Heads must roll!

Kia Ora,

Well again as if by magic a situation has occurred that reinforces my comments.

Yesterday friends of mine were visited by EQC(Earth Quake Commission) Assessors. First up the building assessor needs to be either given serious retraining or sacked!

For that matter the Minister & CEO should both resign as of Friday.

My friends experience & that of their neighbours shows it is all about not delivering for any excuse & trying to bully people.

Now yesterday The local newspaper the "Press" had a very good editorial pointing out as I said in my blog things need to be done quickly but properly & with empathy.

Well that is not what a builders assessor did yesterday & whats more they have shot themselves in the foot.

Since these guys as we know have to visit six properties a day I would hate to think of the devastation left behind.

My friends neighbour was left nearly in tears & told they had no real damage despite the area been badly hit with liquifaction during the initial quake.
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What this idiot didn't realize was at my friends place the woman is a qualified & experienced cabinet maker. He probably just thought "Just a woman I can steam roll her".

She does admit been a bit taken back by the dismissive way in which he put everything down to wear & tear.

When I asked her "you did tell them you are a qualified cabinet maker?" "No, was too taken back by attitude, but I should of asked how qualified they were!"

I have known this woman for 17 years & in every house she has been in I have heard "well I was going to go out to there, but I just needed to fix this skirting or paint this wall or hang this wall paper or ...".

This is not the mechanic with the worst car.
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As it was I know she pulled apart their patio because it was munted(destroyed) & couldn't be bothered waiting, but what they could they left to show the damage. I think the wiser head of her husband prevailed there or she would of fixed half the house by now.

So to be told it was wear & tear is an outright lie.

It is like the corrupt body corporate representative here telling me that a new crack in the wall was pre existing. It wasn't but what he didn't take into account was the coal trains that run past here & so the coal dust makes things looked aged real quick.
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Or EQC telling another friend that his property has not suffered land damage even though no one has ever been to that property & the little shake yesterday been within 1.5km of his property.

But the questioning of the assessors qualifications is interesting as it has been suggested to me that they are looking for assessors so I should apply. I have been a builders labourer & can swing a hammer but in no way am I qualified except for the fact I would have empathy & can see if something is damaged.
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Yes some people are ripping off the system or trying too. But most are not. Many are just too upset to even think about that.

So what qualifications did this person have to really comment on the sagging roof with Duct tape over the holes to stop the rain, the liquifaction obvious by the hills & valleys in the ocncrete floor, near 100 cracks in the walls when they stopped counting new ones & the bricks falling off the outside? That is not to count the damage nearly everyone has of seperated skirting boards, cracks around doors, windows etc.

Or the drive way which is at different levels but already dealt with by their insurance company.
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That is not to mention that at the time the inspection started at my friends place that wee shake occurred which they said they never felt as probably too busy been abused(because that is what it is) by the assessor, but their children have come home shaken.

This sort of poor performance with a lack of empathy is what increases the frustration & anger resulting in riots, increased domestic violence & crime overall.

What is also been forgot is shortly after the earthquake on September the 4th 2010 there were on two occassions in the "Press" structural engineers quoted & then the Mayor of Christchurch all saying the same thing.

"The building code is there to save lives not buildings."
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Now I have been trying to remember where I had heard something similar to that before. Then I realized it was in relation to body armour.

People have asked could they borrow some of my sets of body armour or buy them for security work but they would have to test them first. As is pointed out to them once they have stopped a knife or a bullet that is it. Throw them away basically.

So to me what they are saying is the building code has done its job but effectively every single property effected by the quakes need to be checked over as essentially most should be rebuilt. It would be why the Christchurch City council has ordered all commercial properties to be restrengthened up to 67% of original strength if they have damage. The costs associated has meant many been pulled down.. Because if they don't the council will be liable.

It will be also why several structural engineers have privately been passing on the information for people to register a claim as not the whole truth was been passed on to the public.
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That EQC don't have a clue what they are doing is shown by the fact that until recently there was no complaint form available to their website. It is the height of arrogance to think there will be no complaints.

Or were they relying on those like the elderly couple last night showing the damage but saying well we just have to wait as there was another big aftershock. Though at end of interview on TV One they did express some frustration in the system.

It is that frustration that is growing & turning to anger. Most of the books above are probably where they got their ideas on recovery from, but it is more than that. It is the empathy needed. With the Global Depression on & getting worse by the day it just makes things worse.
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Here is my solution to the earthquake recovery. Minister & CEO(EQC) to resign by this Friday 7th January 2011, army to take over management of recovery lead by the Royal New Zealand Engineers. Under their guidance in conjunction with the private sector & using the unemployed every single building in the affected area checked & any damage rectified.

The military do this sort of thing as part of their contribution to helping our Pacific neighbours. It is the sort of thing the US Army corp of Engineers does as in post Katrina.

At the moment it is a shambles, poorly organized with little empathy & highly corrupt.

In the current environment the likes of us in security & the police will have to deal with ever increasing issues over & above the normal crime.

EQC & the government can not rely on the fact Kiwis don't complain. They do, just not upfront as some nationalities, but it all means increasing frustration & tension.

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