Bridge Thoughts

I used to live about three blocks from the north end of the collapse. My family and friends have driven over the bridge thousands of times - it was our way to the dome for Gopher Football games. I can't bring myself to watch a lot of coverage - I'd rather listen to MPR for information so I don't have to really see the images. I'm not trying to stick my head in the sand, I just am having a hard time seeing the bridge and thinking about the fact that my sister was on the bridge on Saturday and I was on it on Sunday. I am blessed with the fact that no one in my immediate circle was on the bridge.

My friend J works for a government entity involved in the recovery efforts. Her inability to talk about what she has seen makes me think about how devastating this is to the people having to work the recovery. God bless them and the strength they have to do this job.

I am proud of the first responders. Because of J's exposure to the field I know they all have gone through extensive training and have worked hard to create communication between the state and local agencies. I think the rapid response and continued effective work is a direct result of the training and open lines of communication. Who knows if this would have been the case prior to the training.