Baltimore’s Key Bridge, a vital transit and shipping route, collapsed last month after being hit by a cargo ship. The incident has left members of the community fearing for their future.
Following the deadly bridge collapse, the Port of Baltimore suspended operations, resulting in 8,000 job losses. Many dockworkers have not been paid for weeks and are waiting for cargo ships to resume operations so they can start working again.
Some are still working at nearby smaller ports or on the little cargo that remains in Baltimore from before the bridge collapsed. But that’s nothing in comparison to the flurry of activity this port once was.
The urgency of the situation is reflected in crews working tirelessly to remove the debris and restore Baltimore’s port.
However, this is a perilous task that demands immense effort. Commander Bill McKinstry from the U.S. Coast Guard informed ABC News that the divers are grappling with poor visibility due to the water conditions, with only about a foot of visibility.
The enormity of the task ahead for the U.S. Coast Guard and other teams is evident when you consider that the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which was once a crucial transportation link, now lies in the Baltimore Harbor as a massive block of steel and concrete. As a result, most of the harbor is inaccessible to the outside world.
