WI - 35W bridge in Minneapolis collapses!

[Buzz Mills]

That's good news!

Here you go:

H.R. 3311, which authorizes $250 million in emergency federal funding for reconstruction of the I-35W bridge, passed the House 421-0 tonight in an amazing show of bipartisan support for the Twin Cities community and the people of Minnesota.

http://www.mccollum.house.gov/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC={ABF93E81-1CC5-40AE-9575-1616EAE93D44}&DE={D42FA811-7F5C-4426-860A-F24954731FAD}

 

[panthera]

About the truck driver, Paul Eickstadt:
http://www.startribune.com/10204/story/1343125.html

Thank you! No wonder we hadn't heard anything since his body was just recovered late yesterday. It's so sad to read about the victims, but thank goodness it seems he died before the fire started.

 

[panthera]

Here you go:

H.R. 3311, which authorizes $250 million in emergency federal funding for reconstruction of the I-35W bridge, passed the House 421-0 tonight in an amazing show of bipartisan support for the Twin Cities community and the people of Minnesota.

http://www.mccollum.house.gov/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC={ABF93E81-1CC5-40AE-9575-1616EAE93D44}&DE={D42FA811-7F5C-4426-860A-F24954731FAD}

Doesn't the Senate also have to approve it and then it has to be signed by the President?

 

[KR2tonenow]

Thanks for keeping me up to date folks! Catching up on Anderson Coop now!

 

[cheko1]

I posted a link to pictures earlier. I had been emailed them & stated I never knew who had taken them.

Tonight I was looking on KSTP TV & they were also posted there.

 

[KR2tonenow]

About the truck driver, Paul Eickstadt:
http://www.startribune.com/10204/story/1343125.html

Thanks Gina, for the information on the list of current deceased.

The survivor stories are very uplifting and amazing to hear how some of these folks fell so many feet into the water and lived!!

 

[Gina_M]

Thanks Gina, for the information on the list of current deceased.

The survivor stories are very uplifting and amazing to hear how some of these folks fell so many feet into the water and lived!!

You're welcome - yes it's amazing there have been so many survivors! They are saying a lot of people escaped their cars, and there may be as few as only 8 still missing.

Here's an interesting article about how to survive a bridge collapse and car plunging into the water:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3441588&page=1

 

[Buzz Mills]

You're welcome - yes it's amazing there have been so many survivors! They are saying a lot of people escaped their cars, and there may be as few as only 8 still missing.

Here's an interesting article about how to survive a bridge collapse and car plunging into the water:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3441588&page=1

I would rather leave it to dumb luck, rather that worry about it.

 

[KR2tonenow]

As well as, seatbelts being the key here!!! Plunging 60 ft into water is scary enough...

 

[CaliKid]

They're saying that the death toll is a miracle considering the time of day and how heavily traveled the bridge is. Five confirmed deaths but they know there are victims still submerged in their cars in the river under concrete. Of the 98 people who were injured and required medical treatment, 27 are still hospitalized, 5 in critical condition and 5 in serious. Eight people are still mising including a pregnant woman and her young daughter.

 

[Buzz Mills]

As well as, seatbelts being the key here!!! Plunging 60 ft into water is scary enough...

In CA, we have been wearing seatbelts, seems like forever.

 

[KR2tonenow]

In CA, we have been wearing seatbelts, seems like forever.

true enough!

 

[Buzz Mills]

true enough!

I carry a tool in my car so that I can break a window if necessary; I would hate to go into the water, and lose my electric window control, and not be able to open a door.

 

[Taximom]

I still can't get over the story about the guy in the van with the wheelchair. I can't even imagine how helpless he must have felt. It amazes me that some of the cars etc did not slide all the way off.

If it had been raining or snowing....

 

[JBean]

I carry a tool in my car so that I can break a window if necessary; I would hate to go into the water, and lose my electric window control, and not be able to open a door.

I have one also buzz. It can slice my seatbelt on one side and break my window glass on the other.

 

[KR2tonenow]

I still can't get over the story about the guy in the van with the wheelchair. I can't even imagine how helpless he must have felt. It amazes me that some of the cars etc did not slide all the way off.

If it had been raining or snowing....

very lucky indeed, that the weather was clear! Too many what ifs, in this scenario....

 

[jilly]

You're welcome - yes it's amazing there have been so many survivors! They are saying a lot of people escaped their cars, and there may be as few as only 8 still missing.

Here's an interesting article about how to survive a bridge collapse and car plunging into the water:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3441588&page=1

They showed this demo video of Jay Shadler going into the water on 20/20 tonite. Actually he did this quite awhile ago because I've seen it before.

Anyways, he failed even although he was told what to do beforehand. He panicked. He didn't press the window opener hard enough and thought it wasn't working.They had to get him out.When the car was pulled out of the water, the opener was working fine.

I'm thinking of keeping my window down everytime I go over a bridge now. Seriously.

 

[jilly]

I carry a tool in my car so that I can break a window if necessary; I would hate to go into the water, and lose my electric window control, and not be able to open a door.

Seeing the demo on 20/20 tonite. That opening the door is not that easy because you have to wait for the pressure to equalize inside/outside or something. The battery, however, will apparently be good for "a couple of minutes" after the car is submerged so the power windows will work.

 

[cheko1]

very lucky indeed, that the weather was clear! Too many what ifs, in this scenario....

On the local news tonight they asked LE & others how they came up with the numbers? Captain of the First Reponders stated he knew at least 50 cars were in the river. They then changed it to 30 missing / again to 20 missing / now a very few.

The deceased was at 7 / then changed it to 3 / then 4 / now 5 the media wanted to know which number is correct?

Same as with the mumber of hurt, reports were 26 / then 61 / 121/ then 97. So which is it?

Red Cross refuses to give out any numbers, period. Media is clearly upset because the numbers are so radically different.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

As long as the death toll continues to drop...who cares why the numbers change? It really IS a miracle after seeing the destruction and knowing they fell 64 feet! I know I expected the numbers to be very high in the end and it is simply incredible! While it is very sad they lost anyone and so many are injured, we can be all be thankful it wasn't near what we all had feared. Someone was watching over all of them that day without a doubt.