City reopens as aftershocks rumble on | Bay of Plenty News | Local News in Bay of Plenty

A chunk of central Christchurch will reopen to businesses and the public this morning, but authorities have warned people to be cautious as aftershocks from Saturday's devastating earthquake continue.

Civil Defence warned the area could hit by another big aftershock after residents were kept awake overnight by a series of strong aftershocks.

The aftershocks, ranging from 3.1 and 5.4, that shook the city overnight meant the inner-city cordon that had kept the public out of the city centre could not be reduced to the extent initially planned, Christchurch City Council rescue manager John Buchan said. But they were relaxed at 8am, with Cathedral Square and Colombo St reopening.

"This is a major step toward freeing access to the city," Mr Buchan said.

There would be full access for building owners and the public in this area, except where damaged and unsafe buildings had been taped off. "We do however urge that people exercise caution as aftershocks continue," Mr Buchan said.

The area that remains cordoned off is bounded by Worcester St, St Asaph St, Colombo St (with the side streets to its east remaining out of bounds) and Madras St.

"We are working to reopen these areas, but it's difficult where buildings have been extensively damaged and have yellow or red placards," Mr Buchan said.

"It will take a few days to work through these areas and many buildings will remain taped off."

Authorities had intended to move the northern boundary of the cordon one street further south of Worcester St to Hereford St, but that was revised after aftershocks raised concerns about the safety of a damaged multi-storey building in Hereford St.

The aftershocks included one with a magnitude of 5.2 shortly before 11.30pm, one of 5.4 soon after, and another of 5.4 around 3.30am today.

The council said its staff, the Fire Service and Urban Search and Rescue had dealt with thousands of calls about houses and assisted homeowners with securing their houses, removing chimneys and ensuring access.

All 678 buildings in the CBD were inspected and buildings were affixed with either a green, yellow or red placard. Green means safe, yellow means limited access and red means the building is unsafe. Sixty nine per cent of buildings have a green placard, 26 per cent a yellow and 5 per cent a red.

Civil Defence said less than 5 per cent of city properties were without water. Staff repaired 100 leaking water pipes, returning water to 21 streets, with it still cut off for 38 streets.

Fewer than 1000 power customers remain without power and most schools are expected to reopen tomorrow.

The aftershocks kept the region tense yesterday, as people came to terms with the damage, with the Government estimating 100,000 homes were damaged.

A street in suburban Bexley was evacuated yesterday because the sections were covered in deep layers of silt. There were health concerns too, with two families in a welfare centre reported to have contracted gastroenteritis, though it was not known whether they had caught the stomach bug before the quake or after it.

But health authorities reinforced the message people should continue to boil drinking water for at least three minutes.

Prime Minister John Key will travel to Christchurch this afternoon to meet the region's mayors and inspect damage.

He said yesterday the Government was paying $5 million into the mayoral relief fund.

The Warehouse, BNZ, Westpac, Fonterra and Fletcher Building promised $1 million each.

The Earthquake Commission has received 15,000 claims already.