Tragedy

Thanks to all the friends and family who called us up so quickly last night. That meant a lot. Our fam is safe and sound. We were at a friend's retirement party and hadn't even heard the news of the bridge collapse until the mobile started ringing. When we turned on the radio, all the initial accounts described a large "boom" before the bridge was gone. It was hard not to contemplate some kind of explosion. The FBI stated early on that there were no signs of terrorist activity, but they had dispatched inspection crews to check out many of the area's other bridges. Although it was I-35W that was affected, we chose to alter our rout home to avoid the 35E bridge that spans the Mississippi on the way out of St. Paul. It was a weird feeling.

There are about 82 bridges in the Twin Cities area. 27 major connections cross the Mississippi river alone. It's hard to get into, or out of, the cities without using one. Just like it is in most seaside and river towns, bridges are an integral part of the infrastructure here. Most of us don't give a second thought when the road we're driving on suddenly changes into a platform suspended in mid air, as high as 60-160", above the water. And if we do notice the change, rarely, if ever, do we consider that it's going to fall down.

4 people have died, 79 are injured and 30 are still missing. Rescue divers are in the river, right now, reaching into the front seats of submerged cars and reading license plate numbers with their fingers because visibility is close to zero. It's a sad experience for the Twin Cities, a grim task for the emergency workers and a devastating incident for the families directly involved with this disaster. Let's all keep these folks in our thoughts. They need as much support as we can give them, no matter how far away it's coming from.

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