As I write this blog entry I am watching in shock the devastation of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis . I have been sitting on the couch for the past 3 hours flipping through all the news channels and trying to call my friends back in Minnesota . Tragedies like this affect anyone who sees the images, but this affects me greatly. I was born and raised in Wisconsin , but I consider the Twin Cities my second home. I have not been able to get through to friends since the phone lines are jammed and hope for their safety. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this tragedy.

I was watering plants Wednesday evening when my dad called and asked what is going on with the bridge in Minneapolis . I had no idea what he was talking about and he said that ESPN radio on XM radio just had cut into programming and said a bridge collapsed in Minneapolis . I ran into the house and turned on the TV. I just sat on the couch in shock like I did on 911. This tragedy hit me hard. I worked at WCCO in downtown Minneapolis for 4 years, less than 1 mile from the bridge. I know this area very well. The I-35W bridge connects downtown Minneapolis with the University of Minnesota and the northern suburbs and was jammed with cars everyday. It is the major artery through the city. In addition to doing morning weather at WCCO, I was also the morning traffic reporter and the traffic on that stretch of highway was a mess on a normal day with about 150,000 cars using it daily. With this highway shutdown indefinitely, it will be impossible getting into the city from the north and out of downtown. In addition, there is a major construction project on I-35W about 5 miles south of the collapse.

I used this bridge everyday after work to get to my Graduate School climatology classes at the University of Minnesota . I took the

The feelings I have remind me of 911 and the Oklahoma City Bombing. My father-in-law lived in New York and was a firefighter. It was a long and emotional day trying to get in touch with him. We were so relieved to hear his voice and hear he was fine. I lived in Oklahoma City and was a junior at the University of Oklahoma on April 19, 1995 when the Federal Building was bombed. I lost a classmate that day. She was a Geology major and it was her first day as an intern at the US Geological Survey located in the building. I also interned at a TV station and was at the scene for countless hours to assist the anchors and reporters while they were on live for 1 week nonstop. It was a tragedy and a sight a will never forget. But with every tragedy, there are remarkable stories and miracles. The school bus with 60 kids on it is the miracle in the Minneapolis bridge collapse tragedy. There were injuries, but no deaths at this point…it could have been unimaginable looking at the wreckage.

Once again, my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in the Great State of Minnesota. This is affecting each and every one of them, including me. I may not live there anymore, but I feel the pain just as much.

Now the questions begin. Why did this happen. Structural integrity will obviously be a huge concern. Minnesota experiences extreme temperature fluctuations throughout the year and this summer has been extremely hot and humid. During my time working there, road buckling from extreme heat was very common. You have to wonder if the bridge buckled.

This morning I am finally hearing from many friends and they are OK. I am still waiting to hear from classmates and professors from the University of Minnesota. With my old station so close to the bridge, I was concerned former my ex-coworkers safety. I have already heard that one station manager had just driven over the bridge when he saw the dust in his rearview mirror. Now that is scary.