Day Four

sirens, and the sound of helicopters and planes overhead is constant and common occurrence these days.  it wasn't until a few days ago that i even realised that we rarely have air traffic except for commercial planes - so unlike auckland where the police helicopter is out every other day.
emergency vehicle sirens are relentless.  they break the silence in otherwise quiet streets.  that and the rumbles of the next aftershock heading our way.  sometimes there is a shock.  sometimes it doesn't make it this far and all you have is the echoing of the rumbling ground.

just before i headed to bed last night, around midnight, there were three large aftershocks.  our house has flexi-joints, so it sways, especially when you are upstairs.back and forth, back and forth.  i still managed to crash and get a good night's sleep.

i spent the morning sorting through paperwork and tidying up accounts and the like.  mundane boring stuff, but it keeps your mind off what is going on around you.  the polytech is open again tomorrow, although i think i might give it a day to calm down before i head in...will see if they need a hand.  in the meantime i headed out to record some more of the city today.

it really does tear my heart as i walk through the city.  it's still busy.  traffic backs up in the streets where cars can travel.  the city bustles with people.  every second person is wearing a reflective vest &/or hard hat and carrying a clipboard.  obviously assessors of some form working their way through the city, from building to building.

i sit on the corner of armagh and manchester for a moment or three, and look down manchester at the building that is sure to come down sometime soon.  tears well up in my eyes.  it's not fun, not pleasant, just disturbing really to see how ripped apart the city is.
i wander off to more deserted streets, more fallen bricks, caved in roof's. workers pulling down damaged facades and walls, brick by brick.  these guys must be exhausted.  there will be no let up for them anytime soon, as everything needs to be stablised.  we're all waiting for baited breath for this 'large' aftershock that they keep telling us about, so work is fast to protect as much as possible.
as i head home i run into someone i know.  their place is opposite a building that is totalled.  they were home when the quake struck and had run outside to see what had happened of course they could see nothing.  they went back inside to get their camera and take a photo, just so they could see...they were shocked.  bricks and debris covered the road.  so similar to so many stories heard around this very broken city.