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Lost Lake Tribune May 12, 2011

Major Flooding Moves South Toward Mississippi Delta
RENA LARA, Miss. - Crews worked to shore up levees along the swelling Mississippi River on Wednesday as floodwaters threatened to swamp even more of the fertile Mississippi Delta.
The crest rolled south after hitting the high mark Tuesday in Memphis, Tenn., just inches short of the record set in 1937. Some low-lying neighborhoods were inundated, but high levees protected much of the rest of the city. Landmarks such as Graceland stayed dry.
In Rena Lara, Miss., an unincorporated town of about 500 where dump trucks have been hauling gravel from dawn to dusk to shore up the levee, people were uneasy Wednesday. They have no local media, so they have been relying on social networking sites and word of mouth for information. Public officials are trying to assure them that they expect the levee to hold and will give them plenty of notice if they need to leave.
"It's getting scary," said Rena Harris, 43, a homemaker who lives in the shadow of the levee. "They won't let you go up there to look at the water."
Downstream in Louisiana, inmates filled sandbags to protect property in Cajun swamp communities that could be flooded if engineers open a spillway to protect the more densely populated Baton Rouge area. Fear was high among residents there.
In Vicksburg, Miss., the site of a pivotal Civil War battle, William Jefferson was already paddling slowly down his street in a small boat. The river is not expected to crest until next May 19. "Half my life is still in there," he said, pointing to the small white house swamped by several feet of water. "I hate to see it when I go back in."
Jefferson refuses to leave his hard-hit neighborhood, so he spends his days in the sweltering sun watching the water rise and sleeping in a camper at an intersection that's likely to also flood. "If you don't stay with your stuff, you won't have it," he said. "This is what I do every day. Just watch the water."
Over the past week or so in the Delta, floodwaters along the rain-swollen river and its backed-up tributaries, like the Yazoo River in MIssissippi, have already washed away crops, forced many to seek higher ground, and closed some of the dockside casinos that are vital to the state's economy.
The state gambling industry is taking a hit: All 19 casinos along the river will be shut down by the end of the week, costing governments $12 million to $13 million in taxes per month, authorities said. That will put some 13,000 employees temporarily out of work.
But the worst is yet to come, with the crest expected over the next few days. The damage in Memphis was estimated at more than $320 million as the serious flooding began, and an official tally won't be available until the waters recede.
To the south, there were no early figures on the devastation, but with hundreds of homes already damaged, "we're going to have a lot more when the water gets to where it's never been before," said Greg Flynn, a spokesman for the Mississippi emergency management agency.
Across the region, federal officials anxiously checked and reinforced the levees, some of which could be put to their biggest test ever.
In northwestern Mississippi, crews have been using dirt and sand to make a levee higher at the Bolivar-Coahoma county line in the north Delta, said Charlie Tindall, attorney for the Mississippi Levee Board.
About 10 miles north of Vicksburg, contractors lined one side of what is known as a backwater levee with big sheets of plastic to keep it from eroding if floodwaters flow over it as feared — something that has never happened since the levee was built in the 1970s.
Jimmy Mitchell, 46, and his wife and two children have been living in a loaned camper for more than week at a civic arena in Tunica. "There's no sewage hookup. You go in a barn to take a shower," said Mitchell, who is from the small community of Cutoff. "We have no time frame on how long we can stay."
Farmers built homemade levees to protect their corn, cotton, wheat and soybean crops, but many believed the crops would be lost entirely.

Marriage Amendment Passes in MN Senate
Information Gained from http://www.startribune.com/politics/blogs/121636839.html
A constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota took a decisive step Wednesday toward ending up on the 2012 ballot.
After more than three hours of often-emotional debate, the Senate approved the proposed amendment by a vote of 38 to 27. The House, which has not yet taken up the bill, is expected to pass it, as well.
Although Gov. Mark Dayton opposes the measure, which defines marriage as solely between a man and a woman, he has no voice in the decision because constitutional amendments do not require a governor's signature to be placed on the ballot and he cannot veto it.
State law already defines marriage as the amendment does, but supporters say the amendment is needed to prevent judges, or a future legislature, from overturning the law.
Although DFL majorities have blocked the amendment for years, now that Republicans control both chambers of the Legislature, passage of it seems nearly assured. Opponents dominated the debate, raising objections that ranged across topics that included religion, discrimination and the economic fallout from adopting the amendment.
Dozens of activists on both sides of the debate filled the Senate gallery and opponents of the amendment conceded that they had little hope of preventing its passage.
"I'm not hopeful at this point," said St. Paul resident Paul Fleege, who hung a banner outside the Senate chamber that declared, "To Be Lesbian or Gay is a Gift from God." "After last November, I knew right away it was going to pass."
"Yes, it's going to pass, but we had to show up and show our opposition," said Monica Meyer, executive director of OutFront Minnesota, the state's largest advocacy group for gays and lesbians."This isn't going to help a single family in Minnesota, but will discriminate against a lot of them."
The bill's sponsor, Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, said the amendment is needed to prevent "a small group of politicians or judges to define marriage" and cited a recent poll sponsored by the Minnesota Family Council that showed that three fourths of the state's residents want the opportunity to vote on the issue. "When I think about it, why shouldn't they?"
Several recent national polls have found that opposition to same-sex marriage has been shrinking to a point where Americans are split on the issue.
"This new majority is very, very wrong," said Sen. Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka. "This new majority is out of step with the people of Minnesota and the people of this country. People have moved on." DFLers argued that there's no indication the state's courts are poised to overturn the current state law.
Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, who is openly gay, showed a picture of himself and his partner, Richard and emotionally asked, "what is so different about us? What is so dangerous? We work really, really hard to support each other every day."
If the amendment is on the ballot, Dibble predicted "an ugly, angry divisive campaign" will unfold in Minnesota, with millions of dollars being spent by both sides. "This amendment is going to create a climate of hostility and fear."

Earthquakes in Spain Kill Several and Bring Major Damage

MADRID -- Two earthquakes struck southeast Spain in quick succession Wednesday, killing at least seven people, injuring dozens and causing major damage to buildings, officials said.
The epicenter of the quakes -- with magnitudes of 4.4 and 5.2 -- was close to the town of Lorca, the second came about two hours after the first, an official with the Murcia regional government said on condition of anonymity in line with department policy.
The Murcia regional government said a hospital in Lorca was being evacuated, dozens of injured people were being treated at the scene and a field hospital was being set up. It said the seven deaths included a minor and occurred with the second, stronger quake.
Large chunks of stone and brick fell from the facade of a church in Lorca as Spanish state TV was broadcasting live from the scene. A large church bell was also among the rubble. The broadcaster reported that schoolchildren usually gather at that spot around that time, and if it had happened 10 minutes later, a "tragedy" could have occurred.
Spanish TV showed images of cars that were partially crushed by falling rubble, and large cracks in buildings. Nervous groups of residents gathered in open public places, talking about what happened and calling relatives and friends on their cell phones. An elderly woman appeared to be in shock and was seated in a chair as people tried to calm her.
 "I felt a tremendously strong movement, followed by a lot of noise, and I was really frightened," the newspaper El Pais quoted another Lorca resident Juani Avellanada as saying. It did not give her age.
Another resident, Juana Ruiz, said her house split open with the quake and "all the furniture fell over," according to El Pais.
John Bellini, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado, said the larger earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 and struck 220 miles south-southeast of Madrid.
The quake was about 6 miles deep, Bellini said. He classified the bigger quake as moderate and said it could cause structural damage to older buildings and masonry.
The quakes occurred in a seismically active area near a large fault beneath the Mediterranean Sea where the European and African continents brush past each other, USGS seismologist Julie Dutton said. The USGS said it has recorded hundreds of small quakes in the area since 1990

Harper Wins Re-Election and Majority in Canada


Canadians can now "turn the page on the uncertainties and repeat elections of the past seven years," Stephen Harper said Monday night as voters delivered the Conservative leader his first majority government and brought a dramatic and unpredicted realignment to the country's political landscape.
The re-elected prime minister told the country that government affairs will begin "as early as tomorrow" with a plan for creating jobs and growth without increasing taxes, immediate help for families and seniors and eliminating the deficit while maintaining health-care transfers to provinces and territories.
"And friends I have to say it — a strong, stable, national Conservative majority government," Harper told a cheering crowd in Calgary, a reference to his oft-repeated refrain during the campaign.
Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jack Layton will now become Official Opposition leader and replace Michael Ignatieff, who himself was defeated in his own Toronto riding. Ignatieff took responsibility for the Liberals' historic electoral loss. Ignatieff's Liberals — often touted as Canada's "natural governing party" — placed a distant third behind Layton's party.
With 99 per cent of polls reporting, the Conservatives won 167 seats, followed by the NDP with 102, Liberals with 34 and the Bloc Québécois with four and the Green Party with one. A party needs to capture 155 seats to win a majority in the House of Commons.
Despite his majority victory, Harper pledged to work with other parties and praised their efforts over five weeks.
"We are intensely aware that we are and we must be the government of all Canadians, including those who did not vote for us," Harper said.
The Conservatives gained 23 seats, mostly in Ontario, while the Liberals suffered a 43-seat drop.
But the NDP, who nearly tripled their seat count, made a major breakthrough in Quebec, mostly at the expense of the Bloc, gaining 67 seats. The loss of 45 Bloc seats in the province prompted party leader Gilles Duceppe to announce he would resign in days.
Following his victory, Layton bounded up the stairs to address a near ecstatic crowd in Toronto, brandishing the trademark cane given to him by a supporter on the campaign tour to help him with his recovery from hip surgery.
"And let me tell you this: Spring is here, my friends, and a new chapter begins," Layton said, who was drowned out several times mid-speech.
Layton garnered one of the largest reactions when referring to the largely young crowd present at the NDP supporter party and their role in the election results.
The New Democrat leader said Canadians voted Monday to strengthen public health care, retirement security and help families make ends meet.
"And you voted to end the same old debates and political games," he told the crowd.
But he also vowed his party would oppose the Conservative government "with vigour if it is on the wrong path.

Extensive Flooding Coming to Manitoba

Information Gained from:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper toured the Assiniboine River floodzone in western Manitoba, getting a look at the desperate situation facing residents.
Meanwhile, Brandon Mayor Shari Decter Hirst urged people not to visit her city.
"Don't come to Brandon now," she said, noting it is not business as usual in Manitoba's second-largest city.
"Don't send your children here. Don't visit Brandon right now. We are in a state of emergency."
That said, she appreciated the visit by Harper, who first travelled to the community of Southport, about an hour west of Winnipeg, near Hoop and Holler Bend, the spot where the province is considering cutting through a dike to relieve pressure from the Assiniboine River.
It's important the Prime Minister gets first-hand look at the situation, said Decter Hirst.
"We will be looking to the federal government for expedited help for assistance. The prime minister will see the urgency of the situation here," she said.
Harper and Premier Greg Selinger received a briefing from flood officials in Southport before taking a helicopter tour of the affected area.

Evacuation totals

The total number of Manitobans forced from their homes because of flooding now stands at almost 3,000. That includes more than 1,700 registered with the Red Cross and more than 1,000 registered with the Manitoba Association of Native Fire Fighters.
Harper called the damage from flooding "incredible" and promised financial assistance for Manitobans about to have their homes flooded by the controlled release at Hoop and Holler Bend.
He said it was like Lake Agassiz was returning to Manitoba. Aggasiz was an immense glacial lake that once covered all of Manitoba as well as parts of Ontario, Saskatchewan, Minnesota and North Dakota. But he said it is also remarkable how much water has been kept away from communities and homes thanks to flood mitigation measures.
Harper also said he and Selinger spoke about doing more to protect land in advance of flooding in the future, but he would not give any specifics on that or compensation.

A scare on Monday prompted officials in Brandon, Manitoba to issue a precautionary evacuation for about 1,000 people in a low-lying area known as the Flats.
Officials have described the present situation behind dikes in the city of 40,000 as ‘guarded’ because of a rainy forecast. However, the heavy rain expected for Tuesday did not materialize, which has provided an opportunity to exhale.
Dozens of military reservists are working in Brandon to monitor the dikes and help with any additional evacuations.
Brandon's emergency co-ordinator, Brian Kayes, said the Assiniboine is nearing its crest but expects it won't start to recede for two weeks. In addition, high water levels could last most of the summer. "This may drag on for the whole summer, so people need to understand that we can't just pull a plug like in the bathtub and watch it go down," he said.
Crews will be busy maintaining dikes and controlling seepage for a long time yet, and Kayes doesn't know when evacuees will be able to return.
There are still residents in two or three homes in the evacuation zone, ignoring the order and Decter Hirst is urging them to leave, saying they are endangering their lives. "What happens if the road that they think they are[leaning] on gets flooded? What happens if there is a cataclysmic event and they've got, you know, a seven-foot wall of water coming down on top of them?" Decter Hirst said.  Police visit them a few times a day encouraging them to go, she said.
An event like that would also endanger emergency personnel, she said.

Livestock emergency

The Manitoba government has also declared a livestock emergency in the province due to the flood. "Rising water in many areas of the province is affecting hundreds of producers and thousands of animals," Agriculture Minister Stan Struthers stated in a news release.
“This flood is going to affect the livestock, the producers on the land, the grain producers, and the provincial economy.” said Jay Fox, president of Manitoba Beef Producers. “Today, I put out a call to action to producers to help one another during this emergency. . . Lending a helping hand to a neighbour can make a world of difference during an emergency.”
He said his department will identify Crown lands that will be made available for agricultural use. The land will be used to house livestock and store machinery until such time the water recedes and the land is no longer needed.
Jay Fox estimates 100,000 heads of cattle will likely have to be moved in the southwest part of the province and near Lake Manitoba. He expects those ranchers to be coping with the after-effects of the flood for up to a year. "This flood is going to affect the livestock, the producers on the land, the grain producers, and the provincial economy," he said.
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