It Builds Character

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

One year anniversary

Friday August 1st is the first anniversary of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. I can't believe it's been that long already. They are rebuilding another bridge in its place and it's getting close to being done. It was supposed to be finished in December, but now it sounds like it'll be ready in September.

When it first happened, it didn't seem real. I think that's because I didn't hear about it until a few hours after it happened. Jason and the kids and I had gone out for dinner, and when we got home, there was a message from my mom, just making sure we were ok. Huh? It didn't make any sense. I called her to see what she was talking about, and she told me the 35W bridge had collapsed. It seemed so impossible and outrageous, that my first question was, "Were there people on it?" Uh, yeah, it was rush hour--6pm.

As the anniversary approaches, the local media are reporting on it and telling peoples' stories. The more I hear about it, the more I realize what a tragedy it was. It's not like I thought it was no big deal, but I think that because I have only seen the wreckage in photos, it seems less real.
After it fell, there was no getting near the bridge, even if you wanted to. I’ve crossed that bridge hundreds of times, but without seeing it myself, it hasn’t fully sunk in.

But then I found this story in the local paper, the StarTribune. Check out this link. The first thing you’ll see is footage of the bridge actually falling. A nearby company’s security cameras caught the whole thing. When that footage is finished, there’s a picture of the entire bridge, with numbers on it. The numbers correspond to the names over to the right. If you click on the names, there is video of that person as they tell their story of how they survived. Or, in some cases, they talk to the spouse who has been left behind. Incredible. These people haven’t completely healed physically or mentally, and for most, it will be a long time until they do.

4 Comments:

  • I didn't see (or read) a cause in the link. What caused it to collaps?

    That is truly awful. I totally *get* what you're saying. We had a fire (close to where I grew up and my family lived) that was devastating. But at the time, I was away at college. It didn't seem "real" to me for some reason. But then my senior year in college (1993) I took a course called "Natural Disasters" and one of the disasters was that fire. It was surreal knowing that it was such a HUGE deal and I had a very hard time seeing the destruction at that point in time.

    By Blogger The Q, at July 30, 2008 12:17 AM  

  • My mom and I were talking about that on our way home from ND. It was an awful thing to happen, and I hope that it will spur legislators to give our roads and bridges the money they deserve.

    By Blogger Undercover Mutha, at July 31, 2008 3:54 PM  

  • I saw a few weeks ago that you had posted this, but tonight was the first time I took a few hours to go through the stories on the link. I'm working my way backwards, from 101 on down (I'm at 63) and the stories are hopeful, awful, and heartwrenching.

    The national media focused first on the tragedy, and then later on the safety of bridges around the country. But I had not seen this truly human element until tonight.

    Thank you for sharing this.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at August 25, 2008 2:22 AM  

  • Y'know... you probably should post something new for us soon.


    Heh heh heh.

    By Blogger eclectic, at October 12, 2008 12:26 AM  

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