It’s hard not to be fixated on the main news story today — the continuing coverage of the horrific catastrophe here in the Twin Cities, which has affected everyone on our town in some way. And it really just strikes home to anyone, anywhere. 
Here’s a local photographer’s site with an array of sobering images. All I know is his name is Tim, and he’s from Little Canada, MN. (The graphic I show here is copyright 2007, Consolidated Photo, his company.)
For the best continuing coverage, I’d recommend our local TV station sites, who are all doing an amazing job of reporting, with lots of videos and photos and personal stories:
– KSTP: ABC, Channel 5
– KARE: NBC, Channel 11
– WCCO: CBS, Channel 4
– KMSP: Fox, Channel 9
And hats off to my friends at our two daily papers, who are doing an excellent job as well (with much reduced staffs lately):
– Minneapolis Star-Tribune
– St. Paul Pioneer Press
Also, for you technical types and engineers out there, you may wish to read this 2001 MN DOT “fatigue” report on “Bridge 9340” — as the 35W bridge is known in their lingo. There were concerns that many years ago. I hate to say it, but guano (pidgeon poop) is one culprit that cannot be ignored. Then again, forty Minnesota winters were certainly not kind to this bridge, either. (Thanks to my one of my favorite engineer friends, Bill Proffer, for the heads-up on this report.)
I’m also hearing there was a lot of extra weight on the bridge in the days before it fell — in the way of many piles of aggregate, and several cement trucks. That, on top of the fact that our cars are so much heavier today, so many SUVs, and so many more trucks on the highways…. My God, what was the collective weight on the bridge at that time, with bumper-to-bumper traffic stacked up, too?
It’s all very concerning. And we continue to pray for the victims and their families, the first responders, the medical professionals — and, wow, the everyday people who risked their lives to save others they didn’t even know. God bless them all.
Really makes you think….
This is amazing. My compliments to my friend Robert Metcalf, who came up with the idea for Flyspy two years ago. But he hasn’t sought out this media attention — they find him. For a company that isn’t even launched yet, to be getting this kind of coverage is hardly the norm. [Other major major media outlets are just waiting, too, till the full beta is launched.]
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