Bridge collapse

On Wednesday night, a section of I-35 collapsed into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. It was rush hour and there were numerous cars and trucks on the bridge, though they have been doing construction on it this summer, so 2 of 4 lanes were closed. I was riding my bike near to the river when it occurred, but I was not there when the tragedy happened. I did ride over to see the aftermath, and wondered if there was anything I could do to help.

It was eery to stand there seeing an entire area of empty and smoking space where the road had been - a road that 150,000 people a day pass, and that I have been over more times than I can count. It was all too easy to picture that you could have been one of those cars on the bridge. The police were turning people away from crowding at the scene, which I understood, but made me feel even more helpless, especially given my advanced emergency medical training. They had enough help for the time being, and were more worried about the instability of the wreckage.

Fortunately, no one I knew was injured, killed, or even witness to the event. This does not make it any less tragic, but it does make it a little less personal. What I have been struck by most, though, is the amount of concern that has come, literally, from around the world. My partner's relatives from Australia emailed to make sure everyone was all right; my relatives from Peru and Canada have emailed and called; friends from around the city and state have called or emailed; our AGC guides have checked in with us and other participants they know in Minneapolis; and many of my previous participants have emailed to check on me. It might sound trite, but I find it amazing that a structural bridge collapsed at home and the news has spread around the world - creating a (figurative) bridge with a worldwide community.

I think it is so important to remember how connected we all are (whether you think of it as the 'web-of-life', the 100th monkey, etc.) and continue to care about not only what happens in our own backyard, but what happens around the world. I am grateful for the opportunities I have to travel and experience this first hand, and also to all of you for reminding me in this time of a local tragedy, that our community is larger than out our door. -- deb