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A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 2 May 2017
16 dead after tornadoes, floods ravage Midwest, South

dangerous rip currents. country folks. They’d soon-
In Missouri, docile creeks er take care of themselves
swelled to dangerous lev- than depend on the gov-
els, and river levels jumped ernment.”
after the downpours. The Hundreds of people spent
Missouri State Emergency Monday sandbagging Mis-
Management Agency souri towns along the Mer-
counted 143 water res- amec River, just 16 months
cues statewide but ac- after record flooding along
knowledged that countless the suburban St. Louis wa-
others probably weren’t terway. Eureka police Sgt.
reported. Hundreds of David Sindel said 30 to
people were evacuated, a 50 homes in his town are
levee was topped in a rural endangered, along with
area northwest of St. Louis, about a dozen businesses
and a 57-mile stretch of In- as the river is expected to
terstate 44 was closed. reach within half-a-foot of
The Mississippi River was the 2015 record.
well above flood stage at “Unfortunately, it’s Mother
several points, including Nature and I guess there’s
Cape Girardeau, Missouri, not much we can do about
where it is expected to it,” Sindel said.
crest later this week within Flash floods in Missouri were
Volunteers fill sandbags in an effort to protect buildings from potential floodwater Monday, May 1,
2017, in Eureka, Mo. Torrential rain caused Missouri waterways to burst their banks over the week- a half-foot of the all-time blamed in the deaths of
end forcing hundreds of road closures and causing people to take precautions against possible record of 48.9 feet. a 77-year-old man, an
flooding. Near Cape Girardeau, resi- 18-year-old man and a
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) dents of tiny Allenville were 72-year-old woman, whose
urged to evacuate, but husband desperately tried
JIM SALTER ters. It’s not over yet. More flood- many did not, even as the to save her before their car
Associated Press The outbreak that began ing and tornadoes are pos- town was surrounded by was swept away.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Several Saturday over much of sible as storms roll eastward water. The only way in or In Arkansas, six confirmed
southern states braced for the U.S. Midwest and South in a band stretching from out was by boat. deaths didn’t include the
more severe weather Mon- included at least four tor- Alabama into the Ohio Riv- “The old-timers, they know two missing children who
day in the wake of storms, nadoes in Texas and severe er valley. A wind advisory how the river reacts,” Cape were inside a truck with
tornadoes and flooding flooding after more than a was in effect over much of Girardeau County emer- their mother on Saturday
that claimed 16 lives and foot of rain fell in parts of the South. Parts of the Flori- gency management di- when the vehicle was
left authorities in Arkansas Missouri. The storm even da Panhandle could be af- rector Richard Knaup said. swept off a bridge near
searching for two children spawned a rare mid-spring fected by severe thunder- “They’re old swampers, let Hindsville, about 130 miles
swept away by raging wa- snowstorm in Kansas. storms or high winds and me tell you. They’re good northwest of Little Rock. q

Quake near Canada border jolts southeast Alaska communities

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) said. “She knew about it smelt. to them being shorter. Juneau emergency pro-
— A major earthquake in before we did.” The first earthquake struck It’s not uncommon for an grams manager Tom Mat-
northwest British Columbia A series of aftershocks, in- about 83 miles (134 kilome- aftershock to be larger tice said he received no
shook up communities in cluding a magnitude 6.3 ters) southwest of White- than the triggering quake, reports of damage.
nearby Alaska but caused quake at 6:18 a.m., kept horse, Canada, and was though normally the follow- Rep. Scott Kawasaki, who
no apparent damage. Carl from getting a restful felt in Alaska’s capital, Ju- ing quakes are smaller, U.S. said he sleeps in his Capitol
Kathryn Carl, a teacher in night’s sleep. neau, about 134 miles (216 Geological Survey geo- office at least twice a week
the Alaska village of Kluk- Students at Klukwan kilometers) to the south. It physicist Amy Vaughan to get work done, also was
wan about 40 miles (64 ki- School, where Carl is head roused state Rep. Charisse said. Other aftershocks jolted awake.
lometers) from the epicen- teacher, took the quake in Millett from her sleep and ranged from magnitudes 2 The Fairbanks Democrat
ter, said the magnitude 6.2 stride. knocked plastic dishware to 5. said he was trying to fall
quake shook her awake at It wasn’t even the main off her counters. Vaughan said the shallow back asleep on the couch
4:30 a.m. Carl thought her topic of conversation. “I am wide awake and su- initial quake had the po- when the second quake
80-pound Karelian bear “They’re going fishing,” per tired now,” said the An- tential to cause damage hit. A video he posted on
dog had jumped on the Carl said. “They’re getting chorage Republican, who but that the remote loca- Twitter showed liquid shak-
bed. ready for a hooligan trip.” has experienced her share tion dropped the chances ing in an energy drink bot-
“She was sitting there,” Carl Hooligan are a type of of earthquakes but is used of major problems. tle on a table.q