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A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 18 July 2023

Floods wash away children; scorching heat envelops the western U.S.

Continued from Front local water because of the
flooding.
In eastern Pennsylva- U.S. Transportation Secre-
nia, authorities described tary Pete Buttigieg planned
Monday's search for miss- to visit the state later Mon-
ing Matilda Sheils, 2, and day.
her 9-month-old brother The Vermont Emergency
Conrad Sheils as a "mas- Management agency re-
sive undertaking" including ported that swift-water res-
100 search crew members cue teams conducted an
and numerous drones dis- additional six rescues over-
patched along a creek night. The agency also was
that drains into the Dela- monitoring areas at risk for
ware River. The children landslides.
are members of a Charle- More rain was in the fore-
ston, South Carolina, fam- cast for Tuesday.
ily that was visiting relatives Sunday's strong storms led
and friends when they got to hundreds of flight can-
caught in a flash flood Sat- cellations at airports in the
urday. New York City area, and
"As they tried to escape hundreds more flights were
the fierce floodwaters, dad delayed.
took his 4-year-old son while Day breaks over downtown Phoenix, Monday, July 17, 2023. New York Gov. Kathy
the mother and the grand- Associated Press Hochul said 5 inches (13
mother grabbed the two the grandparents Sunday. ways as muddy waters roads caved in, heavy centimeters) of rain fell
additional children," said The grandfather attended overtook driving lanes and rain postponed Sunday's within two hours in Suffolk
Upper Makefield Township morning Mass on Monday, flooded low-lying houses. NASCAR race at the New County on Long Island.
Fire Chief Tim Brewer. While where the family was in- Other parts of the saturat- Hampshire Motor Speed- The state saw $50 million in
father and son made it to cluded in prayers. ed Northeast began drying way. damages from storms in the
safety, "the grandmother, "No matter how long I've out Monday after drench- Vermont reported no im- past week.
the mother, and the two been doing this — over and ing weekend rains resulted mediate safety threats fol- In North Carolina, flood-
children were swept away over and over, many, many in flash flooding in parts lowing historic flooding waters were blamed for
by the floodwaters," he years — you find yourself of New Hampshire, Mas- nearly a week ago that the death of a 49-year-old
said. still helpless and without sachusetts, Connecticut, dumped up to two months' woman whose car was
The children's mother, Ka- words to make people feel New York and New Jersey. worth of rain in two days. swept off a road in Alexan-
tie Seley, 32, was among more comfortable," Picard New Jersey Gov. Phil Mur- However, the Federal der County late Saturday
at least five people killed said. "And so you just simply phy declared a state of Emergency Management night. A man who was in
in the flooding, while the pray with them for a few emergency Sunday and Agency received a request the car with her was res-
grandmother survived, Up- minutes." planned to tour damaged to provide water for almost cued. Meanwhile, exten-
per Makefield Police said Pennsylvania's deadly flash areas Monday in the north- 8,000 people for three days, sive swaths of the northern
in a social media post. The flooding called to mind west part of the state. which the Vermont Nation- United States awoke to un-
other victims' names have torrential rains that killed A confirmed tornado al Guard distributed. As of healthy air quality Monday
not been released. at least 25 people in New touched down Sunday Friday, emergency per- morning or were experi-
Monsignor Michael Picard Jersey when the remnants morning in North Brookfield, sonnel had also delivered encing it by midafternoon,
of St. Andrew Roman of Hurricane Ida passed Massachusetts, but no inju- 1,200 gallons to Copley according to the Environ-
Catholic Church, where through the state in 2021. ries or major property dam- Hospital in Morrisville after mental Protect Agency's
family members are parish- People abandoned cars age were reported. In New the town issued an advisory AirNow.gov Smoke and Fire
ioners, said he spoke with along washed-out road- Hampshire, where some warning people not to drink map. q

Top official in Justice Department’s criminal division to depart

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Ukraine, Attorney General Street Journal reported.
Associated Press Merrick Garland said in a Polite was confirmed to the
WASHINGTON (AP) — The statement. role overseeing more than
head of the Justice Depart- "Under his leadership, the 600 federal prosecutors in
ment's criminal division is division has accelerated its 2021. He previously served
leaving at the end of July efforts to keep the Ameri- a four-year stint as U.S. At-
after two years of oversee- can people safe and tack- torney in New Orleans end-
ing work that ranged from le some of the most com- ing in 2017, and started his
corporate fraud prosecu- plex and urgent challenges public-service career as a
tion to war crimes investi- our nation faces," Garland federal prosecutor in New
gations. said. York.
Assistant Attorney General He did not name a reason A Harvard University gradu-
Kenneth Polite's tenure has for Polite's departure, but ate, Polite has also been
included work to combat the length of his tenure is a Philadelphia-based law

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice human smuggling, pros- similar to many of his prede- firm partner, a vice presi-
Department's Criminal Division speaks during a news conference ecute white-collar crime cessors. He is expected to dent at a large company in
at the Department of Justice in Washington, Sept. 13, 2022. and pursue accountability join a law firm this summer New Orleans and a white-
Associated Press for Russian war crimes in after a short break, The Wall collar defense attorney.q