A water main in Bethesda, Maryland broke today, trapping several victims in their cars until rescue workers extricated them in helicopters. Montgomery County Fire Department Chief Peter Piringer said that about a dozen people have been rescued so far. A rescue worker told NBC News that it was the most difficult rescue he has ever been involved with. Several people have been treated for hypothermia, as it is about 15 degrees Fahrenheit in the Washington, DC area. When the water main broke, the Potomac River crashed into a main road, sweeping away several cars toting people on their way to work. The accident underscores the dire situation that so much U.S. infrastructure finds itself in, a reason that Barack Obama has pledged to spend nearly $700 billion in projects designed to improve American roads, bridges, dams and tunnels.
