I’m still processing my feelings after a killer tornado ripped through central Oklahoma yesterday. Although the majority of damage was in Moore, the tornado started in Newcastle.
Newcastle’s the next town over from ours. They’ve been hit by several tornadoes in recent years. The tornado destroyed a subdivision behind a shopping center we frequent.
It also ruined the old Canadian River bridge linking our area to Oklahoma City.
The old North Canadian River bridge, after the May 20, 2013 tornado. Photo by Darla Welchel.
I know that there are more important things than a bridge.
I’ve loved that bridge since I was a little girl. My late sister loved that bridge. One time, she drove us there and we walked on it. This was deliciously illicit, because it was closed long ago.
I always thought it should be renovated for a pedestrian/bicycle bridge. I think they only kept it because there were gas lines under it. I guess now they will just tear it down. I wish it could be saved.
This comes right on the heels of a fire in our town that destroyed the old Opera House that was also desperately important to me and my sister. But that’s another story.
My friend Darla wrote a post about the bridge, complete with damage photos, at her blog, Through the Lens. It’s pretty incredible. I found out things about the bridge I never knew. It makes the loss even more tragic.