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A30 world news
Dialuna 23 november 2020

More than 300 detained by police in Belarus protests

dent Alexander Lukashenko.
There have been near-daily
protests since early August,
but those on Sundays have
been the largest.

Protests have gripped Belarus
since the Aug. 9 presidential
election that official results
say gave Lukashenko a sixth
term in office, but that the
opposition and some poll
workers say were manipu-
lated.

Throughout the protest
(AP) — The Belarusian authoritarian president to wave, more than 19,000 peo- police dispersals by initially widescale detentions.
human rights group Vi- resign. ple have been detained and gathering in various parts of
asna says that more than thousands of them beaten, the capital Minsk, but were Protests also took place held
300 people were arrested The demonstrations that at- human rights advocates say. met by police when they in other cities on Sunday. Vi-
and many of them beaten tracted thousands were the tried to converge on the cen- asna said at least 304 people
by police during protests 16th consecutive Sunday of The protesters on Sunday ter. Police used stun grenades were arrested throughout the
calling for the country’s large protests against Presi- tried to dilute detentions and to turn them back and began country.

Charleston weighs wall as seas rise and storms strengthen

(AP) — Vickie Hicks, who sion among some residents
weaves intricate sweet- who wonder why the city The wall stops short of two
grass baskets in Charles- might pursue a solution only mostly Black neighbor-
ton, South Carolina's his- for storm surge at the expense hoods — one a low-income
toric city market, remem- of other flooding problems. apartment complex and the
bers climbing onto the ta- The Corps says it's con- other a historic community
ble at her grandmother’s strained by its congressional called Rosemont. The Corps
booth downtown when mandate, which doesn’t ad- has said both areas are high
the floodwaters rushed by. dress other sources of flood- enough to use other solu-
ing the city faces, such as tions, such as floodproofing
Decades later, the seasoned tides and wetter, more fre- tural measures, such as rais- stormwater runoff. That's homes and buying out prop-
seller of this art form passed quent rainstorms in recent ing homes not situated be- mostly handled by the city. erty owners. But residents of
down by descendants of West years with climate change. hind the sea wall. The entire Rosemont, many elderly, are
African slaves still works In 2019, the downtown flood- project is estimated to cost A call for public comments not readily able to move, said
downtown, where merchants ed a record 89 times accord- $1.75 billion. The Corps has this summer elicited hun- Nancy Button, Rosemont
regularly set out sandbags ing to the National Weather three years and $3 million to dreds of responses. Neighborhood Association
and scrutinize daily weath- Service — mostly from high find a fix for storm surge on Conservation groups said president: “Where are they
er forecasts. Hicks says the tides and wind pushing wa- the peninsula, though there’s the proposal needed a more going to go?” she said.
flooding’s only gotten worse. ter inland. And the city could no guarantee yet that it will rigorous environmental re- Naomi Yoder from the envi-
“God’s taking back his land,” flood up to 180 times per be funded and built. view, because the wall would ronmental policy organiza-
she said. year by 2045 according to the The Charleston study is part cut through water-absorbing tion Healthy Gulf questioned
Now, the low-lying Atlan- National Oceanic and Atmo- of $111 million funded by wetlands and wildlife habi- whether money for expensive
tic seaport is considering its spheric Administration. Congress in 2018 to address tats. engineering solutions posed
most drastic measure yet to flooding and coastal storm is- Resoundingly, residents said by the Corps in coastal cities
protect the lives and liveli- There’s also the threat each sues in 14 states, Puerto Rico they needed more time to could be better used to el-
hoods of residents like Hicks year that hurricane-driven and the U.S. Virgin Islands. make sense of the proposal evate and fortify houses, and
from the threats of climate- storm surge could inundate The wall is one of several that would wall off one of to create evacuation corridors
driven flooding: walling off the city's peninsula, which engineering solutions, along the city's most defining traits for disasters. “Is there really a
its peninsula from the ocean. is at the confluence of three with pumps, surge gates and — the waterfront, with its possibility for us to out-engi-
Although residents recognize rivers and mostly less than levees proposed by the Corps oleander-lined promenades, neer the storms?” Yoder said.
the need for action before 20 feet (6.1 meters) above sea in cities including Miami and antebellum houses, fountains
Charleston is overwhelmed level. Galveston, Texas. and expansive oaks — from Whether the city builds the
by the unfolding effects of Mark Wilbert, Charleston’s the harbor. wall or not, the process has
climate change, many are Earlier this year, the Army chief resilience officer, said accelerated the conversation
not certain the wall will do Corps of Engineers unveiled the city needs to do some- Trying to please everyone by Charleston needs to have
enough to address flooding a proposal for an eight-mile- thing to address current expanding the wall's scope about sea level rise, said Win-
woes that go beyond storm long (12.9-kilometer-long) flooding and plan for the may drive the project's costs slow Hastie of the Historic
surges. Some oppose walling wall that would surround the future. "Why the wall? Why past viability, Wilbert said, Charleston Foundation.
off the city from its pictur- peninsula and reach a height now?” Wilbert said. “It’s noting non-structural mea- “There’s a benefit to the
esque waterfront that helps of 12 feet (3.7 meters) above about preparedness. You sures such as raising flood- community coming together
draw millions of visitors each sea level. know, it’s about preserving prone homes could still pro- and having some soul search-
year. Others fear the wall The barrier is reminiscent of property and preventing lives vide adequate protection to ing," he said.
will damage wetlands and fortifications that colonists lost for a future that we know neighborhoods left out of the Michelle Liu is a corps mem-
wildlife, or that poor neigh- built around Charleston 350 will bring more frequent plan. ber for the Associated Press/
borhoods will be left out of years ago to keep out invad- storms, more intense storms, The plan focuses on the pen- Report for America State-
flooding solutions. ers, but the Corps says the in an area that we know is insula, where the city’s eco- house News Initiative. Re-
new wall is designed to keep very vulnerable to that.” nomic engines — its historic port for America is a non-
Though Charleston has re- out storm surge. downtown, tourism hub and profit national service pro-
mained relatively unscathed The agency's proposal in- The Corps plan, which re- medical district — are locat- gram that places journalists
this hurricane season, the city cludes a floating breakwater quires city approval and cost ed although some neighbor- in local newsrooms to report
of 136,000 has seen higher offshore and some nonstruc- sharing, has created confu- hoods extend beyond that. on undercovered issues.