3 die in biggest evacuation in Louisiana history
Houston Chronicle Sep 1, 08 2:29 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The last bus out of New Orleans drove off at 3pm yesterday, leaving behind a virtual ghost town, reports the Houston Chronicle. An estimated 10,000 residents are left in the hurricane-threatened city, now subject to a strict dusk-to-dawn curfew. Some 1.9 million Louisianans have fled Hurricane Gustav—the biggest evacuation in state history. Three hospital patients died during the operation.
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Workers racing river to clean up gigantic slick near New Orleans
Associated Press Jul 25, 08 7:28 AM CDT
(Newser)
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An oil spill stretching nearly 100 miles along the Mississippi is causing river traffic to pile up, AP reports. Dozens of vessels are stuck in New Orleans waiting to head upriver. Others are waiting to carry cargos of grain downriver from the heartland. Officials say it will be days before traffic is moving again, and weeks before the huge spill is cleaned up.
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Food prices may rise for years to come
Reuters Jun 30, 08 2:54 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Floods that ravaged the Midwest have begun to subside—but the massive costs of weeks of rising water have only begun to be counted. The floods killed 24 people, left 38,000 homeless and destroyed billions of dollars of crops. The losses are likely to trigger food shortages and push up prices for years to come.
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Less adrenaline, more toil ahead for Midwesterners
Washington Post Jun 24, 08 8:32 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Sandbags were saviors for many in the Midwest flooding—but as the waters recede, the hefty lumps remain, often weighed down by all the toxins in the water, the Washington Post reports. Bags can weigh 60-80 pounds even when dry, so heaving one after another to the curb for pickup is a serious task, especially without the hordes of adrenaline-driven volunteers rushing to protect communities.
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River expected to hit high point today
USA Today Jun 23, 08 3:00 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Deluged midwesterners were preparing for tonight’s expected cresting of the Mississippi River, piling up sandbags to support levees, USA Today reports. Some residents have already moved to higher ground, while others are staying home to guard against looters. The river is likely to crest at a number of areas north of St. Louis. Floodwaters should start to recede early this week, said a meteorologist.
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Environmentalists, scientists say continued building makes rising waters worse
Wall Street Journal Jun 19, 08 10:52 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Major development along the Mississippi since the last big flood in 1993 may have exacerbated the current crisis, the Wall Street Journal reports. Nearly 30,000 homes have been built around St. Louis on land that was underwater then, forcing the river into a channel half the size it was 100 years ago, making it run higher and faster. With the river expected to crest this weekend, debate has intensified over how much of the problem is man-made, the Wall Street Journal reports.
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UPDATED
More failures in Ill., Mo., swamp farmland
Associated Press Jun 18, 08 1:20 PM CDT
(Newser)
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More levee breaks in Missouri and Illinois today put at 19 the number that have failed along the cresting Mississippi, Reuters reports, further swamping farmland. "They were lower level agricultural levees," said an Army Corps of Engineers spokesman. "We're also watching another seven levees that may overtop in the next couple of days … all agricultural levees."
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Thousands more of acres of farmland go under water today
Reuters Jun 17, 08 8:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Rising floodwaters in the Midwest spread over thousands more acres of farmland today, leading to record or near-record prices for corn, soybeans, and cattle and hog futures, Reuters reports. President Bush promised quick federal aid and will visit Iowa on Thursday. That's not enough for Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who blasted the president for learning nothing from Katrina. The US budget, he says, "does not add one thin dime for a boost in levee funding."
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As economy wreaks havoc with donations, relief agency down 'to zero'
Washington Post Jun 17, 08 8:35 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The American Red Cross, reeling from dealing with catastrophic floods in the Midwest, is facing its own disaster as it runs out of money to pay for relief aid. The charity has raised just $3.2 million to pay for shelters, food, and other costs—a fraction of the $40 million that may be needed in seven states hit by floods, reports the Washington Post .
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Mix of sewage and chemicals poses danger to residents
Associated Press Jun 17, 08 7:48 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Iowa floodwaters have become a toxic mess of sewage, chemicals, diesel, and animal carcasses, the AP reports, pushing some Iowans attempting to salvage possessions to update tetanus shots. "It bothers me, with everything that's in the water," said one resident. "I probably won't keep anything." Meanwhile, some Iowa towns prepared for more flooding, piling sandbags on 27 levees that could overflow along the Mississippi River.
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Hospital evacuated in downtown Cedar Rapids, where 100 blocks are submerged
Texas Civil Rights Project Jun 13, 08 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser)
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“We have to make sure people remember," said a 13-year-old who pulled a dead fellow Boy Scout out of the rubble left by Wednesday's fatal tornado. Last night's vigil in Omaha, Neb., was among several for the four teens killed in the Iowa maelstrom; “This is probably the worst day of my life,” the leader of the group’s Mid-America Council told the World-Herald .
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Communities work to repair damage from weekend waters
Associated Press Jun 11, 08 9:00 AM CDT
(Newser)
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As climbing rivers knocked out an Iowa bridge and flooded Illinois farms, communities along the Mississippi River are bracing for what could be its biggest overflow in 15 years, the AP reports. The National Weather Service warned of crests of 10 feet above flood stage and higher over the next 2 weeks. “I've been downtown for 37 years and I have never seen anything like this,” said one Cedar Falls, Iowa, resident.
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UPDATED
Feds expected to report inadequate plates
Associated Press Jan 15, 08 11:50 AM CST
(Newser)
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The Minneapolis bridge that failed last summer, killing 13 people, had fatal design flaws, the NTSB announced today. Steel gusset plates that held together beams on the eight-lane bridge were half the thickness they should have been, investigators found. While the agency didn't say the gusset plates caused the collapse,16 fractured plates were discovered on the center span, which collapsed during the evening rush hour Aug. 1, AP reports.
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