By Hilary Barry
The human cost of the quake is growing.
Nearly 100 homeowners in Kaiapoi and Pines Beach have now received the devastating news their homes aren’t safe. They’ve got to get out.
The council has assessed about 1800 houses so far and there is a question mark over the safety of a quarter of them.
Michael brown had just sold his house. Now, it’s going to have to be bulldozed.
“We got red stickered, so we’re condemned,” he said.
“Not allowed in it. I’ve just finished doing it up about a month ago and it was meant to go unconditional a month ago.”
Kaiapoi has been one of the worst affected by Saturday’s quake. The almost refurbished New World supermarket has now been condemned and has to be pulled down.
“The building is sound but the land has shifted,” says demolition manager Mark Broughton.
“That’s the problem.”
The supermarket’s 86 staff have been told they don’t have jobs.
Jackie Leary is a volunteer firefighter and has worked at New World for three years.
“Everyone was upset – lost their jobs and their homes. They’re the ones I feel sorry for.”
Foodstuffs is giving staff up to $500 in grocery vouchers and two months full pay.
“We’ve given them a commitment that we’ll get them a job within the Foodstuffs Group at the end of that two months,” say spokesperson Steve Anderson.
The dozens of jobs that have been lost at the supermarket are the first major job losses in the region as a result of the quake. But there is a real concern they may not be the last.
“As we move past the shock of what has happened, for the next six to 12 months people are going to discover they may be without a job,” says Waimakariri MP Clayton Cosgrove.
The Government’s rescue package, for those who have lost their jobs because of the quake, comes into effect today.
So far, 66 businesses have applied for the wage subsidy – a welcome boost for their 225 employees.
3 News