Further helicopter evacuations from Kaikoura on Thursday had been disrupted due to the bad weather, said Sarah Stuart-Black, director of the Ministry of Civil Defence Emergency Management. Warships arriveWarships from Australia, Canada and the United States have arrived in Kaikoura to help with disaster relief efforts following this week's earthquakes. They have about 660 sailors and four helicopters with them, and will be supporting the New Zealand Defence Force's efforts in the region. The government said it would launch an investigation into why the newer buildings had been unable to withstand the quake. Government body Geonet Science estimated an almost one-in-three chance of another 7-7.8 magnitude quake hitting the wider region within the next 30 days.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 17, 2016 06:44 UTC