Military Support Continues in Minneapolis Bridge Recovery Operations

American Forces Press Service

Aug. 17, 2007 - Defense Department forces assisting with search-and-recovery operations at the site of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis are continuing their efforts around the clock. The westbound span of the Interstate 35 bridge across the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis collapsed Aug. 1 during the evening rush hour. Eleven people are confirmed killed, and two more still are missing. Divers are continuing to search for remains in the river beneath the rubble.

Recovery operations are ongoing as U.S. Navy divers conduct rigging operations with onsite contractors, U.S. Northern Command officials said. The contractors, hired by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, are using heavy equipment to cut through the debris, which will provide access to remaining vehicles. The divers continue to assess their best access points to remaining vehicles as debris is removed, officials said.

"Recovery operations will continue as part of a larger team effort, with safety being a paramount concern during debris removal and dive operations," said Army Col. Michael Chesney, the defense coordinating officer and on-scene commander for Defense Department assets involved in the recovery efforts. "We are here to help and provide support to the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office as long as we are requested."

Chesney said he is impressed with the spirit of cooperation among agencies participating in the recovery operations.

"As I observe the (Navy) divers working in partnership with the contractors removing debris, it demonstrates the joint effort being put forth by everyone as we continue 24/7 recovery operations," he said.

Defense Department assets assisting in this effort include a Defense Coordinating Element augmented with personnel from U.S. Army North, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and Navy divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2, from Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va. They have been in Minneapolis since Aug. 6, at the request of the U.S. Department of Transportation and in support of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.

(From a U.S. Northern Command news release.)

Defense Coordinating Element Provides Assistance in Minneapolis

American Forces Press Service

Aug. 10, 2007 - The Department of Defense has deployed a Defense Coordinating Element to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to assist with last week's 35W bridge collapse. The six-person Region 5 Defense Coordinating Element, based in Chicago, prepares for civil support missions by working daily with federal and state emergency planners and consequence managers in the six-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Army Col. Michael Chesney, defense coordinating officer, is DoD's on-scene representative to provide command and control of responding active-duty forces and will facilitate requests for any additional DoD support.

"We are here at the request of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and Department of Transportation," Chesney said. "Sheriff Rich Stanek is the incident commander, so we are here to provide support to him and residents affected by this unfortunate disaster."

Chesney and the team are assigned to U.S. Army North, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Army North provides defense support to civil authorities as the Army component of U.S. Northern Command, the unified command on Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., that is responsible for homeland defense and civil support.

The Defense Department brings additional capabilities as part of a larger federal response when requested by states and approved by the secretary of defense. Currently, DoD is providing two dive teams and support personnel from Navy Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2, from Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va., to assist with recovery efforts after the bridge collapse.

"The Navy has some specialized skills on this type of operation where we're capable of entering into a confined space with high currents to recover the remains that the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is using as part of their investigation of the incident," said Navy Capt. Rich Hooper, director of ocean engineering and supervisor of salvage and diving at Naval Sea Systems Command.

"They need that specialized expertise the (unit) has to get into cramped, confined spaces that are heavily damaged and that are very high-risk situations for divers," Hooper said. "That specialized skill is not something you can commonly get out on the commercial market."

Seventeen divers and a five-person command-and-control element from the unit are on site in Minneapolis.

The dive team was able to enter the confined space under the collapsed bridge, an area that was previously inaccessible to local and FBI recovery attempts. "The team will conduct a hand-over-hand search of the entire area, which will take some time," Hooper said. "There is no room for error."

(From a U.S. Northern Command news release.)