APRIL FOOLS ON US TODAY, RIGHT? YOU GOT IT. A LITTLE RAIN OUT THERE TODAY, BUT IT WON'T RUIN THE PARADE. THANKS. TALK. LET'S GET TO OUR CONTINUING COVERAGE THIS MORNING OF THE BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE. PLANS IN THE WORKS RIGHT NOW TO BUILD A TEMPORARY CHANNEL AT THE PORT OF BALTIMORE, TRYING TO GET SOME OF THE SHIPPING OPERATIONS BACK IN BUSINESS. CREWS PLACED BUOYS IN THE WATER MARKING WHERE THAT TEMPORARY CHANNEL WOULD BE. SO HOW WILL IT HELP? WELL, LET'S GET TO MELANIE OMIC. SHE'S BEEN FOLLOWING THIS MAJOR STORY SINCE THE COLLAPSE OF THE KEY BRIDGE. MORNING, MEL . >> GOOD MORNING. AND IF YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING US, YOU UNDERSTAND THE ECONOMIC IMPACT HERE, NOT JUST TO THE CITY OF BALTIMORE AND THE STATE OF MARYLAND, BUT REALLY A NATIONWIDE, WIDE SUPPLY CHAIN HICCUP. RIGHT NOW, WE'RE GOING TO CALL IT A HICCUP, BUT IT COULD LAST FOR QUITE SOME TIME. THIS IS A 377 PERSONNEL OPERATION ON, GOING 24 OVER SEVEN UNTIL THIS GETS DONE. AND OF COURSE, AS YOU MENTIONED, THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE IS ESTABLISHING THAT TEMPORARY CHANNEL. NOW THEY SAY THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE FOR CRITICAL, ESSENTIAL VEHICLES FOR VESSELS ONLY, BUT THEY HAVEN'T REALLY DEFINED SPECIFICALLY WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN. WE DO KNOW THAT THE FOCUS IS ALSO TO TRY TO GET SOME OF THIS HEAVY EQUIPMENT IN HERE SO THEY CAN MORE EFFICIENTLY BEGIN THE DEBRIS REMOVAL PROCESS. MARYLAND GOVERNOR WES MOORE WAS ON FOX NEWS SUNDAY TALKING ABOUT THIS, PLUS THE ONGOING NTSB INVESTIGATION. >> THERE NEEDS TO BE AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION AS TO WHAT HAPPENED. I WANT THAT INVESTIGATION TO BE SPEEDY AND FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. AND AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVE GOT TO GET THIS CHANNEL OPENED, WE HAVE GOT TO GET COMMERCE FLOWING AGAIN, AND WE HAVE GOT TO REBUILD THE FRANCIS SCOTT KEY BRIDGE. >> UNDERWATER TEAMS AND DEMOLITION CREWS ARE WORKING CURRENTLY TO REMOVE THE NORTHERN SECTION OF THE BRIDGE. THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS SAID THEIR PRIORITIES ARE TO CLEAR THE CHANNEL OF WRECKAGE FROM THE BRIDGE REFLOAT AND REMOVE THE SHIP AND THEN CLEAR THE REMAINING DEBRIS. A TEMPORARY CHANNEL FOR COMMERCIALLY ESSENTIAL VEHICLES, VESSELS BEING ESTABLISHED ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE MAIN CHANNEL IN THE PATAPSCO RIVER. IT WILL BE 11FT DEEP AND WILL BE MARKED WITH NAVIGATION LIGHTING. THERE IS STILL A 2000 FOOT MAUREEN SAFETY ZONE AROUND THE SITE. NO VESSELS CAN ENTER WITHOUT PERMISSION AND THE SITE IS STILL TOO DANGEROUS FOR THOSE SENSITIVE HUMAN RECOVERY OPERATIONS. WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE FOUR PEOPLE FROM THAT ROAD CONSTRUCTION CREW STILL UNACCOUNTED FOR AND PRESUMED DEAD. WE ALSO KNOW THAT IN THE MARYLAND LEGISLATURE, THEY ARE WORKING TO TRY TO PASS A BILL TO ALLOW THE STATE TO TAP THE RAINY DAY FUND IN ORDER TO GIVE SOME ECONOMIC SUPPORT TO THE FAMILIES WHO USED THE PORT AS AS THEIR ECONOMIC LIVELIHOOD, THEIR JOBS, AND THE ANCILLARY BUSINESSES AROUND IT AS WELL. AND THEY'RE GOING TO NEED SOME SUPPORT FOR SOME TIME WHILE OPERATIONS ARE SHUT DOWN. >> A LOT OF WORK STILL TO BE DONE. MEL, WE APPRECIATE YOUR COVERAGE. AND THIS MORNING, FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET A CLOSER LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THAT BRIDGE, THE FBI IS WARNING YOU NOT TO USE DRONES NEAR THE BALTIMORE HARBOR. THIS AFTER RESCUE AND RECOVERY CREWS HAVE REPORTED SOME DRONE ISSUES. AND THIS IS DESPITE OFFICIALS IMPLEMENTING TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS IN THAT AREA. LAST WEEK. >> ALL RIGHT. WELL, AS THOSE RECOVERY EFFORTS ENTER THEIR SECOND WEEK, ECONOMIC ANALYSTS SAY PEOPLE SHOULD PREPARE FOR HIGHER PRICES WHILE THE PORT OF BALTIMORE IS BLOCKED. TYPICALLY THE PORT SEES $80 BILLION WORTH OF GOODS EACH YEAR. MANY SHIPPING COMPANIES ARE SCRAMBLING TO FIND ALTERNATIVE DESTINATIONS. SOME ARE TRANSITIONING TO NEWPORT NEWS, NORFOLK AND OTHER PORTS ALONG THE EAST COAST. ECONOMISTS SAY THAT THIS REROUTE COMES AT A MAJOR PRICE. >> THEY'VE NOW GOT TO DIVERT TO OTHER, OTHER PORTS ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD, OR EVEN ON THE WEST COAST. YOU MAY SEE YOU'RE GOING TO SEE DELAYS, YOU'LL SEE INCREASES IN COSTS JUST BECAUSE OF THE INCREASED TRUCKING COST TO GET IT TO ITS DESTINATION. SO I THINK WE CAN DEFINITELY EXPECT TO SEE SOME COST EFFECTS HERE. >> WELL, AMONG THE IMPACTED INDUSTRIES INCLUDE CAR MANUFACTURERS. BALTIMORE IS A TOP PORT FOR AUTO GOODS AND TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT. IT IS ALSO A MAJOR PORT FOR COAL, COFFEE AND SUGAR. >> PRESIDENT BIDEN IS EXPECTED TO VISIT THE SITE OF THE DEADLY BRIDGE COLLAPSE IN BALTIMORE THIS WEEK. CONFIRMED THAT TRIP TO REPORTERS AFTER ARRIVING AT JOINT BASE ANDREWS OVER THE WEEKEND. HE DID NOT GIVE AN EXACT DATE, BUT LAST WEEK THE PRESIDENT APPROVED $60 MILLION IN IMMEDIATE FEDERAL AID FOR CLEANUP EFFORTS IN BALTIMORE. HE ALSO PROMISED THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL FOOT THE BILL FOR REBUILDING THE. BRIDGE. AND FOX 5, OF
