EQC making good progress with rapid assessments

The Earthquake Commission (EQC) is making good progress on its rapid assessment of Christchurch properties and will this week step up its full assessment of houses with the worst damage.

EQC started the rapid assessment programme on 11 March with 150 assessors on the ground. That number will increase to 350 this week.

“We are ahead of where we hoped to be at this stage, but still have a lot of work to do,” EQC spokesperson Bryan Dunne said.

“The rapid assessment approach is designed to give those with houses damaged from the 22 February earthquake more certainty, faster.

“The purpose is to identify properties in need of emergency repairs and prioritise properties for a full assessment over the coming months. Rapid assessments started in the areas with the worst damage and assessors are completing several thousand properties each day,” Mr Dunne said.

The full assessments now underway are focusing on properties where the damage is likely to be over $100,000 + GST.

As of Friday, EQC had received around 75,000 claims from the 22 February earthquake.

“The priority of EQC is to make houses secure, weather-tight or habitable with a focus on winter heating issues or houses where residents may be sick and elderly,” Mr Dunne said.

EQC is expecting claims to total more than 300,000 from both the 4 September and 22 February events and the major aftershocks. All residents with damage from 22 February must lodge a new claim and they have until 23 May 2011 to lodge those claims.

For more information or to lodge an EQC claim visit www.eqc.govt.nz

ENDS

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