Page 27 - bon-dia-aruba-20211213

A27
u.s. news Dialuna 13 December 2021

Crews search for the missing after devastating tornadoes

(AP) — Rescuers in an A nursing home and an Ama- ly go down perhaps as one
increasingly bleak search zon distribution center also of the longest track violent
picked through the tor- were smashed in other states tornadoes in United States
nado-splintered ruins in the unusual mid-Decem- history,” said Victor Gen-
of homes and businesses ber swarm of twisters. sini, a researcher on extreme
Sunday, including a candle weather at Northern Illinois
factory that was bustling “I can tell you from reports University.
with night-shift employ- that I’ve received I know
ees when it was flattened, we’ve lost more than 80 Ken- The storm was all the more
as Kentucky’s governor tuckians. That number is go- remarkable because it came
warned the state’s death ing to exceed more than 100,” in December, when normally
toll from the outbreak Beshear said on the Sunday colder weather limits torna-
could top 100. morning talk shows. does.

Factory workers sought ref- “I’ve got towns that are gone, The outbreak also killed at
uge in what was supposed that are just, I mean gone. least six people in Illinois, the buildings that were still employee at the factory, was
to be the safest part of the My dad’s hometown – half where an Amazon facility in standing. trapped under 5 feet (about
building, but it may not have of it isn’t standing. It is hard Edwardsville was hit; four in 1.5 meters) of debris for at
mattered because the twister for me to describe. I know Tennessee; two in Arkansas, The missing at the candle least two hours until rescuers
Friday night was so mon- people can see the visuals, where a nursing home was factory included Janine De- managed to free her.
strous, Gov. Andy Beshear but that goes on for 12 blocks destroyed; and two in Mis- nise Johnson Williams, a
said. Authorities on Satur- or more in some of these souri. 50-year-old mother of four In an interview with NBC’s
day reported rescuing 40 of places.” whose family members kept “Today,” she said it was “ab-
the 110 people who were in vigil at the site Saturday. solutely the most terrifying”
the building at the time, but Youtube video thumbnail Satellite images provided by event she had ever experi-
by Sunday, hope of finding He said that going door to Maxar show a close-up of an “It’s Christmastime and she enced. “I did not think I was
anyone else alive had all but door in search of victims is Amazon warehouse in Ed- works at a place that’s making going to make it at all.”
evaporated. out of the question in the wardsville, Ill., before and candles for gifts,” her broth-
hard-hit areas: “There are no after severe storms moved er, Darryl Williams, said. “To Just before the tornado
“It’ll be a miracle if we pull doors.” through the area. (Satellite give up the gift of life to make struck, the building’s lights
anybody else out of that. It’s image ©2021 Maxar Tech- a gift. We haven’t heard any- flickered. She felt a gust of
now 15 feet deep of steel and The tornado that carved the nologies via AP) thing, and I’m not presuming wind, her ears started pop-
cars on top of where the roof path of destruction in Ken- anything. But I’m expecting ping and then, “Boom. Ev-
was,” the governor said on tucky touched down for Debris from destroyed build- for the worst.” erything came down on us.”
CNN. “Just tough.” more than 200 miles (320 ki- ings and shredded trees cov- People started screaming,
lometers) in the state. Eleven ered the ground in Mayfield, He said Johnson Williams and she heard other workers
Jeremy Creason, Mayfield’s people were reported killed a city of about 10,000 in called her husband overnight praying.
fire chief and emergency ser- in and around the city of western Kentucky. Twisted to report the weather was
vices director, said rescuers Bowling Green. sheet metal, downed power getting bad, the last time any- Rescue crews used heavy
had to crawl over the dead to lines and wrecked vehicles one heard from her. equipment to move rubble at
get to the living. If early reports are con- lined the streets. Windows the candle factory, and coro-
firmed, the twister “will like- and roofs were blown off Kyanna Parsons-Perez, an ners were called to the scene.

Will new bacon law begin? California grocers seek delay

(AP) — A coalition of whether bacon and other The lawsuit is the latest step ers approved Proposition 12 animal protection efforts at
California restaurants and fresh pork products will in a tumultuous three-year by a 2-to-1 ratio in Novem- the Humane Society of the
grocery stores has filed a be much more expensive process of enacting rules ber 2018, state officials have United States, put it, Cali-
lawsuit to block imple- or in short supply in the overwhelmingly approved missed deadlines for releas- fornia residents need not fear
mentation of a new farm state when the new rules by voters but that remain ing specific regulations cov- “pork industry claims of the
animal welfare law, add- take effect on New Year’s in question even as the law ering the humane treatment apocalypse.”
ing to uncertainty about Day. is set to begin. Since vot- of animals that provide meat
for the California market. Put simply, the law requires
that breeding pigs, egg-laying
Most hog producers haven’t chickens and veal calves be
made changes to comply with given enough space to stand
the law. And now a coalition and turn around. For pigs,
of business owners is seeking that means they no longer
more than a two-year delay. can be kept in narrow “gesta-
tion crates” and must have 24
“We’re saying this is not go- square feet (2.23 square me-
ing to work,” said Nate Rose, ters) of usable space.
a spokesman for the Califor-
nia Grocers Association. Producers of eggs and veal
appear able to meet the new
While groups are working to law, but hog farmers argued
delay the measure, the state the changes would be too
has eased the transition to the expensive and couldn’t be
new system. It has allowed carried out until the state ap-
pork processed under the old proved final regulations for
rules and held in cold stor- the new standards. An esti-
age to be sold in California mate from North Carolina
in 2022, which could prevent State University found the
shortages for weeks or even new standard would cost
months. about 15% more per animal
for a farm with 1,000 breed-
As Josh Balk, who leads farm ing pigs.