Infrastructure

While I don't worry too much about natural disasters, I'm much more concerned about loss of infrastructure. It was a huge shock to lose a major bridge, and spurred me on to add some disaster-related items to my car. Like everyone else, I have jumper cables, various car-related fluids, window scrapers, boots, a coat, blanket and mittens in my trunk. I have a gallon jug of water and scissors too. In case of unexpected trips to the cemetery. Last August, I added a few things: rope; duct tape; waterproof container of matches; tinfoil camping blanket; work gloves; candles; dust masks; non-latex gloves; a multi-function radio and a spotlight. In theory I should have food items, in case of car trouble or getting stranded. I typically bring beverages with me on a road trip of any length and during the winter tend to add a few non-perishable high-energy items.

While I understand that bridges and buildings are made to give in the wind, I get nervous when I can feel the movement. For example, I've been on the rollercoaster on top the Stratosphere, which has since been replaced by other rides, and was fine on the rollercoaster but nervous beforehand because I could feel movement.

Crossing bridges makes me nervous; if I'm stopped on a bridge I can sometimes feel vibrations. I don't like it. Two weeks before the bridge collapse, two friends and I had walked across the bridge that you see in the above right photo, the one that didn't collapse. At the time, the only sidewalk was on the side away from the freeway, and I didn't enjoy walking above the water. Because I could feel the movement of the bridge, it crossed my mind that the bridge could collapse. Fortunately, it didn't.
The rational part of my brain realized that it was impossible; bridges don't collapse.

I no longer live in that world. The new bridge is well on its way to completion; I have crossed the parallel bridge a few times, purely out of necessity and am nervous there due to the high volume of traffic and excessive time it takes to cross. There are a few other bridges that have absorbed excess traffic so also take much longer than previously.

While I'm nervous about infrastructure, I'm not paralyzed by that nervousness; if I were that nervous, I would be non-functional. And that would be silly.