Jim and Betty Smith were settling down with cups of tea after dinner when the deafening boom ripped through the Docklands and shook their world. A van containing as much as half a ton of explosives, they learned later, had blown up in the Docklands, which had been rising from neglect and social decay through one of the largest urban redevelopment projects in Europe. About 20 companies with office space in the area, including Franklin Mint and Midland Bank, suffered severe damage to their buildings and had to relocate. The rebuilding process continues today, and dozens of security guards patrol the hulks of empty high-rises veiled in green protective covering. More than three dozen people, some of whom had lived in the neighborhood for decades, have been forced from their homes.
Armed soldiers remain at security checkpoints on streets leading into and out of the area.
Fear of explosions has been introduced into the hearts of children. There is always a fear of bombs now. When people see a van that they don't recognize parked somewhere, they panic. There has been a psychological effect. Some of the children still have nightmares.