Mississippi River

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The Gulf: Our National Sinkhole
 The Gulf: 
 Our National Sinkhole 
It's Not Just BP...

The Gulf: Our National Sinkhole

Environmental woes predate BP, oil spill

(Newser) - Question: What, beside millions of barrels of oil , has been dumped into the Gulf of Mexico? Answer: Just about everything. The crude oozing across the Gulf is just the latest in a string of environmental problems plaguing the region, finds the New York Times . In addition to oil, there are...

Scientists: Flood the Mississippi to Save Coast

This 'gentle flushing' could protect wetlands from oil

(Newser) - In order to prevent the Gulf oil spill reaching Louisiana's wetlands, scientists propose a unique idea: flood the Mississippi River. This Popular Mechanics article explains how the Mississippi water flow acts as a natural counter-force against the current-driven oil plume's course toward land.

Energy Exec's Body Found in New Orleans

Douglas Schantz went missing Friday after visiting Bourbon Street

(Newser) - Four days after he disappeared in New Orleans, the body of a Houston energy executive was pulled from the Mississippi River today. Douglas Schantz, 54, went missing after a night of drinking on Bourbon Street. Surveillance cameras captured footage of the president of Sequent Energy Management walking toward a docked...

'Ghost Town' New Orleans Steels for Gustav

3 die in biggest evacuation in Louisiana history

(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...

Oil Spill Snarls Mississippi
 Oil Spill Snarls Mississippi 

Oil Spill Snarls Mississippi

Workers racing river to clean up gigantic slick near New Orleans

(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...

After the Deluge: Tallying Massive Costs

Food prices may rise for years to come

(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...

What to Do With the Sandbags?
 What to Do With the Sandbags? 

What to Do With the Sandbags?

Less adrenaline, more toil ahead for Midwesterners

(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...

Midwest Braces for Mississippi Crest

River expected to hit high point today

(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...

Floods May be Linked to Development

Environmentalists, scientists say continued building makes rising waters worse

(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...

19 Levees Now Breached
 19 Levees Now Breached 
UPDATED

19 Levees Now Breached

More failures in Ill., Mo., swamp farmland

(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...

Food Prices Rising Along With Floodwaters

Thousands more of acres of farmland go under water today

(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...

Red Cross Disaster Fund Is Broke

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

(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...

Iowa Flood Tide Turns Noxious
 Iowa Flood Tide Turns Noxious 

Iowa Flood Tide Turns Noxious

Mix of sewage and chemicals poses danger to residents

(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,...

Even As Neb. Honors Fallen Scouts, Floods Pound Iowa

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

(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...

Midwest Storms Threaten Worst Flooding in 15 Years

Communities work to repair damage from weekend waters

(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...

Bridge Had Fatal Design Flaw
Bridge Had Fatal Design Flaw
UPDATED

Bridge Had Fatal Design Flaw

Feds expected to report inadequate plates

(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,...

Final Bridge Victim Found
Final Bridge Victim Found

Final Bridge Victim Found

Divers recover construction worker's remains

(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...

Baby's Body Found at Bridge
Baby's Body Found at Bridge

Baby's Body Found at Bridge

(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...

Two Bodies Pulled From Bridge Debris

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

(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...

Inspectors Highlighted Bridge Faults

Debris removal delayed as Navy, FBI divers comb wreckage

(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...

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