Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 18 February 2020
Continued from front Reservoir. Dozens of other
"Please do not move back homes in more low-lying
into your neighborhood or areas were swamped, the
into your home until author- department's drone video
ities and officials give you showed.
the OK to do so," Mississippi "It absolutely kills you,
Gov. Tate Reeves said at a knowing that" houses are
news conference. getting destroyed down-
A near-record rainy winter stream from the dam, the
has forced authorities to TVA's Hopson told The As-
release water from swollen sociated Press on Monday.
reservoirs, potentially wors- "We have engineers on
ening the flooding for those duty 24-7 trying to figure
living downstream. out what's the most effec-
"It is a chess match we're tive way to move this water
playing with Mother Na- downstream with the least
ture," said Jim Hopson, impact. They feel it. I feel it."
spokesman for the Tennes- February's rains have been
see Valley Authority. "400 percent of normal,
The Pearl River appeared This drone photo provided by Hardin County Fire Department, Savannah, Tenn. on Feb. 15, 2030, and we have more com-
shows the landslide on Chalk bluff on the Tennessee River. Authorities say two homes were de-
to crest at just under 37 feet stroyed when a hillside collapsed near a swollen river in western Tennessee. ing in this week. It's kind of a
(11.3 meters), Reeves said. Associated Press never-ending battle," Hop-
It is forecast to fall below son added.
major flood stage at 36 feet 1970s. The house was in- kayaks and small fishing on Feb. 10. The Pickwick is the next-
(11 meters) around mid- undated in those previous boats to check on their River gauges in four states to-last dam in the TVA's
night Tuesday, although two flood years. houses, giving lifts to other from South Carolina west system, and all the water
more problems could arise On Monday, he tried to neighbors. Some were able to Mississippi are reporting from a river basin stretch-
if rains in the next few days go back with a boat, but to enter their homes, while moderate flooding, ac- ing into Virginia and Geor-
are heavier than forecast. a police officer turned him others peeked into the win- cording to the U.S. Geologi- gia has to flow through it
"We as a state are not in away. dows to check on damage cal Survey. before reaching the Ohio
the clear yet," Reeves said. "All you can do is just sit inside. Floodwaters lapped Forecasters predict more River and then the Missis-
The Pearl's highest record- back and watch," Sharp at mailboxes, street signs rain across the Southeast sippi. Water levels behind
ed crest was 43.2 feet on said by phone from his and cars that had been left this week. It shouldn't be as upstream tributary dams
April 17, 1979. The second- brother's nearby house. in driveways. heavy as previous weeks, used to contain the flood-
highest level occurred May He expects several inches The momentary break in but with lakes and reser- ing have risen as much as
5, 1983, when the river rose of water in his home, and the rain enabled water lev- voirs nearing capacity, it 40 feet this month, but even
to 39.58 feet. this flood finally has Sharp els at the Barnett Reservoir won't take a deluge to re- then, the Pickwick was re-
Reeves thanked residents considering whether his upriver of the capital to sta- quire authorities to release leasing 2.36 million gallons
for heeding evacuation family should move. The bilize, but officials repeated more water. per second Monday, down
orders. Only 16 search-and- home isn't covered by flood their warnings to pay atten- Dramatic video posted by only slightly from 2.5 million
rescue missions were need- insurance because he said tion to evacuation orders, a Tennessee fire depart- gallons per second Sunday
ed, he said, even though the cost has grown too ex- check on road closures be- ment showed the impact night, Hopson said.
as many as 1,000 homes pensive in recent years. fore traveling and stay off near Savannah: Two houses "Mother Nature is really the
were flooded. "I've been through it be- any flooded roads. tumbled down a bluff over one in charge — we simply
One of those homes be- fore, so I kind of knew what Mississippi emergency the Tennessee River, while try to manage what Mother
longs to Chris Sharp, who to do," Sharp said, giving a management officials said many others have been Nature gives us, to minimize
had enough time to find an resigned laugh. "But there's Sunday that they had re- swamped to their rooftops, the impacts along the 652-
18-wheeler, load it with his a bunch of people who ceived preliminary dam- as entire neighborhoods mile Tennessee River and its
possessions and drive away didn't do anything." age reports from 11 coun- disappear in muddy wa- thousands of miles of tribu-
Friday from the house his Elsewhere in Jackson, resi- ties connected with the se- ter below the Tennessee taries and streams," Hopson
parents bought in the dents paddled canoes, vere weather that began Valley Authority's Pickwick said.q

Oregon wrestles with building facilities in tsunami zones

By ANDREW SELSKY proved the measure by a have a land-use philoso-
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Experts 6-1 vote, sending it to the phy in which construction
say the big one is coming House floor for a vote. of certain structures are
to the Pacific Northwest: a A leading earthquake ex- banned depending on
massive earthquake that pert, and the lone dissent- their proximity to tsunami
will cause buildings and ing voter, says lawmakers inundation zones, said Chris
bridges to collapse and are making a big mistake. Goldfinger, an Oregon
unleash a tsunami that will “I don’t think that we should State University professor
devastate the coast. have ever opened up tsu- and an earthquake geolo-
But, doubling down on its nami inundation zones to gist.
decision last year to allow important infrastructure like Rep. David Brock Smith, a
the construction of critical police, fire stations and so Republican from the coast-
facilities in tsunami inunda- forth. So that’s why I’ll be al town of Port Orford, tried
tion zones, the Oregon Leg- voting no for the bill,” Rep. to convince Gorsek to re-
islature appears headed Chris Gorsek, a Democrat consider his vote by point-
In this July 22, 2019, file photo, Oregon State University's Marine to approve building stan- from the Portland suburb of ing out that there currently
Studies Building, which is under construction in a tsunami inun- dards for those facilities, like Troutdale, told the commit- are no building standards
dation zone, is viewed from the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport, police and fire stations. The tee. for critical facilities in the
Ore. House Committee on Natu- Most other countries in the tsunami zone, and that this
Associated Press ral Resources last week ap- world prone to tsunamis bill provides them.q