Shake, Rattle & Demolish!
Since February 22nd life in my home city has not been the same: work from home, boil your tap water, use a chemical toilet, not be able to go to the city centre, and so on. The loss of life is very sad, and in years to come people in Christchurch will be asking where were you on 22Feb2011?
I'll have to say that I was sound asleep in my bed in the UK, whereas my family were panicking, wondering if anyone had been killed, or running down roads with buildings collapsing round them and water gysering up out the earth.
Today the place where I first used to go drinking is being demolished, at 105 years old it would only be considered a young building here in the UK, though in Christchurch it is category two listed historic building "...places of ‘historical or cultural heritage significance or value". It served New Zealand's first beer on tap in about 1939 and opened the country's first beer garden in 1947 and first drive-through bottle store in 1954. And today it has to be demolished.
There will be many such actions: at least a third of the buildings in central Christchurch will have to be demolished, and when I visit next the city will be a completely different one to that of my memories.
It is hard being so far away, only gleaning what I can from photos, video and speaking to those living in the now. And below are a few sites that can give you a little idea:
Photos: Before and after the Christchurch earthquake
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/4713590
Quaked: skating
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2bvozq-KK8
I'll have to say that I was sound asleep in my bed in the UK, whereas my family were panicking, wondering if anyone had been killed, or running down roads with buildings collapsing round them and water gysering up out the earth.
Today the place where I first used to go drinking is being demolished, at 105 years old it would only be considered a young building here in the UK, though in Christchurch it is category two listed historic building "...places of ‘historical or cultural heritage significance or value". It served New Zealand's first beer on tap in about 1939 and opened the country's first beer garden in 1947 and first drive-through bottle store in 1954. And today it has to be demolished.
There will be many such actions: at least a third of the buildings in central Christchurch will have to be demolished, and when I visit next the city will be a completely different one to that of my memories.
It is hard being so far away, only gleaning what I can from photos, video and speaking to those living in the now. And below are a few sites that can give you a little idea:
Photos: Before and after the Christchurch earthquake
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/4713590
Quaked: skating
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2bvozq-KK8
posted by Tresi at 8:25 am
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