Biden administration approves USD 60mn in aid after Baltimore bridge disaster

Washington, DC [US] : United States President Joe Biden’s administration has approved USD 60 million in emergency funds to support cleanup and reconstruction efforts in the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster in Maryland’s Baltimore, Al Jazeera reported on Friday.

The Federal Highway Administration said on Thursday it provided the “quick release” funds to rebuild the collapsed bridge within hours of receiving a request from the Maryland Department of Transportation.

The swift disbursement of the funds came after Biden earlier this week said he had directed the government to “move heaven and earth” to quickly rebuild the bridge, which collapsed on Tuesday after being struck by a cargo ship.

“No one will ever forget the shocking images of a container vessel striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing its collapse and the tragic loss of six people,” US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

“The federal emergency funds we’re releasing today will help Maryland begin urgent work, to be followed by further resources as recovery and rebuilding efforts progress. President Biden has been clear: The federal government will do everything it takes to help rebuild the bridge and get the Port of Baltimore back open.”

The announcements of the funds came as Maryland Governor Wes Moore warned of a “very long road ahead” to recover from the disaster as experts consider how to remove the Singapore-flagged Dali from the mangled wreckage of the bridge.

“The Dali is almost as long as the Eiffel Tower, and the Dali has the Key Bridge on top of it. We’re talking 3,000 or 4,000 tonnes of steel that’s sitting on top of that ship,” Moore said.

Authorities have said they need clear wreckage from the ocean floor to reach the bodies of four missing workers believed to be trapped in their vehicles in a “superstructure” of concrete and other debris.

Divers on Wednesday recovered the bodies of two workers from a pick-up truck near the bridge’s middle span.

Federal officials have told Maryland lawmakers the final cost of reconstructing the bridge could reach USD 2 billion, Roll Call reported, citing a source familiar with the discussions.
Moreover, three days after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, Maryland Governor Wes Moore emphasised that the rebuilding of the bridge would not take days or weeks, adding that “we have a very long road ahead of us.”
Maryland Governor Wes Moore assured that they would take care of people, and emphasised the need to rebuild the bridge.

“One of the things we were taught is, that you always take care of your people. We are going to make sure that in this moment we take care of our people, and fourth, we need to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge…I want to be clear. This work will not take hours. This work will not take days. This work will not just take weeks. We have a very long road ahead of us. We understand that, and we’re preparing,” he said while addressing a Maryland Transportation Authority briefing.

Governor Moore further highlighted that this is about the nation’s economy and not just about Maryland.

He added that the port handles more cars and more farm equipment than any other port in America.”…I have said it before, I will say it again and I will keep on saying it. This is not just about Maryland. This is about the nation’s economy. The port handles more cars and farm equipment than any other port in America and at least 8,000 workers on the docks have jobs that have been directly affected by this collapse,” he said.