Christchurch Rebuilding

Some devastation is man-made, like the war damage I witnessed in Sarajevo and Mostar, Bosnia this summer, and some is caused by natural disaster. Two years ago tomorrow, February 23, 2011, Christchurch suffered a magnitude 6.3 earthquake, killing 185 people with 1500-2000 injured. A large section if the central city and eastern suburbs were either leveled or badly damaged. The beautiful old Christchurch Cathedral was severely damaged. This quake followed on the heels of one in September of 2010 and created a double whammy.

Two years later, there are brightly colored pods which house former and new stores. Construction equipment was evident next to our hotel (which only recently reopened). The government has not yet made a decision regarding the fate of Christchurch Cathedral.

Rusty and I were both struck by number of barricades and chain link fences separating people from the many construction sites. They were actually surrounding our hotel. The Cathedral Square is only one block away. In spite of the destruction there is palpable spirit of hope and strength.

We took a brief walk this morning before heading for the airport for Sydney. Here is a little of what we saw.