Oh my goodness ` the CTV Building! I just had to tell him that we're here to help him, but we have to cut your leg off. Everything turned black. All I could think of at that point was my grandson. I walked out there and said I was over the house, but apparently I wasn't over the house. It's gonna have a very different look and feel, this city. It'll be a modern feel. Due to the live nature of Close Up, captions for some items may be incomplete. ONE News captions by Toni Tippett and Desney Thorogood. Close Up captions by Hugo Snell and Hannah Reynolds. Good evening. Welcome to Christchurch. Welcome to the red zone and this familiar but disembowelled symbol of this city ` the cathedral. but the site of the greatest loss of life, however, was the nearby CTV building. Its collapse accounted for more than half of the death toll. But amongst the loss, great tales of survival and bravery. Mark Crysell brings us one of them. PEOPLE YELL (SPEAKS JAPANESE) TRANSLATOR: And I fell. The building came down. Oh my God, that's the CTV building. My leg was pinned. And I felt such great pain. The whole building's just fallen down. And then looked around. It was just pitch black. February 22, 2011 ` Christchurch's CTV Building. Just minutes before, Kento Okuda was eating lunch on the third floor after a morning of English lessons at the Kings Language School. Now he was trapped. They were buried under tonnes and tonnes of concrete and beams and floors. And fighting for his life. We were aware that there were people who were known to be alive in there. Somehow, Kento had survived, but there was no way of telling how many of his classmates from Toyama in Japan were still alive. Just down the road, emergency doctor Anna Sullivan from Wellington had just escaped the Grand Chancellor Hotel. Mostly what we were thinking was, 'We're OK. We're walking. We're not injured and more than that ` there might be something we can do here.' Rescue workers from all over the country, including paramedic Aaron Hardle, also from Wellington, were rushed to Christchurch. They swarmed over the CTV's smouldering ruins. Did you think anybody would be alive in there? No. Aftershocks continued to roll through the devastated city. And I thought to myself, 'Far out, I've got a 6-month-old at home; I've got a wife. I hope I get home.' Kento was buried under that rubble. My leg was pinned between some big concrete and another heavy block of concrete. He lay terrified in the smouldering ruins for hours, hoping, praying he would be found. The rescue workers at the time had to dig for about two to three hours to get through about a metre of concrete and rubble and steel bars just to make a hole big enough. Big enough for Aaron to crawl into. I just had to tell him that we're here to help him. We're going to get him out, but we need to cut his leg off. And he said to me, 'No, you can't do that.' And I said ` I'm pretty blunt most of the time ` and I said to him, 'We have to cut your leg off. There's no other way out of here.' Was it hard for you to say yes? I was only thinking about being rescued. The job fell to Dr Anna Sullivan. Had you ever amputated a limb before? No, never. The fire service had a reciprocating saw ` a handyman's tool ` similar to this one. The thing I had in my backpack was a hacksaw, so I thought, probably, the power saw is going to be a lot cleaner; certainly, a lot quicker. They tried several times to give me anaesthetic, and it didn't work, so they used some kind of drill on my left leg. I could lie down like that. Kento's right leg was amputated at the knee joint within minutes. And then he was slid out by the paramedics. He'd been trapped for 12 hours. Finally, Kento was free. I can't remember anything. It took everything I had to get through the ordeal. He was the one person that I really helped. But Aaron and Anna never saw Kento again. You always want to know what happened, and mostly you want to know that they're OK. In November, I travelled to Japan and met with Kento. How is your leg? Good. A year ago today, Kento was trapped under the rubble of the CTV building. 13 of his classmates died in there. Now he has a new leg. He's walking; he's driving. How do you feel now? Do you feel better? Better. And the future? Future? Bright? Maybe bright. And just last week... His hair's much longer. His hair was not that long. He's got a bit more colour in his face. I showed the footage to Anna and Aaron. He was driving away in the back of an ambulance semi-conscious and looking pretty sick. That was the last time I saw him, so seeing him walking here and talking is a remarkable recovery, I think. Yes, saving his life is important, but it's also important that he can have a life ` that he can do stuff. It really is the concept of a good and bad save. This was a good save, and although Kento's English is not quite fluent, he has one thing he wants to say to the people who saved his life. I'd say just, 'Thank you.' Aaron and Anna wanted to point out that the rescue was a team effort. Our thanks to the Asia NZ Foundation for their help with that story. Someone who became a very familiar figure to us in the aftermath of the earthquake is Urban Search and Rescue member Keith Norton. He not only gave his all in searching for victims here, he then headed to Japan to help out with their disaster relief. He's back, of course, back in Christchurch and back with us. NICE TO BE HERE. THE CTV BUILDING - YOU WERE FIRST ON THE SCENE THERE? NOT QUITE FIRST ON THE SCENE. THE FRONT LINE FIREFIGHTERS WERE FIRST THERE ALONG WITH A LOT OF TRADESMEN AND THE PUBLIC AND POLICE. YOU MUST HAVE SEEN THINGS YOU'D PROBABLY RATHER FORGET IN THERE UM, I HAVE` I WOULDN'T CALL THEM GOOD MEMORIES IS IT THE GOOD MEMORIES THAT YOU HAVE A YEAR ON? BUT THEY'RE MEMORIES THAT WILL STAY WITH ME FOREVER AND I THINK ALL THE RESCUERS THERE ` THE LOOK OF RELIEF ON PEOPLE'S FACES. WHEN WE FINALLY RETRIEVED THEM PEOPLE DIDN'T SAY A LOT, BUT YOU KNEW THEY WERE PLEASED TO GET OUT. CONGRATULATIONS - USAR WERE RECOGNISED TODAY YEAH, THAT WAS A GREAT HONOUR. I WAS ASKED TO REPRESENT AND COLLECT AN AWARD FROM THE CITY COUNCIL AND I FOUND THAT A GREAT HONOUR AFTER 37 YEARS ON THE FRONT LINE. THE AMAZING EFFORT THAT FIREFIGHTERS FROM ARUOND THE COUNTRY - VOLUNTEER, SUPPORT STAFF. IT'S BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY CAREER Coming up ` how the work in Christchurch goes on, even today, of all days. And caught in the cathedral ` and amazing survival story from the day the heavens caved in. THE ONLY SPOT IN THE ROOM THAT I COULD HAVE BEEN Yesterday I got a tour of the red zone from Leanne Curtis. We had a look at her condemned home and talked about what today would mean. Well, today took on a whole new significance for Leanne and her family ` they discovered the demolition crew was moving in this morning to level what had been their home. ENGINE RUMBLES ENGINE RUMBLES For Leanne and Andrew, plus of course kids Josie, Willem and Louie, this day was always going to come, but the timing couldn't have been worse. I think it's cos it's today. I walked out there and said I was over the house, but apparently I wasn't over the house. It's also about saying goodbye to the community too, because the kids` we've spent a lot of years here, and today is the day. There's six houses that are left with people in them on the street. It's not a community any more. But yesterday we were here, talking about your house, and there was no idea. No. No. Just nothing. And it just never occurred to me that they would be demolishing on this day. I just don't wanna see it go as well. 72 Keller Rd had been through a lot. They've been through a lot. But today their home ` well, what was once their home ` was destined to come down. It can seem brutal in its operation, but they know it has to happen. No one can actually feel this bad about something. For the crew, it's one of thousands they will have to deal with, but they're locals too. They understand. Is it tough for you guys as well? Yeah, it is, eh, cos they've lived in these houses 20, 30, maybe 50 years, and for them to see it coming down after all what's happened to us it must be bloody hard. As the morning drags on and the paperwork's signed off, the raw emotion is starting to ease. Leanne, you look as though you don't know whether to laugh or cry. I've felt before it happened, I felt like I was at the point of thinking, 'OK, you know, three hours on, I can celebrate,' but that's just a disgusting noise. CRUNCH! CRACK! And now it's the younger ones feeling it more keenly. How do you cope with the stress? I dunno. I think I just go home and punch the bag at home just till I'm not angry. The house is putting up a fight. We're laughing, because it's still not actually falling down. It's not crumbling. It's being a stubborn old bitch. The final outcome is inevitable. I'm ready to go now. I'm ready to leave. But the house is not all they will farewell today. Our friends have gone. Our house is now going. It's a big day for you guys. Well, it is. It is. But it's the beginning of a lot of great stuff too. The numbers are dwindling, as only a few remain living in Avonside. Others like Leanne return to the intimacy of this local commemoration. It's been such a massive privilege` And I'm gonna cry. ...a massive privilege to be part of the Avonside community. It's a family affair. Even Andrew's dad does his bit. Let us pray. We pray here for those who have lost their community. Let us not forget... Then, possibly for the last time, this community is together as they remember. FORLORN MUSIC Amid the remembrance in Christchurch today, the desire to just get on with it. And when it comes to frustrations, people are looking to the Government to make it happen. Prime Minister John Key came to Christchurch today to share this anniversary with the people, but could he offer them more. I spoke to him earlier and began by asking him if he thought the face of the CBD would change. Oh, for sure. I mean, most of these buildings here aren't going to be in their current form, clearly, or need to be rebuilt, which is a tragedy. Including? Well, I think so for the cathedral. You can see that it's very badly damaged. So, it's going to have a very different look and feel this city. It'll be a modern feel, but hopefully some iconic buildings like the cathedral can at least be rebuilt in a way that preserves that heritage and history of Christchurch. I'll tell you what we're picking up, and you'd be aware of this too the more people you talk to. There is frustration here, saying, 'Look, we appreciate the government's sympathy. 'We appreciate it, but we want some action, and we don't seem to be getting it.' Yeah, I mean, look, it's a mixtures of views, isn't there? There's about 26 buildings that are currently being constructed. Most people in the red zone, about half of them now, have taken the government's offer and are starting to build somewhere else or are buying somewhere else. You've got a number of factors that make this difficult. Firstly, you've still got seismic activity. And secondly, it's gotta be acknowledged. This is the fourth-largest insurance claim in the world since 1973, so it's a massive event. And then you've got all the planning process and things you've gotta get through, so I think I can understand that frustration. I would be frustrated, but I think we are making progress. Is it working as smoothly as you think it could or as smoothly as you'd like it? Can they improve? Well, there's always room for improvement, and that includes all the players, and there's a number of players ` from CERA right through to council right through to government. But if you think about this in the context of 400,000-plus claims, $30b of expenditure, our second-largest city basically brought to its knees, I think most people would say we're making a fair bit of progress. Do you think you` I mean, the Government underestimated what was gonna be needed here? No, I don't think so. I mean, if you go and look at what we did. From the moment we stepped in after that second earthquake on the 22nd February, we put in place a system of support for businesses. 50,000 people took up that opportunity. I think that actually kept a lot of businesses in the game. We had a zero budget in 2011 to put $5.5b into Christchurch. We mobilised a whole new government department, which took a lot of pressure off the council. It's just the scale of what we're dealing with is something, you know, NZ hasn't experienced before. Do you need to take more pressure off the council? It's a bit of a problem, isn't it? Yeah, I hear mixed reviews here now. And I think the appointment of the Crown monitor I think is helping. I mean, in fairness again, there's a fair bit of frustration there, and people want the process to go faster, but CERA can be bulked up if required and we can do more and we will do more if that's what the people of Christchurch want. If you think that the council's a roadblock to what's happening here, would you hesitate to step in and take over? Well, I think given that we've established this independent government department with wide-ranging powers, it's not a matter of having to take over from the council. Like, we can take more activity and put that under the auspices of CERA, but` Pull the rug out from under them? Well, we can reallocate responsibility, but, you know, our preference if we can is to work with them as effectively as we can. A year from now, Prime Minister, a year from now, what do you think is gonna be happening here. How are they going to be feeling in this city? Well, when I go around the CBD now, there are big parts of it where I get completely lost in terms of orientation, so a year from now, pretty much all of these buildings are going to be down. That means of the 1400 buildings in the city, I think about 80% of them are being demolished or in part. I think you will be seeing quite a bit more new construction happening, and certainly in terms of the red zone those people will have alternatives and hopefully be moving in, and a lot of homes will be starting to be built. Look, just finally back to those people. I mean, the people we were talking about who are getting frustrated. I mean, there are, what, over 2000 homes in the white zone still in the Port Hills, and they're saying, 'All we want is a decision.' Yeah. 'Just give us a decision.' Yeah, so, again, let's put a little bit of perspective around it. About 6500, nearly 7000, homes have been designated red, and many tens of thousands have been designated green. So the people in the white zone, again, I share their frustration. It's a matter of getting the best geotechnical advice, because if we say to them, 'Look, you're green zone', and then they end up having to go through and rebuilding, and they're uncertain about that, that doesn't help their own property values. If we say they're red, there's a big price tag with that, and also some people don't want to move out, so I think most people acknowledge that this is the time for us to be just careful, but get the right outcome for people. Coming up ` one woman who escaped the cathedral as it fell last year tells her story. I said before that miraculously no one died in the rubble of this cathedral. But it was a close thing for Sue Spigel. Sue was working as the artist in residence in a small room when the spire fell right through the roof above her. She told Abby Scott of the day she should have died. But look at` You know, you can see that` where` where the tower came through. Look at that. It's just` And that's the room you were in? That's the room. Oh my God. The cathedral just fell. I said, 'God, I am not ready to die. I am not ready to go right now.' RUBBLE FALLS I began to think, you know, I could die in here. There was an almighty crash and dust, and everything turned black. Sue Spigel knows how lucky she is. And I look at that, and I don't understand how anyone could possibly come out of there alive. I'm just awestruck by it. I had been in there since about 9.30 in the morning, and I was working on a coat for the Dean of Auckland, a big ceremonial sort of robe. It was probably the most complex project I ever undertook. It was going to be fabulous. I went and sat down in my window, and the whole thing started. RUMBLE! At first it felt like an enormous truck had run into the side of the building. Her sewing room in a house of God had the heavens cave in. It was like a tornado... in the` when the tower fell, and the swirling and the dust. And I couldn't breathe. My husband once said, when I started working there, said, 'Ooh,' he said, 'the next step is you're going to be beamed up to heaven ` 'you keep getting closer and closer to God all the time.' The window seat was her saving grace. That was the only spot in the room that I could have been and survived. SIRENS WAIL The dust cleared, and I looked out the window, and I said, 'Hello, could somebody please help get me out of here?' (LAUGHS) She became the woman in the window. Her guardian angel was a passing police officer. Paul Martin ` he's my` he's my earthquake hero. He's an angel, that man. He has two little boys and a wife, and he just ran into that room without even thinking about it. When you came out and saw what was left of the cathedral, did you comprehend, you know, what had happened and just how much damage had been sustained and how lucky you were? Yeah. Oh, yeah. I thought, 'This is really bad. This is really bad.' Has it changed a lot since you last saw it? There's a lot less of it. Seems a lot smaller; seems more forlorn. Her broken arm has healed, and the cuts and grazes are gone. It's probably scarred my brain more than anything, I think. Scars from a day that will never be forgotten. I feel like it also places me firmly in eternity. You hear about earthquakes and these natural disasters, and it's the world continuing to develop and form and change. And we've witnessed part of that. Has it changed the way you live your life ` what happened that day in there? Yeah, I'm probably living my life more in line with my personal values than I was before, so I'm probably being a little more honest with my life and how I spend my time. From Christchurch and our thoughts to all of you here, that was NZ Close Up. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air.