Abigail Zinzi
In the early morning on March 26, the people of Baltimore rested in their beds. They prepared for the workday ahead, most planning to take their commute on I-696, a key stretch of the Baltimore Beltway. At 1:28 a.m., the people of Baltimore city were awoken with an excruciating sound of metal and debris hitting the Patapsco River.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge had collapsed. The container Ship Dali had struck one of its piers causing the entire bridge to fall in seconds. Due to the iconic factor the bridge had for thousands of Baltimore residents the immediate reaction was fear.
The port of Baltimore is the ninth busiest port in the United States.
The ship Dali departed from the port with a crew of 24 heading for Sri Lanka. At 1:24 a.m. the ship experienced a complete blackout and began to drift out of the shipping channel.
At 1:27 a.m., a Mayday call was made from the ship requesting that everyone get off the bridge for the possibility of a collision. Less than two minutes later, the entire bridge was in the water.
Six construction workers were unaware of the Mayday call and continued to work on the bridge. Only two men were pulled from the water while sadly the other four drowned.
The Port of Baltimore was known for exporting forest products, farm equipment and most notably sugar from the Domino Sugar Factory. 35,000 vehicles crossed the bridge per day, about 12 million vehicles a year. The loss of that transportation port is going to cause major diversions in terms of where all that traffic goes.
The Baltimore Bridge Collapse affects a lot of Mount students. Acting Dean of Students Rebecca Rudd wrote an email to the student body stating “This is a tragedy for our community and surrounding areas. Please know that the Mount community is here to support you during this time. Please join me in prayer for all of those affected by this horrific and sad incident.”
This bridge meant a lot to the people of Baltimore Maryland. It was a symbol of economic growth and hope; the hope for the city to come together as one in working to make it great.