From the U.S. presidential election to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsing and massive hurricanes in Florida, 2024 was filled with many shockers that surprised thousands of people around the nation.
On March 26, 2024, Baltimore, Maryland’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed. The collapse of the bridge led to the death of six construction workers who were fixing potholes on the bridge. Two other workers survived. The bridge’s fall caused the entry to the Port of Baltimore to be blocked in Maryland for months. Crews removed about 50,000 tons of steel, concrete, and asphalt from the Patapsco River. Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer from the Department of Justice stated, “The collapse is considered one of the worst transportation disasters in recent memory.” In October, the leading operators of Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited agreed to pay about $102 million, to resolve civil claims brought against them by the Justice Department. According to cost estimates provided by the Maryland government, the bridge’s reconstruction will cost about $1.8 billion, which Shailen Bhatt, administrator of the Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, announced in May, and that the reconstruction would take place on January 7, 2025. The expected time for the bridge to reopen would be in the next four years.
The presidential race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump was one of the leading events of 2024, which began in 2023 spring. Initially, the race was between Joe Biden, the incumbent President, and former president Trump. Later in July, Biden dropped out. Kamala Harris, Biden’s Vice-President, took his place to run for president. From July to November, both candidates made speeches and attended rallies, trying to gather the nation’s support before the election took place on November 5. Finally, at around 11 p.m. on election night, it was announced that Donald Trump would be the nation’s next president, with 312 electoral votes. Kamala Harris fell short with only 226 electoral votes.
Hurricane Helene landed in Florida on September 26, 2024, as a category 4 storm. According to the article “The US stories everyone was talking about in 2024” by ABC News. The storm went through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. Many people from different states were affected by this dangerous storm, fighting to survive. Because of the storm, many people were injured, and many lost their homes. Just weeks later, on October 9, another hurricane, Hurricane Milton, a category 3 storm, brought floods, tornadoes, and strong winds, killing at least 23 people in Florida. These hurricanes were some of the most significant storms that have ever landed in the United States, and damages sustained may take months or years to repair.
The Baltimore bridge collapse, the Presidential election, and the powerful storms that hit the southeast are merely a few of the occurrences that captivated the nation in 2024. As we start the new year, one can only hope that 2025 will be filled with fewer accidents and tragedies and more positive events.
Sources:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/us-stories-talking-2024/story?id=115979843
ABC News’ ‘The Year: 2024’ looks back at this year’s major news and entertainment events
