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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Mississippi River

Mississippi River stories: 24 news summaries

1 - 20 of 24 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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 'Ghost Town'
 New Orleans
 Steels for Gustav

3 die in biggest evacuation in Louisiana history

Sep 1, 08 2:29 AM CDT
(Newser) - 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... More »

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Hurricane Katrina • New Orleans • National Guard • Louisiana • National Hurricane Center • evacuation • Mississippi River • Ray Nagin • Army Corps of Engineers • levees • Hurricane Gustav • Superdome

 Oil Spill Snarls Mississippi 

Workers racing river to clean up gigantic  slick near New Orleans

Jul 25, 08 7:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - 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... More »

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pollution • New Orleans • oil spill • Mississippi River • shipping • cargo ships

 After the Deluge:
 Tallying Massive Costs 

Food prices may rise for years to come

Jun 30, 08 2:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - 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... More »

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corn • St. Louis • FEMA • Mississippi River • Army Corps of Engineers • National Weather Service • soybeans • Midwest floods

 What to Do With the Sandbags? 

Less adrenaline, more toil ahead for Midwesterners

Jun 24, 08 8:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - 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... More »

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flooding • Mississippi River • levees • Midwest floods • sandbags

 Midwest Braces
 for Mississippi Crest 

River expected to hit high point today

Jun 23, 08 3:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - 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... More »

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flooding • Mississippi River • levees • sandbags

 Floods May be Linked
 to Development 

Environmentalists, scientists say continued building makes rising waters worse

Jun 19, 08 10:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - 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... More »

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Mississippi River • Army Corps of Engineers • levees • Midwest floods • national disaster relief fund

UPDATED

 19 Levees Now Breached 

More failures in Ill., Mo., swamp farmland

Jun 18, 08 1:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - 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... More »

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flood • flooding • Illinois • Missouri • Mississippi River • Army Corps of Engineers • levees

 Food Prices Rising
 Along With Floodwaters 

Thousands more of acres of farmland go under water today

Jun 17, 08 8:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - 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... More »

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Iowa • flooding • Mississippi River • Midwest floods

 Red Cross
 Disaster Fund Is Broke 

As economy wreaks havoc with donations, relief agency down 'to zero'

Jun 17, 08 8:35 AM CDT
(Newser) - 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... More »

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Hurricane Katrina • fundraiser • Mississippi River • American Red Cross • Midwest floods • national disaster relief fund • Jeffrey Towers

 Iowa Flood Tide Turns Noxious 

Mix of sewage and chemicals poses danger to residents

Jun 17, 08 7:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - 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,... More »

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Iowa • Mississippi River • sewage • levees • Midwest floods

Even As Neb. Honors Fallen Scouts, Floods Pound Iowa

Hospital evacuated in downtown Cedar Rapids, where 100 blocks are submerged

Jun 13, 08 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - “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... More »

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Iowa • Nebraska • flooding • Missouri • Mississippi River • disaster • Boy Scouts of America

Midwest Storms Threaten Worst Flooding in 15 Years

Communities work to repair damage from weekend waters

Jun 11, 08 9:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - 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... More »

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Iowa • Wisconsin • Midwest • severe weather • Michigan • Indiana • flooding • Illinois • Missouri • Mississippi River

UPDATED

Bridge Had Fatal Design Flaw

Feds expected to report inadequate plates

Jan 15, 08 11:50 AM CST
(Newser) - 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,... More »

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Minneapolis • Mississippi River • bridge collapse • bridge • I 35W bridge

Final Bridge Victim Found

Divers recover construction worker's remains

Aug 21, 07 2:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - The body of the 13th victim and last person missing since the Minneapolis bridge collapse nearly three weeks ago has been recovered, AP reports. Gregory Jolstad, 45, was a member of the 18-person construction crew working on the doomed structure when it plunged into the Mississippi river. The other 17... More »

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Minneapolis • Mississippi River • bridge collapse • bridge • I 35W bridge • Gregory Jolstad

Baby's Body Found at Bridge

Aug 10, 07 5:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - The body of a 2-year-old girl is among those recovered from the wreckage of the I35W bridge in Minneapolis; the toddler's mother has not yet been found, CNN reports. Remains located by divers in the Mississippi today bring the total number of casualties in the Aug. 1 collapse to at... More »

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Minneapolis • death • Minnesota • Mississippi River • bridge collapse • bridge • collapse • I 35W bridge

Two Bodies Pulled From Bridge Debris

Confirmed death toll climbs to 7; at least 6 more remain missing

Aug 9, 07 6:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - Authorities recovered two more bodies from the wreckage of the I-35W bridge today, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports, bringing the official death toll to seven. One of the bodies has already been identified, and police anticipated retrieving a third as work continued for a seventh full day in and around... More »

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death toll • Minnesota • Mississippi River • bridge collapse • bridge • collapse • I 35W bridge

Inspectors Highlighted Bridge Faults

Debris removal delayed as Navy, FBI divers comb wreckage

Aug 8, 07 6:17 PM CDT
(Newser) - The I-35W bridge collapse followed 10 years' worth of warnings from bridge inspectors, who eventually recommended that the structure be replaced, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Experts disagree on the urgency with which the warnings were issued and should have been addressed, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty said yesterday that no... More »

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Minneapolis • Mississippi River • bridge collapse • I 35W bridge • Tim Pawlenty

Investigators Plan Bridge Reassembly

Jigsaw parts to be examined; search for victims continues

Aug 6, 07 4:46 PM CDT
(Newser) - NTSB investigators will rebuild the wreckage of the I-35W bridge downriver, the Star Tribune reports. Safety officials will examine the twisted rubble piece by piece in an attempt to figure out what caused last week's devastating collapse. Investigators also hope to recover bodies still trapped in the debris. More »

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investigation • Minneapolis • Minnesota • Mississippi River • bridge collapse • bridge • I 35W bridge • NTSB

Hero Counselor Saves Kids From Bus on Bridge

He passes 52 trapped kids to volunteers

Aug 3, 07 8:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - When a bus packed with kids returning from a field trip came to rest at a precarious angle on the collapsed I-35W bridge, dangling over the Mississippi River, counselor Jeremy Hernandez barely had time to think. "I knew we had to get them out of there," the 20-year-old... More »

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children • Minnesota • Mississippi River • bridge collapse • I 35W bridge • Jeremy Hernandez • camp counselor

Bridge Rated 'Structurally Deficient' in 2005

Hunt still on for missing

Aug 3, 07 4:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - Federal engineers rated the Minneapolis bridge that plunged into the Mississippi as "structurally deficient" as far back as 1990 and as recently as 2005, citing significant corrosion in its bearings. But state officials opted for patchwork repairs and more inspections rather than a complete overhaul. "We thought we... More »

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Minneapolis • Minnesota • Mississippi River • bridge collapse • bridge • collapse • Tim Pawlenty • engineers

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