In Deep Water
Heavy rains in three southern U.S. states cause the worst flooding in decades.
BY CLAUDIA ATTICOT
Parts of hospitals, schools and state buildings remained underwater on May 3, after a weekend rainstorm whipped through Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky, causing record-breaking floods. The powerful storm left tens of thousands of people without power, shut down major highways, damaged bridges and killed at least 19 in the three states.
Officials say most of the damage was caused in Nashville, Tennessee, where more than 13 inches of rain fell in two days. This almost doubled the state's previous record of 6.68 inches set back in 1979. "I've never seen [the water] this high," said Donnie Smith, an official who has lived in the area for 45 years. "I'm sure that it's rained this hard at one time, but never for this much of an extended period." The rising waters forced authorities to close more than 150 roads in middle Tennessee.
The Cumberland River, which runs through the city, flooded its banks, causing officials to evacuate the downtown area. Nashville Mayor Karl Dean declared a state of emergency on Sunday, and urged residents to conserve water, after flooding shut down one of the two water- treatment plants in Nashville, threatening the fresh water supplies in several counties.
The Eye of the Storm
Forecasters say the storm, which developed over Mississippi, packed high winds and heavy rains, and moved quickly through the area. In Kentucky, where residents received about nine inches of rain, at least 23 counties and eight cities declared states of emergency.
So far, more than 600 people have been rescued in Nashville alone, and 36,000 homes are still without power. "All of our major creeks and the Cumberland River are near flood level, if not at flood level," says Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen. "There's nowhere for the water to go."
More Rain on the Way
Today, residents are bracing for even more flooding, after forecasters predict more heavy rain for the area. "This is going to go on for a while," said Bredesen. "It's going to take several days for this to get back to anything near normal."
In the three southern states of America rained a lot on May, 3rd. Rainstorm stripped through Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky. There were a lot of rain and it caused a lot of floods. The powerful storm caused a lot of people without power shut down mayor highways and a lot of bridges and cities were damages. There were more than thirteen inches rained down on Tennessee. Today there were even more floods and rains. So far, more than six hundred people have been rescued and thirty six thousands of homes are still without power. The storm, which went over Mississippi, packed high winds and heavy rains, and moved quickly through the three southern states. The rainstorm this time had cost the U.S. government a lot of money to rebuild the houses and the electricity. After the rainstorm went away, it took a lot of time to get everything back to normal.
2009年5月8日 星期五
2009年5月2日 星期六
A Disastrous Oil Spill
A Disastrous Oil Spill
Workers race to contain an oil slick that is threatening wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico
BY VICKIE AN
Cleanup crews are racing against the clock to contain a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The slick is the result of an explosion that occurred on April 20 aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana. The thick, black ooze is threatening miles upon miles of coastline in four states, and putting hundreds of species of wildlife in danger. Experts say the spill could become one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.
"It is of grave concern," says David Kennedy, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "And the efforts that are going to be required to do anything about it, especially if it continues on, are just mind-boggling."
One Big Mess
There were 126 workers aboard the oil rig at the time of the blast. An oil rig is a large, offshore platform that is used to house workers and machines needed to drill oil wells in the ocean floor. Most of the workers escaped. Eleven people are missing. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. The rig was owned by Transocean Ltd., and operated by the energy company BP.
Since the blast, an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil have been spewing daily from an undersea well, located 5,000 feet below the disaster site. By Monday, the sticky spill had grown to more than 1,800 square miles. That's larger than the state of Rhode Island. Oil from the leak began oozing up on Louisiana's shores on Thursday, and could reach the white-sand beaches of Florida as early as this weekend.
"We've never seen anything like this magnitude," said George Crozier, executive director of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama. "The problems are going to be the beaches themselves. That's where it will be really visible."
Scientists and environmentalists worry about the huge impact of the slick on sea life in the area. The waters are home to a variety of marine animals, including dolphins, sea turtles and sea birds. Plant life can also suffer from the spill. "It's already a fragile system," says Mark Kulp, a geologist at the University of New Orleans in Louisiana. "It would be devastating to see anything happen to that system."
Cleaning Up
So far, remote-controlled submarines have been unable to shut off the oil well. Workers will begin drilling a relief well to reroute the oil on Thursday. The process could take months. Crews have been working since last week to skim oil from the water's surface, but time is starting to run out.
In a last-ditch effort, the Coast Guard performed a controlled burn of the oil slick on Wednesday. Workers used fireproof containment booms, or a string of floating barriers, to rein in some of the thicker oil. Then they set it on fire. This causes the oil to harden into balls of tar that can be removed from the water more easily. Authorities do no expect the burn area to affect marine life. The total cost of the cleanup could add up to $1 billion.
The oil rig in The Gulf of Mexico had blasted, the pipes were broken. There were a lot of oils spilled out from the pipes. An estimated of 210000 gallons of oil had spread out from the broken pipe. The black oils had spread all over the coastlines miles and miles. The oil caused a lot of effects on the environment and the wildlife; it even caused effects on the economy. The spread oil had put a lot of marine species were in danger. The ocean had been polluted by the oil. A lot of fishes and marine animals such as sea turtles, dolphins, sea birds, crabs, shrimps, and sharks had died because the oil floated on the ocean. A lot of birds had oils on their feathers. The wildlife and the environment had been damaged. The government needed to cost 1 billion to cleanup to ocean and the environment.
Workers race to contain an oil slick that is threatening wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico
BY VICKIE AN
Cleanup crews are racing against the clock to contain a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The slick is the result of an explosion that occurred on April 20 aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana. The thick, black ooze is threatening miles upon miles of coastline in four states, and putting hundreds of species of wildlife in danger. Experts say the spill could become one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.
"It is of grave concern," says David Kennedy, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "And the efforts that are going to be required to do anything about it, especially if it continues on, are just mind-boggling."
One Big Mess
There were 126 workers aboard the oil rig at the time of the blast. An oil rig is a large, offshore platform that is used to house workers and machines needed to drill oil wells in the ocean floor. Most of the workers escaped. Eleven people are missing. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. The rig was owned by Transocean Ltd., and operated by the energy company BP.
Since the blast, an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil have been spewing daily from an undersea well, located 5,000 feet below the disaster site. By Monday, the sticky spill had grown to more than 1,800 square miles. That's larger than the state of Rhode Island. Oil from the leak began oozing up on Louisiana's shores on Thursday, and could reach the white-sand beaches of Florida as early as this weekend.
"We've never seen anything like this magnitude," said George Crozier, executive director of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama. "The problems are going to be the beaches themselves. That's where it will be really visible."
Scientists and environmentalists worry about the huge impact of the slick on sea life in the area. The waters are home to a variety of marine animals, including dolphins, sea turtles and sea birds. Plant life can also suffer from the spill. "It's already a fragile system," says Mark Kulp, a geologist at the University of New Orleans in Louisiana. "It would be devastating to see anything happen to that system."
Cleaning Up
So far, remote-controlled submarines have been unable to shut off the oil well. Workers will begin drilling a relief well to reroute the oil on Thursday. The process could take months. Crews have been working since last week to skim oil from the water's surface, but time is starting to run out.
In a last-ditch effort, the Coast Guard performed a controlled burn of the oil slick on Wednesday. Workers used fireproof containment booms, or a string of floating barriers, to rein in some of the thicker oil. Then they set it on fire. This causes the oil to harden into balls of tar that can be removed from the water more easily. Authorities do no expect the burn area to affect marine life. The total cost of the cleanup could add up to $1 billion.
The oil rig in The Gulf of Mexico had blasted, the pipes were broken. There were a lot of oils spilled out from the pipes. An estimated of 210000 gallons of oil had spread out from the broken pipe. The black oils had spread all over the coastlines miles and miles. The oil caused a lot of effects on the environment and the wildlife; it even caused effects on the economy. The spread oil had put a lot of marine species were in danger. The ocean had been polluted by the oil. A lot of fishes and marine animals such as sea turtles, dolphins, sea birds, crabs, shrimps, and sharks had died because the oil floated on the ocean. A lot of birds had oils on their feathers. The wildlife and the environment had been damaged. The government needed to cost 1 billion to cleanup to ocean and the environment.
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