Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 3 april 2017

Atlanta traffic horror: Crews razing fallen highway overpass

ATLANTA (AP) — As crews heat began flying off the city where there are surpris-
rushed to clear debris from bridge, leaving firefighters ingly few alternative routes
a major Atlanta interstate to scramble away for safe- for its size.
span that collapsed in a ty. No one was injured. Friday’s commute saw ma-
raging fire, commuters in Basil Eleby was charged jor delays as commuters
the Southeast’s largest with first-degree arson and swamped Atlanta’s mass-
city braced for the first full first-degree property dam- transit system and other
workweek without the key age. He remains in jail on highways. But that was
link to some of the city’s a $200,000 bond. Two oth- with some schools and a
biggest suburbs. er people with him were number of nearby offices
Officials pledged after charged with criminal tres- closed in the immediate
Thursday’s collapse of a pass, authorities said. aftermath of the fire.
350-foot section of Inter- The closed section of I-85 Monday’s first normal day
state 85 that a replace is a key link to Atlanta’s since the collapse could
bridge would be built as northern and northeast provide an even tougher
soon as possible. But crews Construction crews work on a section of an overpass that col- suburbs. It carries about test.q
lapsed from a large fire that started Thursday afternoon on Inter-
were working around the state 85 in Atlanta. 400,000 vehicles a day in a
clock again Sunday to (AP Photo/David Goldman) Storm kills 2 in Louisiana;
finish removing scorched
debris from the collapsed to build. construction materials, state is put on ‘high alert’
northbound span and re- The fire was started by a authorities said. It rapidly
moving the southbound man smoking crack un- grew with smoke billow- BREAUX BRIDGE, La. (AP) — Higgins told The Associated
span weakened by the der the bridge in an area ing high above the city’s Strong winds flipped a mo- Press that a suspected tor-
blaze. north of downtown Atlanta skyline. It didn’t take long bile home off its foundation nado touched down soon
After that, a replacement where the state of Geor- before chunks of concrete Sunday in Louisiana, killing after a warning was issued.
bridge could take months gia stores noncombustible, weakened by the high a mother and her 3-year- “Seconds later it hit,” Hig-
old daughter as a storm gins said. “It hit the trailer,
system with hurricane- flipped it and tore its side
force winds crawled across off. There was a mother
the Deep South, damaging and daughter inside and
homes and businesses. both were killed.”
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Higgins said 38-year-old
Edwards put the entire Francine Gotch and 3-year-
state on “high alert” and old Neville Alexander were
warned residents to stay off pronounced dead at the
the roads. scene. Witnesses told KLFY-
He urged people to keep TV that the father was out
their cellphones charged at the time and returned
and close by so that they home to find the bodies
could get severe weather amid the splintered debris.
alerts throughout Sunday The governor said power-
night and Monday morn- ful straight-line winds de-
ing. stroyed the mobile home.
“It is an extremely danger- Typically after such dam-
ous weather event,” he age, the National Weather
said. Parts of Arkansas and Service will investigate and
Mississippi were also under determine if the damage
a threat of tornadoes, but was caused by a tornado
the bullseye was on Loui- or straight-line winds.Na-
siana. The system brought tional Weather Service
unconfirmed tornadoes to warned that it was a “par-
the state as well as heavy ticularly dangerous situa-
thunderstorms, large hail tion.” The governor noted
and flash flooding. that the high-level warn-
In the rural community of ing was extremely rare.
Breaux Bridge, about 50 Straight line winds could
miles (80 kilometers) west reach upward of 80 mph
of Baton Rouge, St. Mar- (130 kph) winds. Hurricanes
tin Parish Sheriff’s Office have at least 74 mph (120
spokeswoman Maj. Ginny kph) winds. q