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U.S. NEWSMonday 4 January 2016
St. Louis area faces big cleanup effort after flooding
Ty Burch, from left, 6, mother Casey, brother Brody, 4, and father Keith, behind Brody, look out over approach records before timeters) short of the record
the swollen Mississippi River floodwater rushing by Cape Girardeau, Mo. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon receding in coming days. set in July.
stopped in Cape Girardeau, where about two dozen homes were damaged. In Kincaid, a 1,400-resident While optimistic those levies
central Illinois town near the would hold, Jacksonville-
(David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) south fork of the Sangamon Morgan County Emergen-
River, Gov. Bruce Rauner cy Management Director
JIM SALTER The flood, fueled by more Mississippi that caused so toured flood-damaged Phil McCarty the prospect
JIM SUHR than 10 inches (25 centime- much damage last week, homes Sunday as Sharon of flooding during the chill
Associated Press ters) of rain over a three- already was below flood Stivers and other residents of winter carried dangerous
KINCAID, Illinois (AP) — The day period that began stage in the hard-hit Mis- piled ruined furniture, ap- health risks, including hypo-
Mississippi River and many Christmas Day, is blamed souri towns of Pacific and pliances and clothes along thermia if people have to
of its tributaries continued for 24 deaths in Illinois and Eureka and dropping else- the street for disposal crews wade out of their homes in
their retreat Sunday from Missouri. where. to pick up. sub-freezing weather.
historic and deadly winter The Mississippi River was But worries surfaced anew Stivers shares a home with In central Illinois, the
flooding, leaving amid the receding except in the far Sunday along the still-rising her 45-year-old daughter 1,400-resident town of Kin-
silt a massive cleanup and southern tip of both states. Illinois River north of St. Lou- battling breast cancer, caid was starting to clean
recovery effort likely to The Meramec River, the St. is, where crests near the along with a granddaugh- up after floodwaters dam-
take weeks if not months. Louis-area tributary of the west-central towns of Val- ter and four dogs. Floodwa- aged more than three
ley City, Meredosia, Beard- ters got 4 feet (1.2 meters) dozen homes and several
stown and Havana were to into their home, located in roads, Christian County
an area where flood insur- emergency manager Mike
ance wasn’t available. Crews said. He said the
“Am I mad?” she asked. “I worst of the inundation ap-
lost my home. My daugh- peared to be past, “until
ter has cancer and lost her the new weather comes,”
home. Am I mad? When citing the prospect of po-
I’m not crying I am.” tentially heavy rain later in
In Illinois’ Morgan County, the week.
home to the 1,000-resident President Barack Obama
village of Meredosia, locals signed a federal emergen-
were keeping wary eyes on cy declaration Saturday for
levies fortified with 50,000 Missouri, allowing federal
sandbags. aid to be used to help state
As of midday Sunday at and local response efforts.
Meredosia, the Illinois was It also allows the Federal
more than 10 feet (3 me- Emergency Management
ters) above flood stage Agency to coordinate di-
and pressing toward an saster relief efforts. Missouri
expected crest Tuesday Gov. Jay Nixon had asked
roughly a half foot (15 cen- for the help.q
San Bernardino:
Workers return to site of brutal attack
JUSTIN PRITCHARD ued to work, visiting the lamist beliefs.
Associated Press homes of autistic children The conference center will
SAN BERNARDINO, Cali- and mentally disabled not reopen Monday, and
fornia (AP) — In the San adults, they haven’t been it’s not clear when it might.
Bernardino offices of the together in the place For now, the act of reunit-
Inland Regional Center, where everything froze ing elsewhere on campus
Christmas did not come af- once law enforcement of- will be a huge step forward
ter a couple massacred 14 ficers whisked them away. for Inland Regional Center
people at a holiday party a Amid the investigation staff.
month ago. and cleanup, the campus They miss the friendly fac-
Tinsel still festoons cubicles. has been locked behind a es, the hallway conversa-
A small tree with presents chain link fence wrapped tions. They yearn to renew
sits undisturbed. A sign-up in green mesh. Within that a sense of stability at an in-
sheet to bring in food re- perimeter, in one corner, is stitution unmoored by vio-
mains empty of names. a second fence. lence.
The staff was still gearing It seals the conference “That’s what I’m hearing
up for the holidays on Dec. center that San Bernardino from them: ‘We want to be
2, the day of the attack County’s health depart- together again. We want
on the center’s gleaming ment was renting for a to be back at work,’” said
campus. holiday luncheon when Lavinia Johnson, the cen-
Few of its 600 employees the two attackers began ter’s executive director.
have gone to the office their assault. A county res- Sitting for an interview in a
since, other than a brief visit taurant inspector targeting tidy courtyard shaded by
to gather personal belong- his co-workers was joined two of the center’s large,
ings a week after the terror by his wife in killing 14 and red stone buildings, John-
attack. wounding dozens. The FBI son and associate execu-
On Monday, they return. says the attackers were tive director Kevin Urtz re-
While many have contin- motivated by radical Is- flected on the reopening.q
