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U.S. NEWS Saturday 23 June 2018

Campers, bear escape Montana flood as severe weather hits U.S.

Continued from Front last weekend, said Na-
tional Weather Service me-
Texas also saw deluges all teorologist Megan Syner in
week. The soaking in both Great Falls. “I can’t point to
states comes in stark con- any single thing that would
trast to the tinder-dry con- make us an anomaly in the
ditions of the American western half of the U.S.,”
Southwest. Syner said. “We had a re-
Floodwaters running cord winter season, and we
through two cabins and had a storm track that just
staff housing woke the continued to bring weather
campers Tuesday, coun- systems over Montana.”
selor Dustin Steele said. That led to 9 inches (23
“The dryers were going con- centimeters) of rain falling
stantly trying to keep the on the Rocky Mountain
sleeping bags and clothes Front, causing waterways
dry,” he said Thursday from to overflow and wash out
the airport in Great Falls, roads, bridges and even
shortly after campers were sweeping away wildlife.
dropped off to meet their The mother of one of the
families. “It was hectic, but campers, Teresa Lane, had
it was good.” an adventure of her own
They had enough food and when she and her 9-year-
supplies to stay until Friday, Gary Brown, left, and James Taylor look over damage outside Brown’s house along Highway 328 old daughter spotted a
but the decision was made near Taylor, Miss., on Friday, June 22, 2018. Two trees fell on vehicles owned by Brown during a grizzly bear that had been
to get them out. The Mon- storm that passed through Taylor Thursday. swept away by a fast-run-
tana Army National Guard Associated Press ning creek on her ranch
sent two Chinook helicop- Texas Department of Public Beaumont-Port Arthur area, na, Utah, New Mexico and near Augusta.
ters and made two trips Safety Lt. Johnny Hernan- east of Houston. Colorado were experienc- “I thought it was a dead
each with about 30 camp- dez said residents were be- Forecasters say the rain ing extreme or exceptional cow originally,” Lane said.
ers and their luggage, ing rescued by land and air was expected to move out drought, forcing recent “Then it flipped around,
Steele said. in the Mission area, along of south Texas by Friday but closures of national forests and it looked at me, and I
The 25-minute flight “was the border with Mexico. much of eastern U.S. will be and other public lands be- said, ‘Tiffany, it’s a bear!’”
actually pretty loud,” said Thunderstorms across Tex- at risk of severe storms as cause of fire danger. She and her daughter fol-
Steele, 19. “You could as this week also brought the weekend approaches. In Montana, the remnants lowed the bear for about
hardly hear the person next heavy rains to areas that Rain was falling Friday over of Hurricane Bud met up a quarter-mile as it tried to
to you.” Officials in south less than a year ago were a large swath of the Mid- with moisture from the Pa- get out. When it finally did,
Texas also used helicop- hit by flooding from Hurri- west from North Dakota to cific Ocean to create a it limped and appeared
ters Thursday to rescue resi- cane Harvey, including the Arkansas. storm that hung over the agitated before running
dents from flooded areas. Corpus Christi area and the Meanwhile, parts of Arizo- western half of the state away. q

Democrats want U.S. Interior Department staff moves explained

By MATTHEW BROWN General — the agency’s internal watchdog aged by overgrazing.
Associated Press — over complaints that many were politically Zinke has said he’s reorganizing his agency
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Democrats in Con- motivated. for greater efficiency. His office has refused
gress pressed U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke The ouster of Yellowstone’s Dan Wenk fol- to comment directly on the removal of Wenk
on Friday to explain the reassignments of doz- lowed disagreements with Zinke and his staff and did not respond to questions about the
ens of senior agency officials, most recently over management of the park’s bison, ac- matter on Friday.
Yellowstone National Park’s superintendent, cording to Wenk. A recent investigation into 35 personnel re-
who was offered an unwanted transfer and The livestock industry in Montana, Zinke’s assignments proposed in the Interior Depart-
then told he’d be gone in August. home state, wants the park’s bison herds re- ment under Zinke revealed that 16 senior em-
A group of 14 Democrats led by U.S. Rep. duced to 3,000 animals out of fear they could ployees viewed their moves as political retri-
Jared Huffman of California asked Zinke for spread a disease to cattle. bution or punishment for their work on climate
a briefing on the reassignments after their re- Park biologists contend the population of change, energy or conservation.
quests for a hearing before the House Natural more than 4,000 bison is sustainable. But Zinke However, the Interior Department inspector
Resources Committee were denied. and his staff have said the number is too high, general was not able to determine if anything
The personnel moves have attracted scru- Wenk said, and raised concerns that Yellow- illegal occurred because agency leaders did
tiny from the Interior Office of the Inspector stone’s scenic Lamar Valley is being dam- not document their rationale for the moves.q