VOLCANO MADNESS: Re: [Geology2] Construction errors responsibe for the collapse of the Christchurch CTV building (killing 115 people)

Friday, February 24, 2012

Re: [Geology2] Construction errors responsibe for the collapse of the Christchurch CTV building (killing 115 people)

When Hurricane Rita hit the Gulf Coast a few years ago...the interstates were all clogged up. My parents were going to north Louisiana and fortunately my dad was able to use back roads to get there. But my in laws were on the interstate... it was horrifying and dangerous. People were being robbed. Awful. Allison

From: Lin Kerns <linkerns@gmail.com>
To: geology2@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2012 10:24 PM
Subject: Re: [Geology2] Construction errors responsibe for the collapse of the Christchurch CTV building (killing 115 people)

Vic,

You did everything you possibly could. It's a shame that people can't just push aside their squeamishness or their reasoning that "someone else will take care of it." As a former volunteer fireperson, I saw that responsibility handed over so willingly. People don't want to see what reality is like. They want everything nice and pretty and we know that it doesn't stay that way for very long, if it ever is.

I know how those folks would've been. And I hope the TN response team is much better now than then. One thing that is slowly leaving the south is "good ole boy"-isms. Nepotism is still prevalent, though. Still, the smaller cities like Jackson, are a good place to live. Memphis is hell. Couldn't pay me enough to even stay the night there.

Rumor has it that when I69 comes through the area that I55 will get a new bridge. I'll believe it when I see it. It's still a piece of junk and scary to think that rust bucket is what you're entrusting your life to. The I40 bridge has been in retrofitting phase for the past 5 years. I'm wondering if they'll ever finish.

OH, almost forgot. The I40 bridge ends on the Arkansas side and then two more fairly large bridges sail over where the Black (?) River runs into the Mississippi. Now they're on sand and old as dirt. They'll just sink into the mud, mire, and wet sandy bottom. That will take out the I40 west escape route. What's left are the roads leading towards Jackson, Mississippi and to the counties to the east in Tennessee (US64 & US 57/72) and also the counties to the north (Tipton & Lauderdale).

The question is will anyone have presence of mind to think of those lesser routes? NOPE. I know they'll all clog up the interstates. It'll be total chaos. Guarantee it.

Lin

On Thu, Feb 23, 2012 at 7:58 PM, Victor Healey <vic.nospam@gmail.com> wrote:

I had a bad experience on that I-55 bridge pre cell phone about thirty years ago.

I was east bound dead center in the middle of the Mississippi when I came upon a horrible multi car truck accident. One victim was laying in front of a demolished U-Haul with a sheet over him.

I parked and used my ham radio to call for emergency services and reported it as the scene of a fatal accident. Since it went through the repeater system with other hams assisting there was confusion as to whether Memphis or West Memphis should respond. I hate accidents that occur on political boundaries!

Meanwhile I went back to the victim and asked the other injured if they were sure he was dead.

When I uncovered him to check it was ghastly with one eye missing, but there was blood pumping out of the empty eye socket like a little vertical red fountain, not the sign of a lifeless crash victim.

I quickly wadded up the sheet and made a compress and oredered the others hold it in place until I got back. I also used some blankets and more sheets from the wrecked U Haul to cover his body to keep him as warm as possible until I could think of what else to do for probable shock.

I had to run back as the 2 meter radio was one of those bolted down not a handheld. I made contact again and made it clear an expedited response was required as one victim was clearly critical and there were many walking wounded.

TN and AR sent eighteen pieces of fire and rescue equipment and ambulances from both directions, I counted them before I left.

Medics once on scene worked ferociously to stabilize the critical survivor but they lost him.

If I had been there a few minutes earlier he may have lived.

If he had not lost so much blood with proper first aid he may have lived. He had life altering wounds but he could have lived.

I was so disturbed I could not talk to anyone, I felt like crying.

The other lasting impression from that event, that was one scuzzy river bridge with different types of construction making it up depending on which side you were on.

The other was how brain dead TN emergency personal had to be to send rescue units west bound across a long split lane river bridge when they all needed to come from AR east bound to be of any immediate help.

Modern cell phones could have saved these accident survivors as any properly trained 911 operator could have issued instructions before any one else arrived to assist the victims.

On Feb 23, 2012, at 7:34 PM, Lin Kerns wrote:

Memphis I55 bridge will be at the bottom of the river