The worst storm in more than 40 years struck the St. Louis area on Friday the 22nd, damaging or destroying at least 2,700 buildings including the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
Stltoday.com, the St. Louis area news website reports that winds reaching up to 200 miles per hour caused widespread damage across 10 miles of north St. Louis County.
The airport lost part of the roof of one of the terminals and windows were blown out as a tornado passed through.
Tornado touchdowns were confirmed by the National Weather Service in St. Louis and surrounding cities of New Melle, Bridgeton, Granite City and Lambert.
The director of emergency management for St. Louis County, Michael Smiley said, "We're calling it a miracle."
In spite of the destruction, no deaths or serious injuries were reported throughout the area.
Cleanup started immediately throughout the area and the airport resumed operations for some airline flights, but it will still take months and millions of dollars to repair the terminal.
More storms are predicted for Monday afternoon and evening.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
The Southern States say "we have debris!"
In the past two days the southern states have seen violent storms spawn tornadoes that ripped through towns and killed a total of 17 people.
The CNN wire staff reported that emergency crews in Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama are looking over the damage from approximately 100 tornadoes that spun off of a band of fast moving storms since Friday.
Phillip Rawls of AP News reports that seven of the dead were killed in Alabama in the latest string of tornadoes to move throught the area on Saturday.
Earlier fatalities were reported in Arkansas and Oklahoma, making this storm system the deadliest so far this season.
CNN reports again Sunday that the deadly storm systems moved East into North Carolina and Virginia, causing extensive dame and killing another 27 people, bringing the total for three days to 44 dead.
The CNN wire staff reported that emergency crews in Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama are looking over the damage from approximately 100 tornadoes that spun off of a band of fast moving storms since Friday.
Phillip Rawls of AP News reports that seven of the dead were killed in Alabama in the latest string of tornadoes to move throught the area on Saturday.
Earlier fatalities were reported in Arkansas and Oklahoma, making this storm system the deadliest so far this season.
CNN reports again Sunday that the deadly storm systems moved East into North Carolina and Virginia, causing extensive dame and killing another 27 people, bringing the total for three days to 44 dead.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Battle over the budget: Agree on the expenses or shut the doors
Congress and the President are working against the clock to agree on a budget for the government to finish out the current fiscal year because the current spending authorization measure expires at midnight this coming Friday.
Alan Silverleib and Tom Cohen of CNN news report that the Democrats and the Republicans failed to reach an agreement on Wednesday, and failure to enact a new spending bill would shut down all but the most essential government services after 12 midnight on April 8.
President Obama called a meeting with the leaders of both parties to discuss the matter after leaders from both political parties and budget negotiators failed to agree on the size and scope of budget cuts that should be put in place for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Cohen lists s few of the services that would continue to operate, but the total number of government employees that would be asked to stay home could total over 800,000.
Included in the list of those not receiving a paycheck are all military personnel at home as well as in the war zone, who would be required to continue with their duties without pay.
Alan Silverleib and Tom Cohen of CNN news report that the Democrats and the Republicans failed to reach an agreement on Wednesday, and failure to enact a new spending bill would shut down all but the most essential government services after 12 midnight on April 8.
President Obama called a meeting with the leaders of both parties to discuss the matter after leaders from both political parties and budget negotiators failed to agree on the size and scope of budget cuts that should be put in place for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Cohen lists s few of the services that would continue to operate, but the total number of government employees that would be asked to stay home could total over 800,000.
Included in the list of those not receiving a paycheck are all military personnel at home as well as in the war zone, who would be required to continue with their duties without pay.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Lack of parts put the brakes on U.S. automakers production
U.S. automakers are beginning to feel the effects of Japan's earthquake of several weeks ago due to the shortage of new car parts that are normally supplied by Japanese manufacturers.
An article by Peter Valdes-Dapena, senior writer for CNN, describes how far-reaching the earthquake is when U.S. factories are shutting down production for the lack of even a $5 part.
In the next two months Honda, Toyota, Ford, Chrysler and General Motors will all be facing shortages of key parts, mostly electronic items, and either slowing down production or shutting down completely until the supply can resume.
Ford Motor Co. spokesman Todd Nissen described the scramble to find parts a normal routine since shortages occur all the time, but the shortages that will be experienced this time will be out of the ordinary.
Nissen says that there are specialized products that involve patented processes and the only place that can make them are in the Japanese plants that have been shut down.
In order to secure a new supplier for some parts, such as electronic chips, the certifying process can take up to a year.
The shortages are not limited to Japanese and U.S. automakers, and global auto production by non-Japanese could be ultimately reduced by as much as 30%.
An article by Peter Valdes-Dapena, senior writer for CNN, describes how far-reaching the earthquake is when U.S. factories are shutting down production for the lack of even a $5 part.
In the next two months Honda, Toyota, Ford, Chrysler and General Motors will all be facing shortages of key parts, mostly electronic items, and either slowing down production or shutting down completely until the supply can resume.
Ford Motor Co. spokesman Todd Nissen described the scramble to find parts a normal routine since shortages occur all the time, but the shortages that will be experienced this time will be out of the ordinary.
Nissen says that there are specialized products that involve patented processes and the only place that can make them are in the Japanese plants that have been shut down.
In order to secure a new supplier for some parts, such as electronic chips, the certifying process can take up to a year.
The shortages are not limited to Japanese and U.S. automakers, and global auto production by non-Japanese could be ultimately reduced by as much as 30%.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Unrest in the Middle East conitinues
While rebel forces fight Qadhafi militiamen in Libya, protesters burn government buildings in Syria, Bahrain's security forces fired tear gas at protesters in Manama, and a bombing at a bus stop in Jerusalem killed one woman and injured 20 other people.
The Western world looks on as citizens of countries ruled by dictatorial regimes protest and demand the removal of their leaders.
Some look at the exit of Mubarak from Egypt as a victory for democracy, but those that are in the know about foreign matters are concerned about what kind of government will replace him, viewing the replacement as worse than the first.
The fear is that the exit of a dictator leaves a vacuum that could be filled with the Muslim Brotherhood, a fundamentalist group that seeks to instill the Quran and Sunnah as the primary guide for the life of all Muslims.
The Brotherhood officially condemns violence, but over the years the group has been known to support violence and has been repeatedly banned from Egypt.
Meanwhile in Libya there is some hope for the rebels as Qadhafi forces withdrew from a key city in the Eastern part of the country, mostly because of the bombing the Libyan forces received from international fighter jets of the coalition.
Violence against the citizens by Qadhafi's forces gained international attention when a Libyan woman was detained by soldiers for two days, brutally raping her, and was dragged away to an unknown location by government officials as she tried to tell her story to foreign journalists in a Tripoli hotel.
The Western world looks on as citizens of countries ruled by dictatorial regimes protest and demand the removal of their leaders.
Some look at the exit of Mubarak from Egypt as a victory for democracy, but those that are in the know about foreign matters are concerned about what kind of government will replace him, viewing the replacement as worse than the first.
The fear is that the exit of a dictator leaves a vacuum that could be filled with the Muslim Brotherhood, a fundamentalist group that seeks to instill the Quran and Sunnah as the primary guide for the life of all Muslims.
The Brotherhood officially condemns violence, but over the years the group has been known to support violence and has been repeatedly banned from Egypt.
Meanwhile in Libya there is some hope for the rebels as Qadhafi forces withdrew from a key city in the Eastern part of the country, mostly because of the bombing the Libyan forces received from international fighter jets of the coalition.
Violence against the citizens by Qadhafi's forces gained international attention when a Libyan woman was detained by soldiers for two days, brutally raping her, and was dragged away to an unknown location by government officials as she tried to tell her story to foreign journalists in a Tripoli hotel.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Fallout from Japan's earthquake continues to plague the country.
News from Japan about the victims of the earthquake and tsunami is being overshadowed by the potenential nuclear disaster that comes from four nuclear reactors damaged from the wave of water.
Power from backup generators at the Fukoshima reactors was cut off when the tsunami flooded equipment and rendered them useless.
Over the last week the reactor cores heated up and explosions from built- up hydrogen gas damaged the containment buildings, releasing dangerous levels of radiation to the surrounding areas.
Attempts to cool the reactors with sea water sprayed from fire hoses has done little to stop the nuclear material from melting down.
Finally on Saturday an electric cable connecting power from several kilometers away was connected to the power grid for the plants, giving the plant workers hope for restarting the pumps.
The damage to the reactors is still not completely known, and time is still of the essence in keeping radiation from spreading further into the country.
Power from backup generators at the Fukoshima reactors was cut off when the tsunami flooded equipment and rendered them useless.
Over the last week the reactor cores heated up and explosions from built- up hydrogen gas damaged the containment buildings, releasing dangerous levels of radiation to the surrounding areas.
Attempts to cool the reactors with sea water sprayed from fire hoses has done little to stop the nuclear material from melting down.
Finally on Saturday an electric cable connecting power from several kilometers away was connected to the power grid for the plants, giving the plant workers hope for restarting the pumps.
The damage to the reactors is still not completely known, and time is still of the essence in keeping radiation from spreading further into the country.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Japan gets the one-two punch
On Friday March 11 Japan was hit by the largest earthquake recorded in the country for the last 300 years, measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, followed by a tsunami that devastated entire cities in the northern part of the country.
The 23 foot wave that came in from the Pacific Ocean after the quake lifted houses from their foundations and carried debris along with cars, buses and trucks along with it as far as 10 miles inland in a black wave of destruction.
If that wasn't enough, two nuclear power plants shut down because of the massive earthquake and lost backup powered generators that would keep cooling system pumps running, threatening to allow the nuclear fuel to overheat and possibly result in a meltdown.
The quake caused skyscrapers in Tokyo to sway for up to a half hour after the 5 minute rumbling, but the buildings were designed to withstand earthquakes by moving a little bit rather than breaking, and there were no reports of any tall buildings collapsing.
The resulting tsunami spread out across the Pacific Ocean and caused damage in Hawaii about 8 hours later and in California 12 hours later, pulling boats from their moorings and washing them out to sea.
One death was recorded near Crescent City, California when 5 people were washed out to sea as they were watching the wave come in, 4 of the 5 being rescued.
News from Japan was coming out mostly through reports on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, giving the rest of the world pictures and reports that couldn't be captured by the usual news sources.
The speed that technology gives us to pass along information is giving the people of the world the ability to make judgments and express opinions so much faster than even a couple of years ago.
Major news organizations in the U.S. immediately put news reporters on planes headed to the devastation, but the private citizens on the ground with cell phones and internet access posted breaking stories within minutes of the events, beating the professionals at their own game.
The 23 foot wave that came in from the Pacific Ocean after the quake lifted houses from their foundations and carried debris along with cars, buses and trucks along with it as far as 10 miles inland in a black wave of destruction.
If that wasn't enough, two nuclear power plants shut down because of the massive earthquake and lost backup powered generators that would keep cooling system pumps running, threatening to allow the nuclear fuel to overheat and possibly result in a meltdown.
The quake caused skyscrapers in Tokyo to sway for up to a half hour after the 5 minute rumbling, but the buildings were designed to withstand earthquakes by moving a little bit rather than breaking, and there were no reports of any tall buildings collapsing.
The resulting tsunami spread out across the Pacific Ocean and caused damage in Hawaii about 8 hours later and in California 12 hours later, pulling boats from their moorings and washing them out to sea.
One death was recorded near Crescent City, California when 5 people were washed out to sea as they were watching the wave come in, 4 of the 5 being rescued.
News from Japan was coming out mostly through reports on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, giving the rest of the world pictures and reports that couldn't be captured by the usual news sources.
The speed that technology gives us to pass along information is giving the people of the world the ability to make judgments and express opinions so much faster than even a couple of years ago.
Major news organizations in the U.S. immediately put news reporters on planes headed to the devastation, but the private citizens on the ground with cell phones and internet access posted breaking stories within minutes of the events, beating the professionals at their own game.
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