I just heard on the news that the bridge had been undergoing intensive reconstruction.........seems to me that somewhere something got horribly weakened....
makes this even harder to realise it could possibly have been avoided..........

yes, Kathy, it is sad that it often takes a tragedy to make people care

but thankfully, there are also soooo many who DO care all the time, through the good and the bad and nomatter who it is who is suffering.......I am thankful for those people today, and for all the emergency workers and volunteers and just regular folks who are doing all they can to help whether practically or with love, comfort and prayers

It's a shocking thing to happen and this might sound terrible, but I keep thinking to myself how much worse it could have been. I was worried about waking up this morning and hearing of a much greater death toll. The news here mentioned that many lanes on the bridge were actually closed at the time of the fall. I'm not sure if that is correct, but it made me realize how much worse it could be... if that's possible. There was a school bus just on the edge of the bridge part that had fallen. I'm hoping all those children got out without injury.

I must confess to having watched a programme on tv a few weeks back here about the 1982 (?? not sure if that is correct year) earthquake in California and they were showing real footage mixed in with re-enactment and it was just so frightening and unbelievably horrible but the thing that shone through all of that was that people in the neighbourhoods beside the freeways that had collapsed all just jumped in to help without caring about their own safety. They just did what they had to do.

This might sound weird, but sometimes I compare some people's lives to those of ants. you all might say... well yes, it is a little weird but if you ever watch a line of worker ants going to and fro all day and all night never stopping and never thinking, just doing what they have to do. However, if something gets in the way of those ants then there is initally chaos, with all the little ants running around very fast not knowing what to do or which way to go but suddenly all is well again and all those ants find a new path and a new direction and then continue on their way doing what they have to do.

Well, sorry about my little ant analogy there but what Kathy said reminded me about how I feel there are people who actually live their lives not thinking too much at all about humanity on a day to day or moment to moment basis like others might. They seem to be living in automatic (or in overdrive sometimes too!), and they're busy going about their own business and it does sometimes take something terrible to happen for them to remember or realize how fragile our existance really is here on this earth. I know people like that anyway.

Thankfully, I think more people care than don't care and that the ones who do care don't spend their lives even thinking about black or white or rich or poor or this religion or that religion etc. whether there is a tragedy or not. They see a person who needs assistance and they help purely because they care or they spend part or in some cases most of their lives doing what they can to help others generally despite thinking about nationality or religion or whatever, and those people often are the people one never hears about. There are bigots everywhere, but the world isn't only made up of bigots, it's made up of caring people who never even question what religion a person might be, or what background they may have... the world also has people who just care about people because they are people... and they care all the time not just when caring is publicly needed.

I'm glad to read that all of you who have relatives and friends in that area know that they're alright.

One group that comes to mind is: Good fathers

That's true, Kathy.

I was just reading the posts on the other forums about this tragedy and I'm just hoping that Shiney Sue hears from her family very soon.

I receive this today and thought I would share it will you all.


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

Darlene

And bless you all,my son and family are doing well, i have been in the
hospital and want to thank you for being so kind. They just got across
the bridge before it fell. Bless each and everyone... Sue

oh Sue what a relief!!!

you must be oh so thankful

Thank goodness! How terrifying this whole thing is. It really puts a fresh perspective on the frailty of the human condition.

I've been reflecting a lot on the fact that something in my gut kept putting my roadtrip back by a month. No doubt, my first plan would have had me too close for comfort to that tragedy. I have now elected to nix that entire leg of my trip. Hmmm, makes me think a lot.

In 1967, we had a HUGE F4/5 tornado come through our village. It killed 33 people, injured hundreds, and destroyed much of the town.

He was a stickler for being prompt and putting in a full day's work, but that day was special. It was my 9th birthday. Because it was my birthday, my father came home early from work - he always was my birthday present.

If he had put in a full day at work, it would have placed him at the exact location that tornado touched down. To this day when I cross that intersection, I'm thankful my dad loved me so much. I'm saddened by all the others who were killed and injured that day.

The scenes from the destruction are awesome - but it will NEVER be entertaining to me.