Minneapolis disaster...

Non-Phish General
#1

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-08-02-minneapolis-bridge_N.htm

I drive this bridge daily, My daughter and her mom use it weekly, and most people at the U of M use it. This is a main Highway as most know, stretching from Texas to northern Minnesota…

At 6:05, during rush hour it gave way and so far none of my family or friends (that we know) were on it, but nonetheless it is an unreal horrific disaster which has crippled our city and really scared many folks!!

Send the good people of Minnesota and the Minneapolis / St.Paul area some good vibes…

This one hit WAY WAY too close to home for me and our family… The exact same time 24 hours before this happened I was on the bridge at the 6 o’clock hour going to a Twins game which is about 1/8 of a mile from this spot…

The scene in the city is very somber and I hope and pray for the families of loved ones which are missing still…

Recap:
6 dead
70+ injured
20-30 missing

And a school bus carrying 60, 11-14 year old kids that fell atleast 30 ft had only 10 or so injuries… That in itself is a miracle…

:-[ :’( :-[ :’(

#2

Yeah I followed this story last night as it unfolded. I tried to count how many times the word “terrorism” was used, but I lost count.

Good to hear your’re OK, 'insky.

Hope Hank is OK too. He’s in MN, right?

#3

Hank is in N Dakota… Tube47 AKA BRAD is in the cities not to far from me…

The terror thing has come into play, and quite frankly you almost look at this like it could of been that (the timing and way it fell). It was so unreal… This bridge passed all inspections in 2006 and is only 40 years old… We all think it simply gave out though…

The city crews and authorities have rocked here though, my hats off to them… News media I am sure has blown it in to a hunt for Bin Laden, but with it in my back yard we view it as a helluva freak accident…

Surreal!

#4

Well I hope Brad is OK, instead of Hank. (jk, PHG).

Maybe I don’t fully understand the structural aspects of large bridges, but is it possible for a bridge to pass inspections no more than 18 months ago and then just collapse out of nowhere? And is it normal to refer to a bridge as “only” 40 years old?

Geez.

#5

Glad to hear you’re alright and I hope Brad is too.

This whole thing is really fucked up though. Very sad.

(((((((VIBES)))))))

#6

I have family who live in Winona, and my Uncle drives to his teaching job in St Paul. I have not heard from them, and can’t find a number to reach them. I hope all is well.

#7
#8

I didn’t hear about this till I saw it on Nightline.

I thought of you and Brad when I saw it and I’m glad your alright.

Crazy.

Take care Ryan.

#9

This IS amazing. Maybe there really is something to that no-seatbelt thing that they have on school buses. Seriously, they should use school buses in Iraq. Those things are tanks.

Seriously, that situation is horrendous. Can you imagine having to tell your five-year old to swim out the window and try to find something to cling to because you’ve got to get your drowning infant out of the backseat? Just a horrible thought…

#10

i sure do hate the media. all they want to do is spin the story to place the blame on someone then implant the idea that it was a terrorist act. the only thing the media has been good for so far is showing the video (i believe cnn has the rights to it) from a security camera which captures most of the bridge collapsing. i havent seen it yet but my dad mentioned it didnt look normal when it was falling apart as different segments fell at different times. there was also a train going underneath the bridge at the same time it collapsed, which may have had something to do with it. might have to suck it up and watch some cnn so i can see it. fortunately this bridge was under repair which drastically limited its usage. this really could have been a lot worse.

#11

what a horrible thing.

just heard about it and my goodness, what a crazy thing to happen.

)))))))))))))VIBES((((((((((((((((

#12

My mom was freaking out yesterday, trying to call my sister and cousins who live around that area.

Everyone is accounted for though.

the 20-30 people missing is not good at all. I bet at least half of those people were drown victims. Needless to say, the Mississippi is a gigantic, powerful river. swimming in it is suicide.

#13

Yeah, there’s a chance that it’ll be a long time before some bodies are recovered, if at all. They may be washed miles downstream or something.

Anybody familiar with the Sunshine SkyWay Bridge collapse in Tampa several years ago? I think it was 1980. Only in that one a huge freight ship hit one of the pillars.

#14

^wasn’t alive yet but i’ve driven on that bridge.

massive!

#15

I just talked to a buddy who lives in Minneapolis, about a mile away from the bridge. He’s driving back to Fargo now, but he was on that bridge twice yesterday. And, he walked down to the wreckage last night and this morning. He said the TV coverage is not even doing it justice…its much, much worse than he had pictured, he said, in terms of the size of the disaster and wreckage.

Everyone I’ve talked to in Minneapolis is sounding very creeped out and still in shock.

#16

Man.

If I were in position, this would be a life-altering event.

Stuff like this really makes you think.

#17

Just returned from looking at the horrific event… WOW… Chills and a very uneasy stomach man… there might be about 40 cars in the river they’re saying now and most of them they have yet to get too…

The news coverage is always overkill, but to PHG’s point, seeing it in person and on both sides, makes you pray you never witness something like this again…

Very sad…Very surreal…

#18

http://www.conphoto.net/collapse.html

Very VERY DETAILED photos…

This gives you a decent perspective.

#19

Makes you wonder what becomes the new CENTER point for the upcoming campaign… I can see it now, “We will fix every bridge in the USA on the list”…

Latest update::
Keep sending vibes, I now know of 3 people who are personally affected by this accident…

Questions swirl about cause of bridge collapse
By PHILIP RUCKER, WILLIAM BRANIGIN and AMY GOLDSTEIN
The Washington Post

MINNEAPOLIS | Divers pressed their search Thursday for victims of Wednesday

#20

I just read in the paper this bridge failed some tests and was warned of this in 1990.