Twin Cities Tragedy

To all of our friends from Minneapolis or with family and friends still in the twin cities, we hope that your loved ones are safe and were nowhere near the bridge when it collapsed. We have been watching the news in absolute disbelief ...

My thesis advisor is from Minnesota, and flew into Minneapolis yesterday morning for his annual August family vacation. We knew he wouldn't be staying in the city, but emailed him to check and make sure they were all okay ... and he sent back a message saying that they had just crossed the bridge right before the collapse (two, three minutes prior) - they had decided to go to a Twins game at the last minute. They heard about it on the radio and stopped and walked to the river to see what had happened, and took these pictures about 40 minutes after the collapse:

He said the scene was completely surreal - civilians were pulling strangers out of cars and helping them up the embankments, even that long after the collapse. What a testament to the people - their spirit and nature. I cynically wonder if californians would do the same ...

Please be safe and hug your loved ones.