Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 63
new-zealand-labour-party
Wed Jun 22 2011 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 63
Wednesday, 22 June 2011, 1:07 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Christchurch
LABOUR MPs
22 June 2011 MEDIA STATEMENT
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 63
The Labour Party’s Christchurch electorate MPs, Clayton Cosgrove (Waimakariri), Ruth Dyson (Port Hills), Lianne Dalziel (Christchurch East) and Brendon Burns (Christchurch Central) have started a regular bulletin to keep people in their electorates and media informed about what is happening at grass roots level.
CLAYTON COSGROVE: It is amazing what political and media pressure will do. After a story in the Press yesterday, which included comments from me about where the community forum is at, four of the nominees were rung by Gerry Brownlee’s office yesterday afternoon to see if they were still interested in participating. It seems that ‘just in time’ style of management continues to be alive and well in his office. Labour MPs will continue to try to get some information from Mr Brownlee when he appears before the Finance and Expenditure committee today. It will be absurd if he continues prevaricating given that some sort of announcement will be made tomorrow. The Government has raised expectation to a fever point, and last night’s quakes have increased the pressure further. If the Government doesn’t follow through with announcements tomorrow, morale in Christchurch will sink to its lowest ebb. John Key says he has had land mapping information for some time, and there is no reason that such information can’t be released, apart from perhaps financial details. At the very least the Government must outline a clear plan for allowing people to get their lives back. Communication throughout this period has been dismal. Some would say abysmal. The Government still hasn’t got the message that our constituents are smart. They can cope with technical information, and they can cope with bad news. Even bad news will allow them to start planning. Lack of information is driving people to the edge. Mr Brownlee must agree that that is ‘blindingly obvious’.
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RUTH DYSON: Pending announcements tomorrow are still a complete mystery. Rumours are rampant! People think that those who will have to leave their sections and homes behind are going to get a letter and that John Key and Gerry Brownlee are then going to make a media announcement the same day. It is clear these announcements will only cover part of the region - the areas most impacted by liquefaction, land subsidance and water issues. The other areas in my electorate which have been most badly affected by rockfall will, it seems, have to wait longer for decisions. This is understandable, given that the earthquake last week was in a different direction, and caused new rockfall in areas not previously affected. What is very difficult for many people, however, is the decision by most insurance companies to refuse any pay-out on completely destroyed homes until this land report is released. Many people have no damage to their land, are not in areas which are likely to be retreated from, but they can’t progress any settlement from their insurance companies. Further waiting will cause more frustration, and I will be seeking a timeframe from Gerry Brownlee, even if it is conditional on other factors. The Council finally agreed to fund some bottled water yesterday for those areas who had none --- five days after I started saying it was urgent --- and the same day that water was restored to their homes. Clifton residents now have water, their portaloos are being emptied today, their wheelie bins will be collected tomorrow and early next week, and there will be an all vehicle track restored for them so that they are able to get in and out of their area safely. With all the earthquake focus that we understandably have, some things may have slipped peoples' minds. One of these which is really important (deadline is 30 June, just a week away) is the rates rebate. Anyone who is a ratepayer and on a low income will probably be eligible. The maximum amount is $570 but it is calculated on a sliding scale depending on your income and level of rates. The table is on the Department of Internal Affairs website --- and I have this and forms available in my office for anyone who wants to apply. I went to a really good meeting in Lyttelton last evening with the rockfall group. Once again, the geotech representative was full of information, open and helpful. Such a great example for the Minister to follow!!
LIANNE DALZIEL:
I am very pleased that the Government has announced that it will provide an initial update on the state of the land in Christchurch tomorrow, together with some options in for the worst affected areas. I have been advocating for the government to provide frank and timely information so people can start thinking ahead to the future. As I have said, I acknowledge the scale of the problem and the complexity of the challenge that must be confronted. But the challenge does not belong to the Government alone. It belongs to all of us. That is why my Labour colleagues and I have committed to working with the Government from day one and why we have supported the Cross Party Forum. Trusting the people with what is their information – what has happened to their land, the specific nature of the issues that need to be addressed, who pays for what and how that will be negotiated with the various interests to preserve equity, while offering real choices – would empower communities that are feeling pretty powerless right now and would enable them to feel that they have some say over their own future. All of the international experience of disaster recovery tells the government that they should trust the people and engage with them in a meaningful and respectful way. I hope that finally the Government has seen how the uncertainty has held people back. Now we will be able to look forward to the future. Whether we can rebuild in the places we have chosen to build homes and live our lives is something that nature has dictated. Transparency and accountability are two words that must guide the recovery. My colleagues and I look forward to working with the Government to help communicate with our constituents as we have been doing since the first earthquake.
BRENDON BURNS: A number of Housing NZ houses were damaged to the point of having to be evacuated after last Monday’s aftershocks. I met one affected constituent from Shirley yesterday who had to move with her family at very little notice last Friday into a motel at her own expense. I’ve been in touch with HCNZ to see what options are available to the woman and her family which includes a pregnant young woman and infant. Their motel will not be available from this weekend. This case was being assessed this morning and I will be seeking wider assurances about any other affected constituents. I understand that perhaps 30-50 homes may have been evacuated following engineering advice suggesting some double storey HCNZ and others sharing common walls may not be safe following last Monday’s event. This will compound the impact of having many HCNZ homes already empty because of earlier damage. EQC assessors visited our home on Monday. I popped in briefly but couldn’t stay – they spent more than two hours doing a very thorough full assessment. We were glad to see them. They were pleasant and professional – a Wellington builder and a former Canterbury police officer. Yesterday a constituent in Patten St in Avonside contacted my office. He has provided photos of his former home --- former, because it is totally destroyed. Yet this man and his wife are still awaiting a full assessment. I appreciate that EQC has one heck of a challenge. It was dealing with 300,000 plus claims before last Monday’s aftershocks, let alone what further damage the overnight shakes may have brought. EQC has completed around 21,500 full assessments since 22 February. EQC also responds promptly when I and my colleagues refer cases to them for advancement or resolution. But cases like Patten St are disturbing. EQC assessors must have been up and down Patten St several times since February. You have to wonder if EQC is subject to any restraint on meeting claims. Today I have returned briefly to Parliament for the select committee at which Gerry Brownlee is appearing. I will be seeking assurances from him that EQC is properly resourced, and that there are no constraints or delays on meeting claims or carrying out full assessments. A constituent raised the question last week about emergency repairs after last Monday’s quakes. He needed to reconnect plumbing to his Richmond home. EQC has clarified this issue. The process for getting emergency repairs from the 13 June aftershocks is just the same as it has been since 4 September 2010. If you need emergency repairs, contact EQC on 0800 DAMAGE (0800 326 243). You can authorise emergency repairs up to $2000. You can either forward the invoice to EQC, or ask your tradesperson to send their invoice to EQC, or you can pay the bill yourself and send the invoice and receipt to EQC. For bigger jobs, make a claim with EQC and it will arrange repairs --- most likely through our project managers, Fletcher EQR. You can also talk directly to your insurer to ask them to arrange repairs. Homeowners cannot authorise repairs over $2000. If you are unsure how much the repairs are going to cost, you should call 0800 DAMAGE and we will refer the case to Fletcher EQR. Visit http://canterbury.eqc.govt.nz for further information on emergency works and claims.
ENDS
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