Sounds of Music Hushed by the Rumble of Rubble

Workers at Cal State Long Beach last week began carefully removing debris from the interior of the Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall, where a roof collapsed earlier this month. Two large cranes are being used in the cleanup effort. One crane supports a cage for an observer who can communicate with the other crane operator lifting large chunks of the roof out of the center of the damage. The debris will be laid out in a parking lot for inspection by a team of experts whose task it is to determine why the roof fell in on the 8-year-old music hall. It is expected to take workers at least two weeks to remove all of the debris, some of which will be sent away for analysis. Used for lectures and recitals, the hall was empty at the time of collapse and no one was injured.