Days of severe storms leave 18 dead as rising rivers threaten US south and midwest

 Severe storm causes flooding in Kentucky’s Casey county on Friday. Photograph: Ryan C Hermens/TNS/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

Associated Press

 Power and gas shut off in regions as flooding worsens, threatening waterlogged and badly damaged communities 

 

After days of intense rain and wind killed at least 18 people in the US south and midwest, rivers rose and flooding worsened on Sunday in those regions, threatening waterlogged and badly damaged communities.

Utility companies scrambled to shut off power and gas from Texas to Ohio while cities closed roads and deployed sandbags to protect homes and businesses.

In Kentucky, downtown Frankfort, the state’s capital, was inundated.

“As long as I’ve been alive – and I’m 52 – this is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said Wendy Quire, the general manager at the Brown Barrel restaurant.

As the swollen Kentucky river kept rising on Sunday, officials closed roads and turned off power and gas to businesses in the city built around it, Quire said. “The rain just won’t stop,” she said. “It’s been nonstop for days and days.”

 

The ongoing, global climate crisis is bringing heavier rainfall and related flood risks to most parts of the US, with the upper midwest and Ohio River valley among the regions most affected, according to Climate Central, an independent non-profit that researches weather patterns.

Forecasters warned that flooding could persist for days, as torrential rains lingered over many states, including Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. Tornadoes are possible in Alabama, Georgia and Florida, forecasters said.

The 18 reported deaths since the start of the storms on Wednesday included 10 in Tennessee. A nine-year-old boy in Kentucky was caught up in floodwaters while walking to catch his school bus. A five-year-old boy in Arkansas died after a tree fell on his family’s home and trapped him, police said. A 16-year-old volunteer firefighter in Missouri died in a crash while seeking to rescue people caught in the storm.

 

The National Weather Service (NWS) said on Sunday dozens of locations in multiple states were expected to reach a “major flood stage”, with extensive flooding of structures, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure possible.

There were 521 domestic and international flights cancelled within the US, and more than 6,400 were delayed on Saturday, according to FlightAware.com. The website reported 74 cancellations and 478 delays of US flights early on Sunday.

The storms come after Donald Trump’s administration has cut jobs at NWS forecast offices, leaving half of them with vacancy rates of about 20%, or double the level of a decade ago.

Officials warned of flash flooding and tornadoes on Saturday across Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. All of eastern Kentucky was under a flood watch through Sunday morning.

In north-central Kentucky, emergency officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for Falmouth and Butler, towns near the bend of the rising Licking river. Thirty years ago, the river reached a record 50ft (15 meters), resulting in five deaths and 1,000 homes destroyed.

The NWS said 5.06in (nearly 13 cm) of rain fell on Saturday in Jonesboro, Arkansas – making it the wettest day ever recorded in April in the city, dating back to 1893.

As of early Sunday, Memphis had received 14in (35cm) of rain since Wednesday, the NWS said. West Memphis, Arkansas, received 10in (25cm).

Forecasters attributed the violent weather to warm temperatures, an unstable atmosphere, strong winds and abundant moisture streaming from the Gulf.

In Dyersburg, Tennessee, dozens of people arrived on Saturday at a storm shelter near a public school in the rain, clutching blankets, pillows and other necessities.

Among them was George Manns, 77, who said he was in his apartment when he heard a tornado warning and decided to head to the shelter. Just days earlier the city was hit by a tornado that caused millions of dollars in damage.

“I grabbed all my stuff and came here,” said Mann, who brought a folding chair, two bags of toiletries, laptops, iPads and medications. “I don’t leave them in my apartment in case my apartment is destroyed. I have to make sure I have them with me.”

Guardian staff contributed reporting

 

 

Martianization, Moradores do Havaí se jogaram no mar para fugir do fogo, diz Guarda Costeira dos EUA

 Death toll from Hawaii wildfires increases to 55 as search for survivors continues

 At least 67 people have been killed in the deadliest disaster in the state’s history, as questions are asked about the local warning system

 

Ao menos 12 pessoas foram resgatadas das águas pela Guarda Costeira; incêndios que atingiram ilhas do arquipélago provocaram grande destruição, com relatos de horror da população

População relatou cenas de terror devido ao incêndio; muitas se jogaram no mar para fugir do fogo Zeke Kalua County of Maui

 Um cenário de horror dominou a ilha de Maui, no Havaí, com os fortes incêndios que atingiram a região nesta quarta-feira (09). Alguns moradores chegaram a pular no mar para fugir do fogo que avançava rapidamente, destruindo casas e carros por onde passava. A fumaça também cobria a região, provocando mais ameaças às vidas da população.

A Guarda Costeira dos EUA (USCG, na sigla em inglês) precisou ir à água para resgatar os moradores, segundo informações de um comunicado de imprensa do condado de Maui. A Cruz Vermelha Americana abriu um centro de evacuação em Maui High School, disse o condado.

Ao menos 12 pessoas foram resgatadas por uma embarcação da Guarda Costeira nas proximidades de Lahaina, em Maui. “O USCG continua a resposta conjunta com parceiros federais e estaduais, enquanto o USCG Cutter Kimball está a caminho de Maui para intensificar os esforços”, informou a Guarda Costeira, pelas redes sociais.

Os incêndios florestais em Maui se espalharam tão rapidamente que muitas pessoas não tiveram tempo de se preparar, de acordo com o relato angustiante de um morador que testemunhou os momentos em que o fogo varreu sua cidade.

Claire Kent disse que sua casa em Lahaina foi incendiada no inferno em movimento rápido.

“Aconteceu tão rápido”, disse ela, descrevendo como o dia começou como qualquer outro. Kent disse que estava fora do trabalho por causa dos ventos fortes do furacão Dora. Ela trabalha em um barco no porto e todas as viagens foram canceladas por causa do clima.

“Ouvi as primeiras explosões dos postos de gasolina explodindo e depois vi a fumaça preta a algumas ruas de distância e, em meia hora, estávamos fora de casa”, disse Kent. “Estava na casa de uma amiga. Eu nem fui para casa, não tinha nada comigo.”

Ela disse que em uma hora os incêndios haviam se espalhado até o final do bairro. Foi quando ela percebeu que eles não seriam capazes de voltar.

“Há chamas em ambos os lados da estrada – como algo saído de um filme de terror”, disse Kent, descrevendo a cena enquanto os carros trabalhavam para evacuar.

Ela disse que, devido ao serviço de celular irregular, os avisos de evacuação foram entregues por “pessoas correndo pela rua”.

“Havia caras andando de bicicleta gritando para as pessoas irem embora”, disse Kent.

Algumas pessoas, no entanto, não conseguiram sair. Ela descreveu as chamas se movendo rapidamente, envolvendo algumas áreas em questão de meia hora. Algumas pessoas estavam pulando na água para fugir do fogo, disse ela.

“Tudo se foi”, disse ela. “É a história de Lahaina que é tão devastadora.”

(Publicado por Fábio Mendes)

Sobe para 36 o número de mortos em incêndios no Havai