[Top News] from [REUTERS]
[News > U.S.]
Samoa tsunami toll may exceed 100, hundreds injured
Wed Sep 30, 2009 2:12am EDT
By Michael Perry
SYDNEY (Reuters) - A series of tsunamis smashed into the Pacific island nations of American and Western Samoa, killing possibly more than 100 people, destroying villages and injuring hundreds, officials said on Wednesday.
President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in American Samoa, a U.S. territory, and ordered federal aid to help recovery efforts, with a U.S. C-130 military transport aircraft due to leave Honolulu for the tiny South Pacific islands.
At least 24 people were killed and 50 injured, Governor Togiola Tulafono said from Hawaii, with the southern portion of the main Tutuila island "devastated."
Television images showed flattened shorelines and homes torn apart by the waves, with large fishing boats hurled ashore.
New Zealand said there were serious concerns about the neighboring island nation of Tonga after a 4-meter (13-foot) wave hit its northern coast. Tongan officials said they feared as many as 10 people had been killed.
A Pacific-wide tsunami warning was issued after an 8.0 magnitude undersea quake off American Samoa, with reports of a small tsunami reaching New Zealand and rising sea levels in several South Pacific island nations.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center canceled its Pacific-wide warning, but Japan's Meteorological Agency issued a local tsunami warning for its east coast, warning of a possible small tsunami.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later issued an advisory that small tsunami waves had reached Hawaii, warning the waves could be dangerous to swimmers and boats.
An Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004, which killed about 230,000 people across 11 countries, is the worst on record.
BODIES BURIED IN SAND
Shortly after local radio tsunami warnings were issued in American and Western Samoa, waves started crashing into the capital of American Samoa, Pago Pago, and villages and resorts on the southern coasts, witnesses said.
"It's believed as of now, there could be a number close to 100 deaths," said Ausegalia Mulipola, assistant chief executive of Western Samoa's disaster management office.
"They are still continuing the searches for any missing bodies in the area," Mulipola told Reuters, adding the southern side of the country's main island Upolu was the worst hit.
At least 47 people had been killed, officials later told Reuters, with the number of injured still unknown as emergency teams scoured remote coastal villages.
"Some areas have been flattened and the tsunami brought a lot of sand onshore, so there have been reports the sand has covered some of the bodies," Mulipola said. "So we need specialized machines to search for bodies that are buried under the sand."
A unnamed Samoan living in Australia told ABC local news that nine family members had been killed in the village of Lalomanu.
"We have confirmation that nine members of our family have perished, four of them children and many more missing. The tourists haven't been accounted for either," the writer said.
The owner of the Samoan resort Sea Breeze on the southside of Upolu said people were almost washed away when the waves destroyed their resort.
"The second wave hit and came up through the floor, pushed out the back door and threw us outside," Wendy Booth told Fairfax Radio Network in Australia.
U.N. emergency reports said destructive waves struck southern Upolu, with at least 17 killed, while the northern island, Savaii, could have also been hit.
Emergency shelters were required and Red Cross teams had mobilized more than 100 emergency workers who were collecting coconuts to help meet early food and water needs, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
(Additional reporting by Adrian Bathgate and Mantik Kusjanto in Wellington, Rob Taylor and James Grubel in Canberra, Stacey Joyce in Washington, Bud Seba in Houston, Jim Christie in San Francisco, Peter Henderson in Los Angeles)
(Editing by Nick Macfie)
[Green Business]
Climate control debate heats up in Senate
Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:07am EDT
By Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's drive to tackle global warming gets a boost on Wednesday, when Democrats in the Senate are expected to unveil a bill aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the next four decades.
The Senate Democrats' draft legislation, which was circulating on Capitol Hill, embraces major elements of a controversial bill that passed the House of Representatives in June.
Both bills would establish a "cap and trade" system for replacing dirty, polluting fossil fuels with cleaner solar, wind and other alternative energies to power factories and oil refineries and to produce electricity.
Under cap and trade, carbon dioxide emissions would drop and companies would be allowed to sell to each other the pollution permits that would control those emissions.
Unless the draft bill is changed last-minute, Senators Barbara Boxer and John Kerry have written a measure that aims to reduce smokestack emissions of carbon dioxide by 20 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050 from 2005 levels.
The short-term goal is slightly more ambitious than the House's 17 percent target.
Either way, the U.S. Congress has been criticized by many countries for advancing legislation that they say would inadequately address the global warming problem, especially with a December deadline looming for an international deal on next steps.
Senate Republicans quickly denounced the Democrats' 800-page bill.
When asked by Reuters if he could support the Democrats' bill Senator John McCain said: "Of course not. Never, never, never."
McCain complained that the Democratic bill merely paid lip-service to the nuclear power industry. Republicans want to encourage the building of new nuclear generating facilities with additional government aid in the climate bill. They argue it is a necessary tool in expanding "clean energy."
Republicans' harsh words could preview a divisive fight over environmental legislation, similar to the bitter struggle now being waged over healthcare reform. Their opposition underscored the uncertainty over the bill's fate this year.
In coming weeks, Boxer's Environment and Public Works Committee will have to plug in key details still unresolved in their draft bill.
Those include identifying which industry sectors are to get a fixed number of free government permits to emit declining amounts of carbon dioxide in coming years, which was the subject of intense lobbying during the House debate of its bill.
If the Senate cannot manage to pass a climate bill this year, Democrats would likely take up the debate again in 2010.
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
[News > U.S.]
Samoa tsunami toll may exceed 100, hundreds injured
Wed Sep 30, 2009 2:12am EDT
By Michael Perry
SYDNEY (Reuters) - A series of tsunamis smashed into the Pacific island nations of American and Western Samoa, killing possibly more than 100 people, destroying villages and injuring hundreds, officials said on Wednesday.
President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in American Samoa, a U.S. territory, and ordered federal aid to help recovery efforts, with a U.S. C-130 military transport aircraft due to leave Honolulu for the tiny South Pacific islands.
At least 24 people were killed and 50 injured, Governor Togiola Tulafono said from Hawaii, with the southern portion of the main Tutuila island "devastated."
Television images showed flattened shorelines and homes torn apart by the waves, with large fishing boats hurled ashore.
New Zealand said there were serious concerns about the neighboring island nation of Tonga after a 4-meter (13-foot) wave hit its northern coast. Tongan officials said they feared as many as 10 people had been killed.
A Pacific-wide tsunami warning was issued after an 8.0 magnitude undersea quake off American Samoa, with reports of a small tsunami reaching New Zealand and rising sea levels in several South Pacific island nations.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center canceled its Pacific-wide warning, but Japan's Meteorological Agency issued a local tsunami warning for its east coast, warning of a possible small tsunami.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later issued an advisory that small tsunami waves had reached Hawaii, warning the waves could be dangerous to swimmers and boats.
An Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004, which killed about 230,000 people across 11 countries, is the worst on record.
BODIES BURIED IN SAND
Shortly after local radio tsunami warnings were issued in American and Western Samoa, waves started crashing into the capital of American Samoa, Pago Pago, and villages and resorts on the southern coasts, witnesses said.
"It's believed as of now, there could be a number close to 100 deaths," said Ausegalia Mulipola, assistant chief executive of Western Samoa's disaster management office.
"They are still continuing the searches for any missing bodies in the area," Mulipola told Reuters, adding the southern side of the country's main island Upolu was the worst hit.
At least 47 people had been killed, officials later told Reuters, with the number of injured still unknown as emergency teams scoured remote coastal villages.
"Some areas have been flattened and the tsunami brought a lot of sand onshore, so there have been reports the sand has covered some of the bodies," Mulipola said. "So we need specialized machines to search for bodies that are buried under the sand."
A unnamed Samoan living in Australia told ABC local news that nine family members had been killed in the village of Lalomanu.
"We have confirmation that nine members of our family have perished, four of them children and many more missing. The tourists haven't been accounted for either," the writer said.
The owner of the Samoan resort Sea Breeze on the southside of Upolu said people were almost washed away when the waves destroyed their resort.
"The second wave hit and came up through the floor, pushed out the back door and threw us outside," Wendy Booth told Fairfax Radio Network in Australia.
U.N. emergency reports said destructive waves struck southern Upolu, with at least 17 killed, while the northern island, Savaii, could have also been hit.
Emergency shelters were required and Red Cross teams had mobilized more than 100 emergency workers who were collecting coconuts to help meet early food and water needs, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
(Additional reporting by Adrian Bathgate and Mantik Kusjanto in Wellington, Rob Taylor and James Grubel in Canberra, Stacey Joyce in Washington, Bud Seba in Houston, Jim Christie in San Francisco, Peter Henderson in Los Angeles)
(Editing by Nick Macfie)
[Green Business]
Climate control debate heats up in Senate
Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:07am EDT
By Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's drive to tackle global warming gets a boost on Wednesday, when Democrats in the Senate are expected to unveil a bill aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the next four decades.
The Senate Democrats' draft legislation, which was circulating on Capitol Hill, embraces major elements of a controversial bill that passed the House of Representatives in June.
Both bills would establish a "cap and trade" system for replacing dirty, polluting fossil fuels with cleaner solar, wind and other alternative energies to power factories and oil refineries and to produce electricity.
Under cap and trade, carbon dioxide emissions would drop and companies would be allowed to sell to each other the pollution permits that would control those emissions.
Unless the draft bill is changed last-minute, Senators Barbara Boxer and John Kerry have written a measure that aims to reduce smokestack emissions of carbon dioxide by 20 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050 from 2005 levels.
The short-term goal is slightly more ambitious than the House's 17 percent target.
Either way, the U.S. Congress has been criticized by many countries for advancing legislation that they say would inadequately address the global warming problem, especially with a December deadline looming for an international deal on next steps.
Senate Republicans quickly denounced the Democrats' 800-page bill.
When asked by Reuters if he could support the Democrats' bill Senator John McCain said: "Of course not. Never, never, never."
McCain complained that the Democratic bill merely paid lip-service to the nuclear power industry. Republicans want to encourage the building of new nuclear generating facilities with additional government aid in the climate bill. They argue it is a necessary tool in expanding "clean energy."
Republicans' harsh words could preview a divisive fight over environmental legislation, similar to the bitter struggle now being waged over healthcare reform. Their opposition underscored the uncertainty over the bill's fate this year.
In coming weeks, Boxer's Environment and Public Works Committee will have to plug in key details still unresolved in their draft bill.
Those include identifying which industry sectors are to get a fixed number of free government permits to emit declining amounts of carbon dioxide in coming years, which was the subject of intense lobbying during the House debate of its bill.
If the Senate cannot manage to pass a climate bill this year, Democrats would likely take up the debate again in 2010.
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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