Minneapolis people

[Trek420]

Being an earthquake state native with a sister who's a megatelcom employee, our family of course have a phone-tree plan ... somewhere.

We do? I think we need to re-do that, I think it was we make that one call out to EK eliphant but now she's in the UK. Could still call there or you .... but excuse the thread hijack.

Pyxichick? Mr Pyxichick? It could take him a while to get home between the crowd and the situation. I was at home when the Loma Prieta hit. Everyone here shares stories of "where where you when the big one (really a medium one) hit ...." Some East Bay friends who work in the city and SF friends who work in East Bay took over 24 hours to get home. Several just stayed where they were overnight.

[Duck on Wheels]

We do? I think we need to re-do that, I think it was we make that one call out to EK eliphant but now she's in the UK. Could still call there or you .... but excuse the thread hijack.

Pyxichick? Mr Pyxichick? It could take him a while to get home between the crowd and the situation. I was at home when the Loma Prieta hit. Everyone here shares stories of "where where you when the big one (really a medium one) hit ...." Some East Bay friends who work in the city and SF friends who work in East Bay took over 24 hours to get home. Several just stayed where they were overnight.

Yeah, basically I guess we need a flexible quasiplan, more like nearest relative outside the area gets called by someone inside. Everybody else contacts that outside person, and said person sets up a phone tree as soon as there's any real info. Cuz you never really know where "the area" is gonna be.

I was here in Norway when the Loma Prieta hit, but I recall that the ladies who lived in "the old egg house" were at Candlestick Park at the ball game. They got kept there, I think, until enough was known about safe routes that people could be released out to their cars. So Mr. Pyxiechick may be safe and well, but stuck somewhere waiting for the all clear signal. Or maybe he's home already, but we don't know it because the Pyxiechicks have a modem connection and the phone lines are all snarled. Anyway, let's hope for the best.

[indigoiis]

Oh yikes. My thoughts are with everyone in Minneapolis.

[Bad JuJu]

Sending out compassion and hoping for the best for everyone caught up in this tragedy.

I've lived through some pretty bad hurricanes, but at least they give you some time to prepare. This bridge collapse, well, there's no way you could prepare for that if you're just an ordinary citizen, though it's beginning to sound as if the bridge's structural integrity was at least questionable.

Pyxichick, I hope your honey is OK.

[Ninabike]

Pyxichick, please let us know about your DH. I have a whole lot of relatives in Minneapolis, including my brother. I couldn't get through on my cell phone, but e-mail worked fine. They are all OK.

[slinkedog]

This is such a nightmare. Thoughts and prayers going out to all of you in MN.

Pyxichick, is everything okay?

[Trek420]

.... you never really know where "the area" is gonna be.

I was here in Norway when the Loma Prieta hit, but I recall that the ladies who lived in "the old egg house" were at Candlestick Park at the ball game. They got kept there, I think, until enough was known about safe routes that people could be released out to their cars. So Mr. Pyxiechick may be safe and well, but stuck somewhere waiting for the all clear signal. Or maybe he's home already, but we don't know it because the Pyxiechicks have a modem connection and the phone lines are all snarled. Anyway, let's hope for the best.

I was living near Peidmont Ave at the time, looking for a new job.

I had an interview with East Bay Regional Parks District that got canceled at the last minute. So I was home watching da' game when "woah, this is a big one"

If the interview had gone as scheduled I would have been on the freeway at the time, you know, the one that's no longer there.

Hopefully Pyxichick & Mr Pyxichick are being thankful that he's safe

T&P and butterflies to the families there.

[teigyr]

I hope Mr. Pyxichick is ok also.

I was finally able to watch news coverage last night, I can't even imagine how everyone is coping. So scary and really enforces the fact that all of us need a disaster plan and phone tree.

Am hoping for the best for all the TE people and their loved ones...am also hoping the missing people are just stuck somewhere trying to get home.

[sundial]

Pyxichick, any updates? I'm wishing the best for you and your family. Please let us know you're sweetie is safe.

[Pedal Wench]

Pyxichick, any updates? I'm wishing the best for you and your family. Please let us know you're sweetie is safe.

No word from her blog either. I hope he's okay.

[teawoman]

Thinking of you all. What a terrible thing to happen.

[Trek420]

I hope Mr. Pyxichick is ok also.

I was finally able to watch news coverage last night, I can't even imagine how everyone is coping. So scary and really enforces the fact that all of us need a disaster plan and phone tree.

Am hoping for the best for all the TE people and their loved ones...am also hoping the missing people are just stuck somewhere trying to get home.

Reminds me I have emergency supplies at home and always refining what I've got. I've been meaning to have a kit in the car and at work. You can get stuck somewhere for a while.

[bikerchick68]

what an absolutely horrifying tragedy... my thoughts are with everyone living there and with loved ones there... so, so sad.

[bmccasland]

From the lower end of the Mississippi - ((((((((upper Miss))))))))

Gives me the willies - like most cities we'd be lost without our bridges. Nationally we're getting towards the end of the lifespan for many bridges, and unfortunately most are not funded for replacement. I miss my innocent days before I started working for a huge engineering firm. In the old daze I just worried about biology things.

Hug a civil engineer they get to figure out how to make our aging bridges last a wee bit longer, design new ones, and figure out what went wrong.

Clogged phone lines - we managed to do it for weeks after Katrina. Cell phone companies were begging people to text message since it uses a different frequency than voice and goes faster. I could call out - I was evacuated out of the area "roaming" but no one could call me. Phone calls within the area code were the most difficult. So, yes, call someone out of the area, or email, to let everyone know you're OK in case of a disaster.

[pyxichick]

Thanks for your good wishes, I'm sorry this is the first chance I've had to get back on here.

Michael came home safely late last night. The game went into extra innings and when he got home, he knew what had happened, but hadn't seen any pictures or knew the extent of the damage. So we sat up late watching the news.

I've heard so many stories of people who say they had just gone over the bridge earlier that day, or decided to take a different route that night. Lots of close calls, but nobody that I know was involved.

The city is sort of in shock right now I think. My friend works downtown and can see the bridge from her building. She said it was like a circus today with helicopters and national media and people walking dogs and pushing baby strollers down there just to get a look at what happened.

It's amazing so many people survived the fall.

There are a lot of good people out there who have and are helping out, and it's really heartwarming to hear from friends and acquaintances who are concerned about everyone's well-being.

Thanks for all your good wishes. Send your good thoughts to the families of people who didn't make it.

Namaste,
Kate