Washington D.C: US President Joe Biden and his administration have approved USD 60 million in emergency funds to support cleanup and administration efforts to reconstruct the Francis Scott Key Bridge that was hit by a ship in Maryland’s Baltimore.
The Federal Administration in a statement on Thursday said that it has provided the quick-release funds to rebuild the collapsed bridge within hours of receiving a request from Maryland Department Of Transportation.
The swift disbursement of funds came after Biden this week earlier said that he had directed the government to “move heaven and earth” to quickly rebuild the bridge, which collapsed on Thursday after being struck by a cargo ship. US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement said that no one will ever forget the shocking images of a container vessel striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing its collapse and tragic loss of six people.
He added that the federal emergency funds that they are 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 that the federal government will do everything it takes to 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 this disaster as experts consider how to remove the Singapore-flagged Dali from the mangled wreckage of the bridge. More added that the Dali is almost as long as the Eiffel Tower and the Dali has the key bridge on top of it and 3000-4000 tonnes of steel on the ship.
Authorities have said that they need to clear the 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. Drivers on Wednesday also recovered the bodies of two workers from a pickup truck near the bridge’s middle span.
Federal officials have told Maryland lawmakers that the final cost of reconstructing the bridge would reach USD 2 Billion. Three days after Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, Maryland Governor Ws Moore emphasised that the rebuilding of the bridge would not take days or weeks adding that they have a long road ahead of them.
Moore assured that they would take care of the people and emphasised the need to rebuild the bridge. He added that one of the things they were taught was to always take care of their people. He emphasised that it is very important to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge. He added that this work will not take hours, weeks or days and they have a long road ahead of them. He said that it is about the country’s economy and not just Maryland.
Moore said that the port handles more cars and farm equipment than any other port in America. He said that this is just not about Maryland but about the country’s economy. He added that this port handles more cars and farm equipment than any other port in America and at least 8000 workers on the docks have jobs which have been affected by this accident.
