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Big Bunny
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|  | Re: "Severe Weather" III
« Reply #105 on Jun 28, 2012, 9:11am » | |
Colorado Springs Waldo Canyon wildfire forces thousands to flee flames
Barack Obama to visit Colorado on Friday as more residents told to be prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice if blaze grows
Suzanne Goldenberg in Colorado Springs
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 27 June 2012 23.46 BST
![[image]](http://imageshack.us/a/img268/6279/coloradospringswildfire.jpg "[image]")
An entire neighborhood burns near the foothills of Colorado Springs on Tuesday. Photograph: Helen H Richardson/AP
The thick black smoke pouring over the hills forced Mandy Ostebuhr to a snap decision: pets, kids' toys into the car, pretty much everything else left to its chances in Colorado's Waldo Canyon wildfire.
The smoke was so thick it gave her daughter Camile, 9, coughing fits and a nosebleed, and left a deposit of ash on the front step.
An exodus of neighbourhoods north and west of Colorado Springs expanded on Wednesday, as the wildfire broke through containment barriers, triggering a new round of evacuations.
"It's nerve wracking, just so scary," said Ostebuhr, carrying a plastic tub of kids' toys out to the car.
More than 25,000 people were ordered out of their homes on Tuesday when the fire, fed by strong winds and extreme heat wave, drove towards the air force academy and neighbourhoods north of Colorado Springs.
By early afternoon on Wednesday, the number on the move had risen to 32,000 after the authorities expanded the evacuation zone and ordered residents of other areas to be prepared to move out at short notice.
"It was like looking at the worst movie set you could imagine," governor John Hickenlooper said after flying over the Waldo Canyon blaze late on Tuesday.
"It's almost surreal. You look at that, and it's like nothing I've seen before."
As more than 600 firefighters battled in vain to bring the blaze under control, the White House announced that Barack Obama will visit the area on Friday to thank them for their efforts and to see the damage.
Meanwhile in the Pleasant Valley neighbourhood, Ostebuhr was not hanging around.
Within an hour of the alert, she had recruited her parents to help her pack, and organised a convoy of four vehicles to ferry her, her daughter and pets – a cat, a turtle and a fish – as well as their belongings to safety.
Her rented house, like most of the others on her street, was wood-framed and old.
"If the winds pick up or change direction, it could be really fast," her father, Herman Ostebuhr, said. "This neighbourhood could get attacked from two directions. There would be only one way out."
But what to save? Ostebuhr was just this side of panic. The jeep was entirely full of clothes and things of sentimental value. An SUV was filling up rapidly with plastic tubs of stuffed animals and toys. "I don't want to leave any of the kids' toys behind," she said. "You know, just in case."
Further down her street, her neighbours were making similar calculations, stacking suitcases by the front door, or ferrying documents and photo albums to the car.
"It's getting close," said Coralee Doyle. Her adult children and other relatives had been phoning every few minutes begging her to get out; Doyle was waiting for her husband to get off work and join her.
She wasn't taking much; her only vehicle was a two-seat convertible.
Others were worse off though, Doyle said. "I feel so bad for all the people who have already lost their homes," she said. "And you've got to wonder: what happens to all the homeless people? Not everyone has someplace to go."
Starbucks: 'The last stop to Armageddon'
Across the northern and western edges of Colorado Springs, residents were preoccupied with their own preparations: taking dogs for walks, strapping bicycles to cars, even stopping off for drinks and snacks.
"We're the last stop to Armageddon," a server at the local Starbucks joked. "Every time they are told to evacuate they stop in here at the window for a caramel frappuccino."
The fires, which started on Saturday, has burned more than 15,000 acres in the foothills around Colorado Springs, with the flames fed by strong winds and record temperatures.
It is the most serious of the dozens of wildfires across the American west, because of its proximity to Colorado Springs, the state's second biggest city, and major tourist destinations.
State officials have admitted there is little relief in sight because of the heat wave and high winds, deepening the sense of fear in neighbourhoos now threatened by the fire. Douglas Lingle, standing shirtless in his front yard, was reduced to helpless fury by the evacuation warning.
"I hope the whole thing burns to prove the government should have put out the fire a long time ago instead of pussy footing around. They let it get out of control," said Lingle, who divides his time between homes in Colorado and Texas. "If they can't put out a little bitty fire, how are they going to put out one that is in the whole town?"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun....canyon-wildfire
AND:
Colorado firefighters battling Waldo Canyon fire get help from US air force
Elite military tankers called in to stop spread of flames near Colorado Springs are considered a last resort in fighting wildfires
Ryan Devereaux
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 27 June 2012 18.59 BST
As Colorado's fierce Waldo Canyon fire continues to burn and displace families in the Colorado Springs area, small crews of locally stationed air force reservists have been tasked with battling the flames from the sky.
For some, like loadmaster Chris Linquistit of the US air force reserve command's 302nd airlift wing, it means fighting a fire that threatens their hometown. "It's numbing," he told the Guardian. "It's hard to watch your home burn."
About 32,000 Colorado Springs residents were being evacuated on Wednesday. "It was like looking at the worst movie set you could imagine," Governor John Hickenlooper said after flying over the blaze. "It's almost surreal. You look at that, and it's like nothing I've seen before."
Stationed at Peterson air force base, the 302nd has provided a crucial tool in combating the fire; two massive C-130H aircraft equipped with modular airborne firefighting systems, or Maffs. Two more of the specialized aircraft have been provided by the Wyoming air national guard's 153rd airlift wing. Together the four planes represent half of the nation's elite firefighting tankers.
The hulking C-130Hs are considered a last resort in combating fires. Their use requires that all other options – including private aircraft – have been exhausted. On Sunday the National interagency fire center – which provides guidance for US fire agencies – informed the 302nd that their equipment and capabilities were needed.
"They requested that the aircraft be ready to fly by Monday," said Ann Skarban, chief of public affairs for the 302nd. Shortly after noon on Monday, the mission was launched.
The first stop was a tanker base in Pueblo, Colorado, where the planes were filled with a special flame retardant known as Phos-Chek. The Maffs tanker system allows the plane's crew to drop 3,000 gallons of the substance in under five seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide.
Maffs crews are made up of six members: a pilot, a co-pilot, a flight engineer, a navigator and two loadmasters. Once the retardant load is dispersed the aircraft can be refilled and back to the mission in less than 12 minutes. Air-bound firefighters have compared the high-stakes refuelling process to Nascar pit stops. According to a US forest service report, the planes cost $6,600 an hour to fly.
The mission of the planes is to stop the spread of the flames by creating suppression lines, allowing ground personnel to move in and provide containment. To do this the aircraft are forced to fly low, hugging close to the earth, often barrelling through clouds of smoke.
On Tuesday, the crews completed their first full day of operations. The planes are limited to daylight hours, meaning they make as many runs as possible before the sun goes down or the smoke gets too thick.
After roughly seven hours of dropping retardant, refuelling, then repeating the process, the planes had to pull out due to low visibility at 4pm Tuesday afternoon. It was at the time that high winds pushed the flames over a mountain ridge, turning the Waldo Canyon fire into an inferno that forced the evacuation of more than 32,000 residents, including the air force academy, and destroyed an unknown number of homes.
The reservists in Colorado Springs have a history of battling such conditions. In 2008 the 302nd responded to fires in California, while 2011 was a record season for Maffs operations, with missions launched in Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. Still, Colorado's wildfires, the Waldo Canyon fire in particular, present an unique challenge to the crew members stationed at Peterson.
"This is their hometown," Skarban said. "They're extremely professional. They work diligently and very hard on every task they're given."
"But I know for many of them, this is home," she said, noting that some members of the crew live in the city's evacuation areas or have friends and family that do.
"It means a lot to them," Skarban said.
This is Linquist's first year fighting fires, and he admits it has been difficult.
But, he said, he is grateful for the opportunity to help protect his community.
"It's one of the most satisfying missions I think that I've ever been on," he said. "I'm very happy that they brought us in."
The blaze is just one of over half dozens wildfires to take hold in Colorado in recent weeks, fuelled by exceedingly dry conditions, record heat and unpredictable winds. In northern Colorado, just outside the city of Fort Collins, the High Park fire has burned 87,284 acres, displaced over 11,000 people and led to at least one death. It is the second largest fire in the state's history. The local sheriff's department hopes to see all evacuees returned to their homes within the next two days.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/27/colorado-waldo-canyon-fire-air-force
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: "Severe Weather" III
« Reply #106 on Jun 28, 2012, 6:43pm » | |
Tropical storm Debby causes widespread flooding and blocks highways in Florida
Debby unlikely to gain strength, but several days of rain forecast across northern Florida as officials gear up for flooding
Associated Press in Florida
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 26 June 2012 15.45 BST
![[image]](http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/6/25/1340586432512/Tropical-storm-Debby-008.jpg "[image]")
Tropical storm Debby drenches Cedar Key, Florida. Photograph: Phil Sandlin/AP
Parts of the main interstate highway across northern Florida were closed by flooding Tuesday as tropical storm Debby hung stubbornly offshore over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening up to two feet of rain in places.
After raking Florida's Gulf coast with high winds and heavy rain, Debby promised to bring more of the same in the coming days as it drifted on a path forecast to take it over the state and east into the Atlantic by Friday.
The National Hurricane Center said Debby was about 85 miles west of Cedar Key, Florida, and moving eastward near three mph. It had maximum sustained winds near 45 mph, barely tropical-storm status.
But the wind, high surf and relentless rain have made the storm's presence felt.
The Florida Highway Patrol closed portions of Interstate 10 in north Florida early Tuesday due to flooding caused by rain. Troopers reported several areas of flooding on a roughly 50-mile stretch of the east-west interstate east of where it crosses I-75 and the agency warned motorists to use extreme caution on other parts of the highway.
South of that stretch of I-10, four puppies and a young dog drowned when a swollen creek flooded an animal shelter in the city of Starke. The Florida Times-Union reported that officials placed sandbags and dug trenches outside to protect the shelter, but the water rose quickly Sunday night.
Farther south, in the Tampa Bay area, roads such as Tampa's Bayshore Boulevard were washed out. Residents tried to salvage belongings from flooded homes in low-lying areas. At one point Monday, high winds and flooding concerns prompted authorities to close two major routes over Tampa Bay into St. Petersburg: the Howard Frankland Bridge from Tampa and the Sunshine Skyway from the southeast.
Before nightfall, Debbie had dumped more than a foot of rain on some parts over the previous 96 hours. And forecasters were expecting the rains to continue, bringing another four to eight inches across northern Florida.
Torrential rains and flooding would continue across parts of the Florida Panhandle and northern Florida for several days, even though the storm wasn't expected to gain strength.
"The widespread flooding is the biggest concern" said Florida Emergency Operations Center spokeswoman Julie Roberts. "It's a concern that Debby is going to be around for the next couple of days, and while it sits there, it's going to continue to drop rain. The longer it sits, the more rain we get."
At least one person was killed Sunday by a tornado spun off by the large storm system.
WFLA-TV reported that a young mother, Heather Town, died Sunday when her Highlands County home was lifted off its foundation and she and her baby girl were thrown into nearby woods. The mother was found clutching the child, who survived.
"She was a great mother, and held her baby through all of this and held her so tight" her father, Elmer Town, Jr., told the news station. "She was holding her during the tornado. And when they found her, she was still holding her."
Alabama authorities searched for a man who disappeared in the rough surf.
An estimated 35,000 homes and businesses lost electricity. Progress Energy reported that as of 4 pm Monday, about 18,900 were still without power.
The bridge leading to St. George Island, a vacation spot along the Panhandle, was closed to everyone except residents, renters and business owners to keep looters out. The island had no power, and palm trees had been blown down, but roads were passable.
"Most true islanders are hanging in there because they know that you may or may not be able to get back to your home when you need to," said David Walker, an island resident having a beer at Eddy Teach's bar. He said he had been through many storms on the island and Debby was on the weaker end of the scale.
Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a statewide emergency, allowing authorities to put laws against price-gouging into effect and override bureaucratic hurdles to deal with the storm.
A tropical storm warning remained in effect Tuesday morning for about 450 miles of coastline, from Mexico Beach in the Panhandle to Englewood, south of Sarasota.
Forecasters cautioned that Debby is a large tropical cyclone spreading strong winds and heavy rains at great distances from its center.
They said it would crawl generally east, come ashore along Florida's northwestern coast Wednesday night and track slowly across the state, exiting along the Atlantic Coast by Friday and losing steam as it crosses land.
"We're not expecting the storm to intensify" said Ernie Jillson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Tampa, early Tuesday. "We're expecting it to stay a fairly weak tropical storm."
People in several sparsely populated counties near the crook of Florida's elbow were urged to leave low-lying neighborhoods because of the danger of flooding. Shelters opened in some places.
On St. Pete Beach in the Tampa Bay area, surfers enjoyed the large waves in the Gulf, which is usually so calm the water looks like glass. Residents cleaned up debris in yards and streets from a possible tornado Sunday.
"The wind picked up so bad. It's very, very scary. I ran into the closet underneath the hallway stairs" said Ann Garrison, who has lived on the barrier island for 20 years but has never seen such strong winds. She said that when she came back out after just a few minutes, "the fence was gone, and it was in the middle of the yard."
Nearby, a likely tornado ripped the roof off a marina and an apartment complex and knocked down fences, trees and signs.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun....-flooding-rains
|
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: "Severe Weather" III
« Reply #107 on Jun 30, 2012, 9:10am » | |
Eastern US braced for searing heat as storms leave two dead
Two people killed by falling branches caused by violent storms, with temperatures expected to reach 100F on Saturday
Matt Williams
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 30 June 2012 14.10 BST
Violent storms across the eastern US have killed two and left millions of people without power on a weekend that promises sweltering heat.
With temperatures expected to reach triple figures in Washington DC and surrounding areas on Saturday, about 2 million people will be without access to electricity were wiped out by strong winds and falling branches.
Meanwhile the freak weather conditions have been blamed for two fatalities in Virginia, including that of a 90-year-old woman who died when a tree slammed into her home while she slept.
Power outages were reported from Indiana to New Jersey, with the bulk of the service interruptions concentrated on the capital.
Earlier Friday, temperatures in DC reached 104F – topping a record of 101 set in 1934.
More than 20 elderly residents at an apartment home in Indianapolis were evacuated when the facility lost power due to a downed tree.
Most were bused to a Red Cross facility to spend the night, while others who depend on oxygen assistance were given other accommodation, the fire department said.
Winds of up to 70mph also led to travel chaos. On Interstate 75, near Findlay, Ohio, three tractor trailers overturned leading to lengthy tailbacks.
The two deaths so far reported in relation to the storm were the result of falling trees.
Besides the 90-year-old woman, who authorities didn't identify pending notification of family members, a man driving his car was pronounced dead at the scene after his vehicle was struck by heavy branches. Authorities identified him as Khiet Nguyen, 27, of Burke, Virginia.
Others had a lucky escape amid flying debris and swinging electricity cables.
A park police officer was injured by an uprooted tree in the northern Virginia county, and an 18-year-old man was struck by a power line. He was in stable condition after receiving CPR, authorities said.
West Virginia governor Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency after more than 500,000 customers in 27 counties were left without electricity.
At least four utility poles fell on a road in Columbus, Ohio, making it too dangerous for people in four cars to get out, police said. One person was taken to a hospital.
As of 1am Saturday, Pepco was reporting 406,000 outages in the District of Columbia and Montgomery and Prince George's counties, Maryland.
"We have more than half our system down," said Pepco spokeswoman Myra Oppel. "This is definitely going to be a multi-day outage."
Amtrak suspended its service from Washington DC to Philadelphia due to the storms, at least until mid-morning Saturday.
In the DC area, the Metrorail subway trains were returned to their endpoints due to the storms and related damage, officials said.
"It has had a widespread effect on the region," Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said early Saturday. He said about 17 train stations were operating on backup power due to local power outages, but that he didn't anticipate service being disrupted on Saturday.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/30/eastern-us-heat-storms-washington
AND:
US storms leave more than 1m people without power in eastern states
West Virginia governor declares state of emergency, while one person is reported killed in Virginia
Reuters in Washington DC
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 30 June 2012 08.18 BST
Powerful storms have struck the mid-Atlantic states with hurricane-force gusts, knocking out power to more than a million people in the region and prompting the West Virginia governor to declare a statewide emergency.
The US National Weather Service posted a severe thunderstorm watch for portions of the District of Columbia, eastern Kentucky, western Maryland, south-western Pennsylvania, much of Virginia and parts of West Virginia.
The advisory, which warned of wind gusts of up to 80mph (129km/h) and large hail, was to remain in effect until early on Saturday morning.
The West Virginia governor, Ray Tomblin, declared a state of emergency for the whole state after storms that he said had left about 500,000 people without electricity in at least 27 counties.
The declaration allows "government resources to be devoted immediately to helping those in need and restoring power as soon as possible", he said in a statement.
Wind gusts at speeds of up to 79mph (127km/h) were reported in and around the US capital, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes in the Washington DC area.
WJLA television reported one fatality in suburban Fairfax County, Virginia, after a tree fell on a car.
Bands of rain lashed the District of Columbia, and winds littered the streets with tree limbs as the fast-moving storms, which started in the Midwest after a day of severe heat, reached Washington and its suburbs late in the evening.
WTOP radio said more than 800,000 people in the Washington area were without power. Outages hit several Washington Metro stations, the Washington Post reported.
A flash-flood warning was issued in Fredrick County, Maryland, until 1.15am on Saturday.
WUSA television in Washington said thousands of trees and tree branches were likely to have been downed by the storm.
Temperature records for the month of June were broken on Friday in Washington, Atlanta and Louisville, Kentucky. In all three cities, the temperature hit at least 104F (40C), according to the National Weather Service.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/30/storm-power-eastern-us-states
|
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
|
Big Bunny
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| | Re: "Severe Weather" III
« Reply #108 on Jul 2, 2012, 10:30am » | |
Residents return to burnt homes as death toll from US fires rises to 17
AP, AFP
AP
July 02, 2012 6:30PM
![[image]](http://imageshack.us/a/img26/634/784056westernwildfires.jpg "[image]")
Homes are destroyed by the Waldo Canyon fire in the Mountain Shadows area of Colorado Springs in the US. Source: AP
UPDATE: PEOPLE who fled the most destructive fire in Colorado's history have visited the most devastated neighbourhood, and many found their homes among the nearly 350 burned to the ground.
Two bodies were found in the ruins lifting the death toll to 17.
Residents marvelled at the random path of disaster.
Nothing remained of CJ Moore's home but the concrete, but the letters in her mailbox were unscathed.
''It's just unreal. Unreal,'' she said.
''Good Lord! I've never seen anything like this. And thank God there was nobody there.''
Nearby cars were burned to nothing but charred metal, but three neighbours' homes were untouched.
![[image]](http://imageshack.us/a/img221/9246/963084usfirecolorado.jpg "[image]")
Frank Baker visits the remains of his brother's home which was burnt to the ground in the High Park Fire, June 30, 2012 in Bellvue, Colorado west of Fort Collins. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK
Source: AFP
Melted bowling balls were scattered in Moore's front yard.
About 7000 people will be allowed to return to their homes for good on Sunday night local time.
That would leave about 3000 still evacuated, down from more than 30,000 at the peak of the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs.
The fire was 45 per cent contained late on Sunday night local time after a long week of shifting winds that frustrated firefighters.
It was one of many burning across the West, including eight in Utah and a fast-growing blaze in Montana that forced residents in several small communities to leave.
Authorities at the Colorado Springs fire said they are confident they have stopped flames from spreading.
![[image]](http://imageshack.us/a/img829/199/962826us147465290.jpg "[image]")
A destroyed home is viewed in a neighborhood affected by the Waldo Canyon fire on June 30, 2012 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Picture: Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP
Source: AFP
''We're cautiously optimistic,'' incident commander Rich Harvey said on Sunday.
''We still remain focused on things that could go wrong.''
The two victims' names haven't been released.
Police Chief Pete Carey said on Saturday an estimated 10 people who had been unaccounted for had been located.
Investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the fire that broke out on June 23, and which so far has cost $US8.8 million ($A8.61 million) to battle.
Dangerous conditions had kept them from beginning their inquiry.
Meanwhile, more than three million people in the eastern US are facing a second day of 40 degree temperatures without electricity after storms ripped through the region.
![[image]](http://imageshack.us/a/img812/4973/964407us147465299.jpg "[image]")
A burned truck is viewed in a neighborhood affected by the Waldo Canyon fire on June 30, 2012 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Picture: Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP
Source: AFP
It could be several days before all power outages in Washington, DC, and elsewhere are restored, officials say and the National Weather Service says more thunderstorms are possible.
"Unlike a polite hurricane that gives you three days of warning, this storm gave us all the impact of a hurricane without any of the warning of a hurricane," Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley said.
Mobile phone and internet service remain affected, petrol stations were shut down and residents have been urged to conserve water. Some major online services also saw delays and disruptions.
In Colorado, firefighters have contained about 45 per cent of the Waldo Canyon fire outside Colorado Springs, according to the Denver Post.
Temperatures shot back above 37C in many areas, prompting the US National Weather Service to warn of the prospect of severe thunderstorms including large hail and damaging winds.
"Cities from St. Louis, Missouri to Washington DC are forecast to approach or break daily record high temperatures for yet another day and there may be more all-time records broken," added AccuWeather, a private weather service.
![[image]](http://imageshack.us/a/img835/5808/099506acrewclearsafalle.jpg "[image]")
A crew clears a fallen tree felled by strong winds from a row of homes in Washington, DC after power cuts caused by a record breaking heatwave in the eastern USA. Pictures: AFP
Source: AFP
Pepco, the utility that serves Washington and some of its suburbs, said it may be a full week before service is restored to all its customers by teams of linesmen that included reinforcements from as far as Oklahoma and Florida.
"The devastation is extensive and while we expect to have the vast majority of customers restored by the end of day Friday, restoration for some customers may extend into the weekend," Pepco regional president Thomas Graham said.
Local authorities in Washington put out a hyperthermia alert, saying the heat index - which is the thermometer reading adjusted to take humidity into account - in the afternoon was 101 degrees fahrenheit (38C).
"Cooling centers" remained opened in many urban areas as refuges for those - notably the elderly - unable to cope without air conditioning, and at least one major supermarket chain gave away free ice to all comers.
The District of Columbia's emergency management agency suggested going to a movie or a museum in order to beat the heat. "Bottom line is, stay (as) hydrated and cool as possible," it said on its Twitter feed.
Some 3.7 million homes lost power in Friday's storms and four states - Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio - declared states of emergency.
"The power is slowly coming back on line," West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomlin told CNN on Sunday, adding however that "we still have over half a million people without power."
![[image]](http://imageshack.us/a/img36/2928/964383us147465295.jpg "[image]")
Destroyed homes sit beside homes left untouched by fire in a neighborhood affected by the Waldo Canyon fire on June 30, 2012 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Picture: Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP
Source: AFP
"We just once again ask people to be patient," he said. "It's going to take a few days."
In Baltimore, Maryland, the local Baltimore Gas and Electric utility said it had deployed 1,000 trucks to restore power to 306,000 customers in and around the major port city.
Storm debris was gone from major highways in the region, but downed branches and trees still littered secondary routes.
Responsible for the extreme early-summer weather has been a high pressure area parked over the southeastern United States - the same slow-moving weather system blamed for a fatal wildfire in Colorado earlier in the week.
Firefighters supported by water bombers managed over the weekend to contain much of the Waldo Canyon inferno that killed three people, destroyed nearly 350 residences and left many hundreds homeless.
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, speaking Sunday on CNN, said it felt as if the worst was over. "But we also know that Mother Nature will be fickle out here," he added. "We're keeping ourselves very alert."
President Barack Obama visited Colorado on Friday to see the devastation first-hand and to praise "the courage and determination and professionalism" of those fighting the flames.
- with AP
![[image]](http://imageshack.us/a/img833/7692/962795usfi.jpg "[image]")
Smoke billows at sunrise from part of the Waldo Canyon fire on June 30, 2012 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Picture: Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP
Source: AFP
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/wo....0-1226414080164
|
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
|
Big Bunny
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Posts: 50,822
Location: Sydney, Australia
| | Re: "Severe Weather" III
« Reply #109 on Jul 7, 2012, 10:57pm » | |
Scores killed in Russia floods
July 8, 2012 - 10:05AM
Severe flash floods in Russia's southern Krasnodar region have killed at least 99 people and affected nearly 13,000 in the area's worst natural disaster in decades, officials say.
Residents were caught completely by surprise by the force of the waters, which ripped up paving and traffic lights and flooded the ground floors of houses within minutes, witnesses and officials said.
One woman reportedly had to spend a night up a tree before being rescued from the floods caused by exceptionally heavy rainstorms.
In the district of Krymsk, the area worst hit by the disaster, officials had already discovered 88 bodies including that of a 10-year-old child, regional police spokesman Igor Zhelyabin said.
Officials have not been able to explain the large number of deaths, except by saying that the disaster struck while residents were asleep.
"Everything happened at night and very quickly," the regional administration said in a statement.
Zhelyabin declined to speculate on the reasons behind the massive toll, saying Moscow-based investigators were conducting a probe.
The internet was abuzz with speculation that people died in a man-made catastrophe resulting from an open sluice gate at a water reservoir.
Authorities denied the reports.
"Unfortunately, the rumour mills works much faster than the official information," a spokeswoman for the regional governor, Anna Minkova, said on the popular Echo of Moscow radio station.
"No water reservoir, no gate has been opened," she said, adding that the district did not have a reservoir that might have caused the flooding.
Nine people were reported killed in the Black Sea resort town of Gelendzhik and another two in the port of Novorossiysk over the past two days, Zhelyabin said.
The victims included two woman and three men electrocuted in Gelendzhik on Friday.
The authorities said they had to switch off power in the worst-affected areas to avoid more deaths.
Tatyana, a resident of Krymsk whose house, perched on a hill, was not affected by the floods, said the disaster struck unexpectedly.
"The water rose very quickly," she said by phone, declining to give her last name.
"It flooded people's ground floors in five to 10 minutes, ripped out pavement kerbs and even pieces of asphalt," she said.
Local people had received no warning from the emergency services, she added.
"Many elderly people must have been asleep and probably died," she said.
"In the morning, there were boats on the neighbouring street. A woman spent the night in a tree and then was rescued."
The resort town of Gelendzhik received five months' worth of rain in 24 hours, the regional administration said.
Novorossiysk, Russia's largest port on the Black Sea, received two month's worth of rain in 24 hours.
A team had worked through the night to bring the situation under control in the port, port spokesman Mikhail Sidorov said.
"In some places the water level reached 1.5 metres," he said.
The floods and a landslide had affected the port's operations and pipeline operator Transneft had informed management that it would halt shipments of crude oil, he added.
"Vladimir Putin is regularly receiving information about the state of affairs in Kuban from the health, emergencies situations and regional development," the Kremlin said in a statement.
Krasnodar governor Alexander Tkachev said he had spoken by phone to both President Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and pledged everything would be done to help those affected by the floods.
"Of course, it came as a shock to us," he said.
"We've never had this before."
In remarks broadcast on television, he expressed the hope that residents would not resort to looting.
"You can see from the air that the water in Gelendzhik has nearly died down but something unimaginable is happening in Krymsk," Tkachev said on Twitter as he toured the flood-hit areas.
"A rescue operation is ongoing. More bodies are being discovered," Zhelyabin said, adding he feared the death toll could still rise.
Earlier, the Krasnodar regional authorities said this was the worst flooding to hit the region in a decade.
"Non-stop rain has turned several districts of the region into an emergency zone," they said in a statement, with the floods affecting the homes of nearly 13,000 people.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weathe....l#ixzz2003kRpHm
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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« Reply #110 on Jul 7, 2012, 10:59pm » | |
Unrelenting heat wave bakes half the US
July 8, 2012 - 12:03PM
Americans dipped into the water, went to the movies and rode the subway just to be in air conditioning on Saturday for relief from unrelenting heat that has killed at least 30 people across half the country.
The heat sent temperatures soaring over 38 degrees Celsius in several cities, including a record 40.5C in Washington, St Louis 41C, and Indianapolis 40C , buckled highways and derailed a Washington-area train even as another round of summer storms threatened.
The heat sent temperatures soaring in more than 20 states to 40.5C in Louisville, Kentucky, 38.5C in Philadelphia, and 35C in New York; besides Washington, a record of 40C was set in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
At least 30 deaths were blamed on the heat, including nine in Maryland and 10 in Chicago, mostly among the elderly. Three elderly people found dead in their houses in Ohio had heart disease, but died of high temperatures in homes lacking power because of recent outages, officials said. Heat was also cited as a factor in three deaths in Wisconsin, two in Tennessee and three in Pennsylvania.
Officials said the heat caused highways to buckle in Illinois and Wisconsin. In Maryland, investigators said heat likely caused rails to kink and led a green line train to partially derail in Prince George's County, Maryland, on Friday afternoon. No one was injured, and 55 passengers were safely evacuated.
Thousands of mid-Atlantic residents remained without power more than a week after deadly summer storms and extreme heat struck the area, including 120,000 in West Virginia and some 37,000 in the Washington, DC, suburbs. In the Washington area, the utility company Pepco asked customers to conserve power, saying the heat was stressing the system.
"This is becoming a black swan of heat waves, in the sense that it's such a long heat wave, such a severe heat wave and encompassing such a large area," said Chris Vaccaro, spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
At the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, Abraham Lewis and his wife, Dzifa Fianoo of Lorton, Virginia, brought their 8-week-old son out for a walk in the 38-degree C heat
"I really don't want to be out, but she's a new mother and was feeling cooped up," Lewis said. "Do you see how hot it is?" he said, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead more than once.
The couple's home in northern Virginia lost power for two days last week after a severe wind storm swept through. Fianoo had to haul the family's food to a cousin's house to prevent it from spoiling, then took it home again.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/unrelenting-....l#ixzz2004HWB55
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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| | Re: "Severe Weather" III
« Reply #111 on Jul 10, 2012, 8:39am » | |
Russian floods toll nears 200 as focus shifts to reservoir releases
July 10, 2012
Mikhail Mordasov, David Herszenhorn
![[image]](http://images.smh.com.au/2012/07/09/3442182/art-651679028-620x349.jpg "[image]")
A girl walks along a flooded street in Krimsk, about 1,200km south of Moscow. Photo: AP
KRYMSK: Investigators have launched an inquiry into possible criminal negligence as the death toll from flash floods in southern Russia reached 171.
Emergency workers pulled more bodies from the flood around Krymsk yesterday, the worst-hit district in the southern Krasnodar region, with angry survivors insisting they had not received any warning from the authorities.
After inspecting the worst-hit areas and declaring a national day of mourning the President, Vladimir Putin, promised financial compensation for victims and demanded officials explain the disaster.
He compared the force of the water - which trapped people in their homes at night, ripped up pavements and traffic lights and flooded rail tracks - to a ''tsunami'' and said the top investigator would find out ''who acted how''.
The federal investigative committee said it would examine the authorities responsible for emergency preparedness to determine if more should or could have been done to prevent the deaths. But Mr Putin quickly ruled out the possibility that the deluge might have been caused by an emergency opening of sluice gates at a local reservoir.
Flash floods frequently batter towns along the Black Sea coast during seasonal rains in the Caucasus Mountains, but authorities say this disaster is unprecedented.
Officials have been unable to explain the massive death toll, saying only that the floods were caused by torrential rains over the past few days.
The force of the water was so ferocious that many residents said they suspected the floods were caused by a release of water at a local reservoir on the Neberdzhai River.
The federal Emergency Situations Minister, Vladimir Puchkov, reported that he flew over the Neberdzhayevskoye reservoir in a helicopter and saw no breaches. The investigative committee said it found no problem with the reservoir, where small amounts of water are routinely released.
Investigators have acknowledged that repeated releases of water did happen but it remained unclear whether it might have contributed to the disaster.
''Over the course of 13 hours portioned releases of water were repeatedly conducted in an automated mode,'' a spokesman for regional investigators, Ivan Sengerov, said. ''But there were not some large-scale water releases. We have yet to establish how much they could have affected the development of events.''
Investigators did not provide further details of the criminal investigation.
Some residents bluntly accused authorities of a cover-up.
''It always rains here but we've never had this before. A seven-metre-tall wave crushed everything,'' Irina Morgunova in Krymsk said. ''That is not rain. But no one will ever say it out loud.''
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/russian-floo....# ixzz20E6tdiM8
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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« Reply #112 on Jul 19, 2012, 12:59am » | |
Fire bears down on Greek towns near Petras
AP
July 19, 2012 8:00AM
![[image]](http://imageshack.us/a/img689/6775/614077greecewildfires.jpg "[image]")
Firefighters walk on a burned area during a wildfire at Magoula village, near the western Greek port city of Patras. Picture: AP / Thanassis Stavrakis Source: AP
RAGING bush and forest fires are threatening village homes outside the Greek coastal city of Petras.
sNine planes and one helicopter are involved in the firefighting effort at Argyra, some 15km east of Patras, amid high winds and temperatures soaring over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Officials from the Patras mayor's office and regional government said the blaze in rugged terrain was threatening two villages in the area, and said they could impose an evacuation order if the threat increased.
Forest and brush fires are common in the hot, dry summer months in Greece. More than 60 people were killed when forest fires raged across southern Greece in 2007.
![[image]](http://imageshack.us/a/img256/974/613741greecewildfires.jpg "[image]")
Fires illuminate the night sky as they burn in a forest above the village of Drepano, near the western Greek port city of Patras. Picture: AP / Thanassis Stavrakis
Source: AP
See further: http://www.news.com.au/world/fire-bears-....v-1226429615714
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: "Severe Weather" III
« Reply #113 on Jul 22, 2012, 9:27am » | |
Beijing's heaviest rainfall in 60 years kills 10
Rainfall causing widespread chaos in the Chinese capital, stranding 80,000 people at the city's main airport
Reuters in Beijing
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 22 July 2012 05.03 BST
The heaviest rain storm in six decades to hit Beijing killed at least 10 people and caused widespread chaos, flooding streets and stranding 80,000 people at the city's main airport, state media reported on Sunday.
The storm, which started on Saturday afternoon and continued late into the night, flooded major roads and sent torrents of water tumbling down steps into underpasses.
In the suburb of Tongzhou, two people died in a roof collapse and another person killed was struck by lightning, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Other deaths were caused by electric shocks from downed power lines and drowning, it added.
More than 500 flights were cancelled at the Chinese capital's international airport, the Beijing News said.
However, the subway system was largely unaffected, aside from being swamped with people desperate to get home and unable to use cars, buses or taxis.
The city received about 170mm (6.7in) of rain on average, though a township in Fangshan district was hit by 460mm (18.1in), Xinhua said.
The Beijing city government said on its website it was working to get the metropolis back on its feet, but reminded people to prepare for further bad weather.
"The weather forecasters say that from late July to early September this city is prone to flooding, and there could be further large-scale storms or extreme weather," it said.
Many residents took to China's popular microblogging site Sina Weibo to post dramatic pictures of the storm. Some complained the city should have been prepared, especially since the government had issued a severe storm warning the day before.
"It was forecast early on that Beijing would get torrential rain, so why were pumps and other facilities not prepared in time?" complained one user.
But at least one good result came from the storm. The official pollution index, which had showed an unhealthy rating before the storm hit, registered "excellent" on Sunday, with the air noticeably free of its normal acrid smell.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/22/beijing-rainfall-heaviest-china
|
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: "Severe Weather" III
« Reply #114 on Jul 24, 2012, 11:46am » | |
Scores injured as typhoon lashes HK
AAP
July 24, 2012 5:08PM
![[image]](http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2012/07/24/1226433/919670-hong-kong-storm-travel-transport.jpg "[image]")
Collapsed scaffolding on top of an apartment block in Hong Kong. Source: AP
THE strongest typhoon to hit Hong Kong in 13 years has swirled into southern China after injuring dozens of people and disrupting transport.
Although downgraded to a tropical storm, it has still led to the evacuation of more than 40,000 people in one city.
Vicente left Hong Kong on Tuesday morning.
The stock exchange resumed operations in the early afternoon. Flights at Hong Kong airport and public transport were returning to normal.
Authorities raised the typhoon warning to the most severe level of 10 for the first time since 1999 as the typhoon roared to within 100 kilometres of Hong Kong shortly after midnight.
The strong winds and heavy rain shut down Hong Kong offices, bringing business to a standstill.
"Although Vicente is moving gradually away from Hong Kong and started to weaken, gale force winds are still prevailing over parts of the territory with occasional storm force winds offshore and on high ground and frequent heavy squally showers," the Hong Kong Observatory said on Tuesday.
"Members of the public are advised not to relax their precautions."
More than 600 trees fell overnight and pieces of buildings were seen crashing into downtown streets as commuters made their way home from work on Monday evening.
Ferry, bus and train services were suspended or ran at reduced capacity, the port was closed and 44 passenger flights to the regional aviation hub were cancelled. More than 270 flights were delayed.
School classes and hospital outpatient clinics were suspended until further notice. Flooding was reported in five areas.
Almost 120 people sought medical treatment, the Hospital Authority said. Fifteen of these required hospitalisation, the government information service said.
Almost 250 people sought refuge in storm shelters. Local media reported that more than 100 commuters stayed in the Tai Wai underground train station overnight, unable to get home after services were suspended.
A landslide occurred in the upscale Peak neighbourhood but there were no casualties as a result, officials said.
http://www.news.com.au/national/hong-kon....9-1226433913372
|
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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« Reply #115 on Jul 24, 2012, 12:46pm » | |
Spanish wildfires kill father and daughter
Victims were members of French family of five who jumped off a cliff to escape wildfires raging on the Costa Brava
Associated Press in Terrades, Spain
guardian.co.uk, Monday 23 July 2012 13.48 BST
A French family of five jumped off a seaside cliff in a desperate attempt to escape a raging wildfire, with the father and one of his children plummeting 50 metres to their deaths, authorities have said
Flames forced the family and about 150 other tourists out of their cars on Sunday night as most were returning home to France, and the group scrambled down hillsides towards the beach in the border town of Portbou on the Costa Brava to escape the blaze, said deputy mayor Elisabet Cortaba on Monday.
The French family got separated from the rest of the group on their way down and ended up at the cliff with no way out as the fire fanned by heavy winds approached them, Cortaba said.
"The fire started to close in on them and they couldn't climb up or climb down," she said after speaking with witnesses. "The only way out was to jump into the sea."
The 60-year-old father died instantly after landing on rocks, and his 15-year-old daughter drowned, Cortaba said. The mother was in critical condition with a back injury, while the son and other daughter did not suffer life-threatening injuries. All were fished out of the sea by Portbou boaters and their identities were not released.
Two other people were also killed by the weekend fires in northeastern Spain that have burned across 35 sq miles (9,000 hectares), including one man who had a heart attack dousing flames around his home. Spanish media said both of those victims were also French.
Many of the tourists that made it to the beach in Portbou suffered injuries ranging from broken bones and burns in their dash down the hillsides, Cortaba said.
The fires that broke out on Sunday in several parts of the Catalonia region forced more than 1,400 people to stay the night in shelters.
Train services in the region were suspended and several cross-border roads linking Barcelona with France were closed on Sunday because of the advancing flames.
Santiago Villa, mayor of Figueres, which houses the Salvador Dalí museum, said he had ordered the city's 44,000 residents to stay indoors until further notice.
The fire service said that more than 80 teams had been deployed to combat the wildfires.
The interior ministry said that it had sent three specially equipped aircraft and an emergency unit to aid firefighters.
A north wind called the Tramontana is a regular feature in mountainous north-east Spain, and its strong gusts that often exceed 100mph can spread fires rapidly across the heavily forested area.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/23/spanish-wildfires-kill-three
|
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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« Reply #116 on Jul 27, 2012, 6:07am » | |
Wild weather grounds 900 flights
Reuters
July 27, 2012 12:18PM
SEVERE thunderstorms unleashed heavy rain and strong winds across the US, grounding hundreds of flights and leaving tens of thousands of people without power.
There were over 900 flight cancellations on Thursday, according to FlightAware, a Texas-based company that tracks flights. The highest number of cancellations was at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Flight delays were also reported at airports in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C., the Federal Aviation Administration said on its website.
The storms spawned a tornado that touched down in Elmira, New York, damaging a mall and a local country club, the National Weather Service said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries. Forecasters warned of potentially destructive winds gusts in some areas of up to 112 km/h.
As the storms sent black, menacing clouds rolling across some cities, hail fell in parts of Pennsylvania, said AccuWeather.com.
More than 51,000 customers were without power in Ohio, said American Electric Power of Ohio. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement that the storms knocked out power for nearly 93,700 utility customers across the state.
The storms formed along a cold front stretching from the Northeast into the Ohio Valley and threatened damaging winds, hail and tornadoes, according to the Weather Channel.
A severe thunderstorm watch was issued for portions of Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Thunderstorms that swept through Westchester County, north of New York City, toppled trees and caused power outages.
http://www.news.com.au/world/wild-weathe....v-1226436641945
|
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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« Reply #117 on Jul 27, 2012, 6:09am » | |
Landslides kill 7 in northern Vietnam
AAP
July 27, 2012 12:44PM
LANDSLIDES and flash floods triggered by Typhoon Vicente have killed seven people, including three in a single family in Vietnam.
Official Lai Thanh Huyen of Tuyen Quang province in northern Vietnam said on Friday that a landslide following heavy rain buried a 28-year-old mother, her five-year-old daughter and four-month-old son while they were sleeping in their home.
The Tuoi Tre newspaper reported landslides killed four people in the neighbouring province of Ha Giang. It said flash floods had left three other people missing elsewhere in the region.
Vicente injured dozens of people and grounded planes in Hong Kong earlier in the week.
http://www.news.com.au/national/landslid....9-1226436676103
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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« Reply #118 on Aug 4, 2012, 10:12pm » | |
Extreme storm shuts down Lollapalooza music festival
Kathy McCabe Music Editor and AP
News Limited Network
August 05, 2012 8:54AM
ONE of the world's biggest music festivals, Chicago's Lollapalooza was shut down by an extreme storm today.
About 100,000 people were ordered to leave Grant Park where Red Hot Chili Peppers were to headline the second day of the event.
Festival fans fled to nearby bars and the city's hotels in the afternoon as the storm closed in while tourists sheltered in the shopping district.
The storm hit just before Australian band The Temper Trap were due to play their set on the main stage.
Police evacuated tens of thousands of concertgoers from the festival before a powerful thunderstorm swept into downtown Chicago and pelted the outdoor venue with rain.
The event was indefinitely suspended at 3.30 pm local time after a severe thunderstorm warning was issued, said police spokesman Darryl Baety.
The estimated 100,000 fans at the sold-out show left Grant Park calmly as they were led to evacuation and shelter sites in underground parking garages along Michigan Avenue.
They reopened the gates after two hours.
"Due to an approaching storm and warnings from the National Weather Service (NWS), Lollapalooza organizers have suspended the festival until further notice," said an announcement on the concert website and sent by text message to those who downloaded the festival smartphone app.
"Lollapalooza officials are continuing to ... monitor weather conditions and determine when the park is safe for festival-goers to return," it said.
Video screens at the venue also displayed evacuation announcements.
Shelby Meade, a spokeswoman for promoter C3 Presents, said the company regretted having to suspend the show.
"Our first priority is always the safety of our fans, staff and artists," Meade said.
Powerful winds from an advancing storm were responsible for last summer's deadly stage rigging collapse at the Indiana State Fair.
http://www.news.com.au/world/extreme-sto....v-1226443145781
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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« Reply #119 on Aug 4, 2012, 10:15pm » | |
Wildfires rip through Oklahoma destroying nearly five dozen homes
AP
August 05, 2012 10:42AM
WHILE residents of one Oklahoma town sifted through their charred belongings to salvage what they could after a roaring wildfire that may have been deliberately set, residents in two other towns were being ordered to evacuate their homes.
The fire near Luther, which is about 25 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, destroyed nearly five dozen homes and other buildings before firefighters were able to gain some measure of control Saturday.
The fire was one of several burning in Oklahoma, where a severe drought has parched the landscape.
The fires include a large one in Creek County, in northeastern Oklahoma, that officials said had claimed about 78 square miles, and another about 35 miles to the west in Payne County. Emergency management officials ordered residents of Mannford, in Creek County, and Glencoe, in Payne County, to leave their homes, according to Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Keli Cain.
Cain said no serious injuries had been reported.
Authorities suspect the fire near Luther may have been intentionally set, while the cause of the others was undetermined. The Oklahoma County sheriff's department said it was looking for someone in a black pickup truck who was seen throwing newspapers out a window after setting them ablaze.
Department spokeswoman Mary Myers said there were "no arrests, no suspects" but deputies were "working around the clock" to find anyone responsible.
Gov. Mary Fallin toured Luther Saturday, hugging residents whose homes and belongings were destroyed by the fire that swept through treetops on 24 mph winds.
"It's heartbreaking to see families that have lost so much," Fallin said after talking with some who were milling around the still-smoking debris that had been their homes. "I gave them a hug, told them I was sorry."
The fire burned just over 4 square miles, including an area near the Turner Turnpike, which carries Interstate 44 between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The superhighway was briefly closed Friday and traffic was diverted onto old Route 66, the cross-country highway that brought Luther a glimmer of life before the interstate bypassing the town was built in the 1950s.
In Creek County, county Commissioner Newt Stephens asked residents to be patient and to stay away from the flames raging in the northern part of the county.
"Keep the gawkers out, and those that are wanting to go in and look. I know it's a big deal, but it's just not safe to do that," Stephens told reporters.
"When the wind comes up and a big flame comes across and them cedar trees look like dynamite going off, it gets scary out there."
On Saturday, those returning to their homes found charred timbers poking from the debris and the burned out shells of refrigerators, washers and dryers.
"It makes me feel sad," said Victoria Landavazo, clutching a young child in her arms. "It's all gone. All of our family pictures, everything was there."
Her neighbors, Douglas and Rebecca Kolar, spoke with their insurance agent in front of the remains of their home. Rebecca Kolar saw footage of it burning the night before on television.
"They thought the fire was going behind" the neighborhood, she said. "And then the wind shifted, and it was too quick. We couldn't do anything."
She said she was able to gather her children, three dogs and some family photos before her house and six others on the street caught fire and burned.
Tracy Streeper was working in Oklahoma City, about 40 miles southwest, when she learned the fire was approaching. Caught in traffic, it took her a long time to reach home and then, "once we got here, we had maybe 30 minutes."
She grabbed a few clothes, medicine and her three dogs and left quickly.
"Your adrenaline is running. You're pumped up," Streeper said. "You could just see a wall of flames coming this way. Everything was on fire."
http://www.news.com.au/world/wildfires-r....-122644 3199693
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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