away from Rescue City a little.

Put the message out! [I’d give you contacts for all the above — and many others nationally and internationally — but almost every one of you reading this has better bandwidth than me today, so go look them up! Likewise appealing photos to illustrate this story.]

The acute phase will pass for these suburbs once power, adequate transport and running water (or good access to drinkable water) is commonplace in each of them. But that’s not today and — for some — it will be weeks away.

That’s it. There is a real, immediate problem, and the solution is not an easy one. But there ARE things that you can do, if you are willing.

53 comments on “Christchurch Quake — More action needed in Eastern Suburbs right now ”

Comments are now closed

mickysavage 1

2 March 2011 at 4:37 pm

I discovered a deprivation index map of Christchurch at http://resources.ccc.govt.nz/files/deprivationindex-map-docs.pdf

The eastern area is obviously the poorest.
- Herodotus 1.1
  
  2 March 2011 at 5:37 pm
  
  In association with this there is a warning voiced by Owen McShane expressing concerns regarding “good” town planning and substainability. In essencethe poor get pushed to the fringes on less desirable locations. Appologies for the length of the cut and paste
  Much of the highly touted liveability of Portland has come at the expense of making it unliveable, that is, unaffordable, to anyone without a six figure income. The creative and professional classes thrive in Portland because they are the only ones who can afford it, and they are the ones who appreciate the development style the city has tried to mandate. But what about the broad working class? Is there a role for the warehouse or factory worker in this city model? One of the great things about Indianapolis is its affordability to people with a wide range of incomes, and it would be a shame to see that lost in a wave of transit oriented gentrification.
  Much of the highly touted liveability of Portland has come at the expense of making it unliveable, that is, unaffordable, to anyone without a six figure income. The creative and professional classes thrive in Portland because they are the only ones who can afford it, and they are the ones who appreciate the development style the city has tried to mandate. But what about the broad working class? Is there a role for the warehouse or factory worker in this city model? One of the great things about Indianapolis is its affordability to people with a wide range of incomes, and it would be a shame to see that lost in a wave of transit oriented gentrification.
  http://www.newgeography.com/content/00862-how-can-cities-with-unaffordable-housing-be-ranked-among-most-livable-cities-world
  But MS it continues on from your link of concern.
- Puddleglum 1.2
  
  2 March 2011 at 8:20 pm
  
  Your intuitions are right, MS.
  
  I’ve spent the last few days shovelling silt in the east of Christchurch. My nephew who had helped dig a friend out of his house in Bexley on Saturday has been over more of the eastern suburbs. Basically, it gets exponentially worse the further east from the central city you go.
  
  These people are already angry, stressed, dismissive of the reactions of most authorities and doggedly trying to do it themselves – yet, as the poster notes, they had the fewest resources to begin with. It’s heartbreaking. Bitter jokes punctuate emotionally strained comments about ‘you just have to go on’, ‘what else can you do?’, ‘THEY won’t help’. They did really appreciate the volunteer ‘diggers’, though.
  
  One day as I drove out there I took the ‘western’ route (to avoid town) from Addington around Hagley Park heading north to Glandovey Road (Fendalton) and then east along it and Innes Roads.
  
  What was noticeable was that what liquefaction there was had already been cleared in parts west and, dotted amongst the residential tall trees and shrubbery, were numerous ‘accessman’ cherry pickers and hoists fixing chimneys and tiles on double-storey homes. (Apparently, much surreptitious repair work happened overnight in the western suburbs after the September quake so that house/land values wouldn’t be damaged. This time it’s simply getting done very quickly.) As you went further east on Innes Road and then turned into the first of the badly affected suburbs, less clearance and repair work had been done (and less evidence of it happening) and the damage was worse.
  
  My sense is that the ‘easy’ fixes for power, water, etc. have – not unnaturally – been in the least affected west of the city. The rising percentages in relation to these services have mostly been from those fixes. Orion, by all accounts, is doing really well (it’s still sections of the east that are ‘off-line’) but the water and sewerage system will take months and months in parts of the east. Many still had portaloos in their streets from the last quake when this one hit. Interestingly, both Garry Moore (previous Mayor) and Jim Anderton have suggested that Orion’s CEO should lead the organisation of the rebuild/recovery (today’s Press – can’t find a link).
  
  Liquefaction is unbelievable in its effects.First hand accounts of how it welled up (sometimes massive water rises preceeded it, covering car bonnets) were hard to imagine as you stood there days later loading many tons of silt off a single property. One person said it flowed at walking pace about a metre deep, like a grey tsunami and that it started a couple of minutes after the shock.
  
  Having said all of that, this was also an ‘egalitarian’ quake in that it shattered some of the prestigious hill suburbs. There’s more than a few million dollar or multi-million dollar homes now wrecked. My nephew was eating his lunch in his works van on the Redcliff’s jetty at the time. He saw the Estuary bed rise up above the water and then sink again. He then turned to see rocks pouring down the hillside and smashing into houses as he watched – ‘like being in a movie’ he said. The Port Hills are now 40cm higher than they were and Lyttelton is a few centimeters closer to Christchurch.
  
  People from all parts of the city have just gone – many just for ‘breaks’ away but some unknown number for good. Over a thousand ‘Christchurch’ pupils are now enrolled in schools in other centres (even Auckland has 142 Christchurch enrolments). People who were left in the east told me of lots of burglaries.
  
  This is all so incredibly sad.
  
  P.S. It’s good to be back reading The Standard.
  
  anti-spam: protections
  - just saying 1.2.1
    
    2 March 2011 at 8:46 pm
    
    Welcome back to blogland. Was hoping you and your’s were alright.
    And thanks for the report from the trenches. As you say, sad.
    - Puddleglum 1.2.1.1
      
      2 March 2011 at 11:16 pm
      
      Thanks for the welcome back, JS. I’m very glad to be back.
      
      It’s funny, part of me wants to get back to normal (e.g., water, power, internet, etc. which we now have, though the water trickles to a standstill sometimes and needs boiling). Another part of me doesn’t want to get back to normal. It feels like normal doesn’t work anymore and something else is needed. Just traipsing back into the office blocks, ‘business as usual’ with only a visual inspection from a structural engineer to goad you back in seems strangely ignorant, blind, imprudent – like the actions of fodder rather than people. Like not learning the lesson you’re being taught. But what else can we do?
      
      Already the message is coming through loud and clear: Get back to work; get back into the shops; do everything just like you were doing before; listen to your leaders; block your ears to ‘scaremongerers’; just carry on. These days when I hear such strong messages from on high I always have to ask ‘cui bono?’ Who really benefits from this hasty return to ‘normality’? Probably half the city is struggling just to face what confronts it each day in the morning. Normal can wait and, if it waits long enough, who knows? Maybe a ‘new normal’ will develop which is a bit more human friendly. Perhaps that’s the fear?
      
      More personally, we were lucky on our street – only a couple of old cottages lost their brick sidewalls and there was no liquefaction. Ours is a 70m2 workers cottage made entirely of wood (with roughcast) – my wife said it shook like anything but then just stood there. A few more things broke than last time.Walk 100m in any direction, though, and you get bad liquefaction and a lot more damage. About 800m northwards and you hit the cordon.
      
      Our five year old’s school is right in the centre of the city. They couldn’t get out of their building for half an hour after the quake. I think police broke down a door. Someone else said there was a gas leak. It’s hard to piece it all together, but our daughter said they walked through cathedral square (she saw the ‘broken church’) then down Worcester Boulevard to the Botanic Gardens/hagley park. The teachers and parent support were great and told all the kids just to look in front of them and not to look sideways. A friend of mine who works on the 6th floor of a building that looks out at my daughter’s school building said the buildings around the school were ‘falling down all over the place’.
      
      It took me over two hours to get home, all the time thinking about my daughter and wife, not knowing anything other than that the central city was devastated. Knowing how I felt then it just guts me to think that, compared to so many thousands upon thousands of other people in Christchurch, I barely suffered at all and not for very long. I had two nieces working in office blocks in town. Their stories of what went on are horrifying. So many people from town walked for miles home through liquefied streets many desperate to get to their children in suburban schools. At home many of them were met with another disaster.
      
      As the poster said, it’s that disaster (in people’s streets and homes) that is biggest in the east and needs every effort and help right now.
      
      Sorry, I’m going on a bit. I run off at the mouth at the best of times.
anarcho 2

2 March 2011 at 4:52 pm

good article!

Beyond Resistance (chch anarchist collective) have a street kitchen and distro centre in Gilby Street in Linwood (near Stanmore) and are in need of supplies. They are supporting the local community there that are – as you have stated – being ignored. 0278239989 is the contact.
- Daveo 2.1
  
  2 March 2011 at 5:04 pm
  
  I’m heading past Christchurch in a few days. What do you need for your street kitchen?
  - anarcho 2.1.1
    
    2 March 2011 at 6:44 pm
    
    LPG, bread, veges like spuds, carrot , etc… milk the stuff that goes fast 🙂
  - neoleftie 2.1.2
    
    2 March 2011 at 8:55 pm
    
    Daveo – where you heading from please???
pollywog 3

2 March 2011 at 5:26 pm

My brother lives out North Brighton by QEII park. He says they haven’t got water or power yet ?

If you plan on heading out for some relief duties. Know how to get there first. Saves time and gas.

http://canterburyearthquake.org.nz/road-closures/#bridges
ChrisH 4

2 March 2011 at 6:00 pm

Portland comments need qualification. When I was there in 2009, 2-br apartments cost about US$800 a month, either for rental or as a mortgage. A quarter acre section in Portland is really expensive if you can find one, but NB Portland itself is only the inner city part of an agglomeration which includes other local bodies such as Multnomah county. Also, Portland (both greater and lesser) has experienced very rapid population growth, ironically caused by the revitalising effects of better public transport and a funky reputation similar to that of San Francisco in the 1960s. Everyone’s going to Portland, so of course it can be hard to find a place.
ropata 5

2 March 2011 at 6:04 pm

This is a message from one of the churches involved in Eastern suburbs:

Hi Everyone… we desperately need help again today at the Grace Welfare Centre in New Brighton. East Christchurch one of the neediest parts of town and one of the hardest hit earthquake zones. There is still no power, electricity, water or toilets. After more than a week there are virtually NO PORTALOOS anywhere! The need is getting more desperate each day. If you could relieve some of our hard working team, we would be most grateful. Either call 388 5459, email volunteerhelp [at] grace.org.nz or just turn up at Beach Campus 111 Seaview Rd New Brighton. Thankyou!

For more, please visit http://www.grace.org.nz/events/emergency_relief_centre

[lprent: Broke up the e-mail address to stop the e-mail harvest bots looking on our site. ]
Zorr 6

2 March 2011 at 6:13 pm

All this stuff makes me wish I could head back to Christchurch to help with the cleanup considering I only just left and still have family living there.

Sadly the only thing I can offer is my physical labor and would hate to place an extra draw on resources.

(plus I know the original author through my social network – he is a good person and whatever he says is often insightful with a large degree of fact to back it up)
Fisiani 7

2 March 2011 at 6:58 pm

Meanwhile the government seems to think that many things can wait until a May budget? Yeah right.

Where the hell does that partisan ignorant bullshit come from?????
- Daveosaurus 7.1
  
  2 March 2011 at 7:05 pm
  
  The partisan ignorant bullshit around here at the moment appears to come from Fisiani. See here: http://thestandard.org.nz/two-minutes-silence/#comment-303219 as an example; Fisiani’s response to a call for two minutes’ silence.
  - Fisiani 7.1.1
    
    2 March 2011 at 7:18 pm
    
    Idiot.
    You fail to back up the bullshit quote then denigrate me for requesting respect.
    Idiot is too generous
    
    [Flame detector alert, cool it gents…RL]
    - Mac1 7.1.1.1
      
      2 March 2011 at 7:21 pm
      
      You dare to slag someone for failing to back up statements, Fisiani?
      
      My capcha is ‘majors’, and you, my Lilliputian friend, majored in bullshit, if you think you can get away with that..
      
      [And you. Breath through noses or comments will get deleted…RL]
      - Lanthanide 7.1.1.1.1
        
        2 March 2011 at 8:41 pm
        
        Laputians are different from lilliputians, btw.
        
        Mac1 7.1.1.1.1.1
        
        2 March 2011 at 9:50 pm
        
        Yep. Knew that 😉
tsmithfield 8

2 March 2011 at 7:04 pm

I live in Redwood, and haven’t even got a cracked brick yet!! Tends to make me feel a bit guilty when so many others are far worse off.

Since we have all services on we have been trying to make our house a hub for friends and family who are not so fortunate. Lately we have been having up to twelve around at our place at meal times, and been making our place available for showers etc. Been putting a lot of effort into my elderly parents who’s house is uninhabitable.

My wife came across an elderly couple in Dallington too independent and too scared to move. She has been helping them out with candles, a meal or two, and some friendship.

I think it is the responsibility of those of us who are unaffected to help if we are in a good position to do so. What we are doing isn’t that much, but sometimes just giving people a bit of normality can make a welcome break in an otherwise crap situation.
- Colonial Viper 8.1
  
  2 March 2011 at 7:05 pm
  
  🙂
- RedLogix 8.2
  
  2 March 2011 at 7:08 pm
  
  Well done ts… sincerely.
  
  I went through exactly this same period with friends in Kawerau in 1987, and looking back it was a memorable experience. As I’ve said before… we evolved as a cooperative species and when push comes to shove all that matters is our relationships and the depth of our social connectedness.
tsmithfield 9

2 March 2011 at 7:39 pm

Had one humorous situation.

My dad had a good generator he had used to power his house after the last earthquake. Since he was moving out, he had no immediate need for the generator. I had a friend who was without power and had been told power wouldn’t be back on for up to three months due to complicated damage to the network. My dad was happy for him to have the generator. I delivered it to my friend. He used it for about two hours, then the power came back on for him that night!! 🙂 Turns out Orion had just plugged a large generator into his street to power the neighbourhood.

I have nothing but praise for the likes of Orion. The fact that power is not back on in the Eastern suburbs is not through a lack of trying. They are doing everything in their power and working incredible hours to get essential services back on.
neoleftie 10

2 March 2011 at 8:08 pm

The rangiora express ( a community based responce iniative ) has just been closed down as CD and the NGO like red cross have everything organised and are responding adequately to the massive issues in the eastern suburbs…This group supplied tonnes of food and water into the brighton area.
From my sources some people are coping, lots have left and lots are not coping at all.
My aunty in new brighton states “it take four- five hours to get to a supermarket and she is living with three other families in a granny flat without power and water”.
The labour MP’s on the ground are doing there best and my local branch is getting money to our comrades soon to help out.
What i have gave concerns are that the media aren’t reporting accurately any worthwhile information from the eastern suburbs and also that the responce from CD and the NGO’s is not enough.
I have stories of families without toilets for over three months now and sharing backyards.
Where is the true 5th estate to challenge and gather information to give a true picture of what is happening. The silence from all parts id concerning.

Surely this is a great time for grassroot labour to get activated and contribute to this national disaster. Woman’s refugee are one group that are stretched and need support at this very time.

We need information from our networks on the ground and then a community active responce, can we simple leave it to state to provide for those in need or do we get organised
- neoleftie 10.1
  
  3 March 2011 at 12:13 am
  
  correction: The rangiora express is back in business again after identifying large area of the inner eastern suburbs that are in need and the NGO’s havent accessed yet.
  
  Real answers must be made to the CD etc – is the help arriving to those in need.
  Ive accessed several informed sources and flogged the net for updated community level groups who are expressing that help is just not there or coming fast enough.
tsmithfield 11

2 March 2011 at 8:19 pm

My wife is a real estate agent and she sold a house recently in North New Brighton. It is a very new sub-division near the forest and has lots of quite flash houses. My wife checked in with them after the quake. Interestingly, they have no damage at all and there is virtually no damage in the area. This is in marked contrast with other eastern suburbs and other areas of New Brighton. I was wondering if the land had been compacted, or some other land treatment, prior to building in the North New Brighton area.
- neoleftie 11.1
  
  2 March 2011 at 8:32 pm
  
  talking to an engineer today just back from chch for a break.
  ” the amount of damage to the suburbs is staggering”
  a good percentage of home seem to be ok in the eastern suburbs but the main issues are no power or water and food supplies i.e supermarkets are way way across town. Check the map online which displays what supermarket etc is open. Tell me how does a poor family without means, no car and little support structure get the basis like food or water to cope.
  Donating money is all well and good but the NGO’s are swamped and this is day 8 of the disaster.
- Jenny 11.2
  
  2 March 2011 at 10:12 pm
  
  In the September quake, I suggested to the Minister of Housing, Tony Ryall that HNZ should buy up all the empty and intact houses in areas with full services, as rental accommodation for those made homeless by the quake.
  
  If HNZ did this these houses would be an added investment to the HNZ portfolio and would not count as a loss.
  
  The crisis this time is much worse and the need much greater, still there are hundreds of empty unsold homes, with no damage and with all services connected, while families with children and vulnerable elderly are living with raw sewerage and no power.
  
  tsmithfield, as your wife is a real estate agent what do you think?
  
  Would this be a worth while strategy?
  
  How many empty undamaged houses with all services does your wife know of?
  
  Would her company be willing to unload them to the government?
  
  How many other real estate companies may have empty undamaged houses that the government could bulk buy to get people over this crisis at least until their own homes are fixed?
  
  Maybe a leasing arrangement would be better?
  
  What do you think?
  - neoleftie 11.2.1
    
    2 March 2011 at 10:49 pm
    
    what we need is big solutions to these big problems.
    At moment Key and the trained lapdogs are simply trying to get the market back into operation as quickly as possible. Open the supermarkets and the people will have food. It is going to be weeks and weeks before people see any meaningful amount of welfare money so they can support themselves. We need a community responce to care for those in need. are we kiwi’s or do we just rely on NGO and the state to look after our own.
weka 12

2 March 2011 at 9:15 pm

People, any chance we can keep this thread for practical purposes? There’s plenty of other places to talk about the related issues. Or can The Standard set up a dedicated networking thread?

Is there anyone with web skills who can set up a site quickly that can act as a network hub for helping the Eastern suburbs? Not sure what would be best… Ning, so that people can initiate postings?

I’d suggest some physical addresses where stuff can be posted or couriered. Courierpost are meant to be putting up a map of where they are currently delivering too.

Here’s the list of streets they consider closed

http://www.courierpost.co.nz/NR/rdonlyres/32293541-821F-4A6F-977C-C9EB4ABBC90F/0/Chcaffectedstreets.pdf

http://www.courierpost.co.nz/Track/deliverydelays/default.htm

There’s a very cool freighting company in Chch, who are up and running and shift large items – Pack and Send, Riccarton ph 03 9827250. They may be willing to help out moving stuff across town.

I have friends living within the cordon and they’re going ok. They got food from a store that was having to throw it out. This must be happening in other places, what is happening to this food?
- neoleftie 12.1
  
  3 March 2011 at 6:05 pm
  
  great comment…am talking to the lqbour communication spokesperson about setting up a website for a coordinated responce in the long term to connect grassroot organisation who want to support the continued effort to get supplies to those in need
  - weka 12.1.1
    
    3 March 2011 at 11:49 pm
    
    That sounds good nl. Let use know how you get on.
weka 13

2 March 2011 at 9:21 pm

I’ve just rung RNZ. They said they’ve covered this a bit today but are interested in more detail. The guy is printing out this thread and giving it to the Morning Report team. He also said they’d be interested in talking to someone in the Eastern suburbs who has a good overview of the situation. Anyone can phone 04 474 1999 and ask for the news room. Tricky if you don’t have a phone, but the RNZ guy said a physical address would do, they have limited staff in Chch but someone can go round….. is there anyway to connect up Peter Hyde with RNZ? The Standard, can you send Peter’s contact details to them?

[I’m sure RNZ is on it, but I’ll pass on Peter’s details just in case – r0b]

[Vicki Hyde was interviewed this evening on Nights at 20:40 (audio link) – so RNZ have all the contact details. – r0b]
- neoleftie 13.1
  
  2 March 2011 at 9:29 pm
  
  great great action….the issue is commercial supply chain is being restored to the eastern suburbs so the market can supply the needs and wants of those effected…Once again its a capitalist responce to a situation. Get the market system flowing and all will be RIGHT. well sure those that are left or are of the left would state in a disaster get the community ( large and small ) to help those in need…once again the poor are being left to fend for themselves
- weka 13.2
  
  2 March 2011 at 11:12 pm
  
  Cheers r0b.
todd 14

2 March 2011 at 10:08 pm

I’m wondering how many houses have been sorted for the displaced?
- neoleftie 14.1
  
  2 March 2011 at 10:40 pm
  
  keys going on about cruise ships for the homeless.
  At chch airport there are thousands of camper vans with power, tiolets etc. If we had a leader he would have place two calls. One to english – ” i need money now”, the other to the company owner and either rented the camper vans on mass or requestioned them in the states name for the greater good.
  - pollywog 14.1.1
    
    3 March 2011 at 8:48 am
    
    Convert a shitload of containers to living space, community kitchens and toilet blocks then truck ’em to where they’re most needed and create shared spaces in council parks.
  - Peter Rabbit 14.1.2
    
    3 March 2011 at 11:12 am
    
    About time. David Lange suggested NZ should purchase a cruise ship back in his day and convert it into a floating hospital and housing centre to be used in a civil defence emergency or in better times as a floating regional hospital to reduce waiting lists
    - Colonial Viper 14.1.2.1
      
      3 March 2011 at 11:16 am
      
      NZ used to be a centre of Government innovation in things like this. New facilities, new systems, new approaches for looking after our communities and our citizens.
      
      Let’s get that spirit back.
      
      The free market and the private sector won’t do it because their primary operational goal is the benefit of a small group of shareholders, not the benefit of the widest community possible.
quasimodo 15

3 March 2011 at 10:56 am

I don’t fully understand the context in which this image was taken, but it looks awfully
like an exploitable election image.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/4726330/Christchurch-earthquake-Lotto-jackpot-for-city

Q.
- ropata 15.1
  
  3 March 2011 at 10:37 pm
  
  Today the Herald reprinted Peter Hyde’s newsletter almost word for word. Brownlee “has admitted the city’s eastern suburbs have been neglected.”
  - weka 15.1.1
    
    3 March 2011 at 11:47 pm
    
    Good on the Herald. RNZ coverage has been a bit lacklustre. And John Campbell’s was bizarre – some spin about how happy everyone is despite it all. I wouldn’t mind that if he could tell the truth about the bad shit as well.