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U.S. NEWS Monday 7 January 2019

Huge trash-collecting boom in Pacific

Ocean breaks apart

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A
trash collection device
deployed to corral plastic
litter floating in the Pacific
Ocean between Califor-
nia and Hawaii has broken
apart and will be hauled
back to dry land for repairs.
Boyan Slat, who launched
the Pacific Ocean cleanup
project, told NBC News last
week that the 2,000-foot
(600-meter) long floating
boom will be towed 800
miles (1,300 kilometers) to
Hawaii. In this May 11, 2017, file photo, Dutch innovator Boyan Slat poses
If it can’t be repaired there, for a portrait next to a pile of plastic garbage prior to a press
it will be loaded on a barge conference in Utrecht, Netherlands. barrier in September from trapping some of the 1.8
and returned to its home Associated Press. San Francisco to the Great trillion pieces of plastic that
port of Alameda, Califor- possible. to take it back and forth Pacific Garbage Patch — scientists estimate are swirl-
nia. “This is an entirely new cat- a few times. So it’s really an island of trash twice the ing in the patch while al-
The boom broke apart egory of machine that is not a significant departure size of Texas. It had been in lowing marine life to safely
under constant wind and out there in extremely chal- from the original plan.” place since the end of Oc- swim beneath it.
waves in the Pacific. lenging conditions,” the Previously Slat said the tober. Slat has said he hopes one
Slat said he’s disappointed, 24-year-old Dutch inventor boom was moving slower The plastic barrier with a ta- day to deploy 60 of the
but not discouraged and said. than the plastic, allowing pered 10-foot-deep (3-me- devices to skim plastic de-
pledged that operations “We always took into ac- the trash to float away. ter-deep) screen is intend- bris off the surface of the
would resume as soon as count that we might have A ship towed the U-shaped ed to act like a coastline, ocean.q

California highway closed by mudslides, more rain coming

By Associated Press night.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A To the north, wind and rain
powerful winter storm un- forced delays or cancel-
leashed mudslides in South- ations of flights out of San
ern California wildfire burn Francisco International Air-
areas and trapped motor- port for a second day. A
ists on a major highway, wind advisory was in place
and the northern part of until 10 p.m. Sunday.
the state braced for more The San Francisco Bay Area
wet weather Sunday. could get up to 1 ½ inches
Saturday’s deluge loos- (3.8 centimeters) of rain,
ened hillsides where a ma- with the heaviest down-
jor blaze burned last year pours coming after sunset.
in and around Malibu, Saturday’s storm brought
clogging the Pacific Coast about a foot (30 centime-
Highway with mud and de- ters) of snow to the Sierra
bris. A stretch of the sce- Nevada and twice that
nic route northwest of Los amount was expected
Angeles was expected to Sunday. A winter storm
remain closed in both di- warning was in effect until
rections until Monday while 4 a.m. Monday.
crews tow away stuck ve- Avalanche warnings were
hicles and clear lanes. No posted in parts of Califor-
injuries were reported. In this Nov. 29, 2018, file photo, workers shovel snow off a staircase at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe near nia, Nevada and Utah.
The rapper Soulja Boy was Reno, Nev. Avalanche warnings have been posted in parts of California, Nevada and Utah after a The Sierra Avalanche Cen-
among those whose cars winter storm dumped heavy snow on the region. ter issued a backcountry
were mired in the muck that Associated Press. avalanche warning for the
was up to 4 feet (1.2 me- ica Mountains showed al and valley areas, while in November, destroyed Lake Tahoe area stretching
ters) deep in some areas. nearly three-quarters of mountain communities got about 1,600 structures and south into the Sierra along
The 28-year-old retweeted an inch (nearly 2 centime- heavy snow. claimed three lives. the California-Nevada line
a photo of the mudslide ters) of rainfall in one hour, Flash-flood watches and The sun emerged in Los An- from noon Sunday until 7
and posted: “My car got said the National Weather warnings were eventu- geles on Sunday and the a.m. Monday.
stuck too almost went into Service. “These are heavy ally lifted for areas burned red carpet for the evenings The National Weather Ser-
the ocean,” along with a rates,” the weather service by the fires that scorched Golden Globe awards vice says blizzard condi-
prayer emoji. tweeted. more than 155 square miles were expected to remain tions with gale-force winds
An automated rain gauge Up to 1 ½ inches (3.8 centi- (404 square kilometers) of dry. Scattered showers could trigger widespread
in the western Santa Mon- meters) of rain fell in coast- brush and timber acres were possible later in the avalanche activity. q