Central Europe hit by floods after days of
heavy rain
Published on Jun 02, 2013
7:13 PM
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The statue of world harmony leader Sri Chinmoy is partially submerged in water from the rising Vltava river in Prague, June
2, 2013. The authorities across central Europe are reinforcing flood barriers to prevent rising rivers from bursting their banks
after days of heavy rain. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
BERLIN (AP) - The authorities across central Europe are reinforcing flood barriers to prevent rising rivers
from bursting their banks after days of heavy rain.
Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes along the Vltava river in the Czech Republic.
Officials are warning that its waters could reach critical levels in the capital Prague later on Sunday.
Evacuations are also taking place in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The southern German cities of Passau and Rosenheim have issued a disaster warning as the Danube and
Inn rivers continue to swell.
The DPA news agency reported on Sunday that Passau has asked the German army for support in erecting
its flood defences.
At least four people have died or are missing due to floods in Germany and Switzerland in recent days.
Four dead, many missing after floods in
central Europe
Published on Jun 03, 2013
8:33 AM
A restaurant is flooded in Tegernsee, southern Germany, on June 2, 2013. Due to heavy and ongoing rainfalls, parts of the
southern state of Bavaria were flooded. -- PHOTO: AFP
VIENNA (AFP) - Four people have died and at least eight more were missing as torrential rains lashed
central Europe, forcing hundreds to evacuate their homes after floods and landslides.
Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic on Sunday sent in army units to help with rescue efforts after
rains reached record levels in some areas, while hundreds of roads have been closed and rail services cut.
The banks of the mighty Danube River burst in one area in Germany, and dozens of towns were put on
flood alert across a large swathe of central Europe.
In Austria, one person was killed and two were reported missing following landslides triggered by heavy
rains that forced several hundred people from their homes, local authorities said.
Two people were also missing in neighbouring Germany following a 48-hour downpour that hit record
levels in parts of the south and east, according to the DPA news agency.
But despite the heavy rains, around 10,000 Bayern Munich fans joined in celebrations for their team's
historic treble win in the European, league and cup titles.
In the Czech Republic, a man and woman were killed in Trebenice, just outside Prague, when their house
collapsed, police said. At least four other people were missing.
Officials ordered the evacuation of around 1,800 people from the village of Stechovice.
The body of a man in his fifties was found on Sunday evening in the swollen waters of the Upa River, at
Trutnov, 150 km northeast of the capital, said police.
Two men who were rafting on the Berounka River, 30 km southwest of Prague, have been missing since
Saturday evening.
The government declared a state of emergency and released 300 million korunas (S$19 million) in disaster
funds. Several hundred people had to be evacuated, as well as a hospital and the Prague Zoo.
"We will do everything to protect people's lives and health," said Prime Minister Petr Necas, announcing
that 1,000 troops had been mobilised.
"Tonight and tomorrow will be critical."
Barriers have been erected along the banks of the Vltava River in Prague to prevent it from flooding, and
the iconic Charles Bridge was closed.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged federal government support for the affected areas, while the
army was sent in to help in some eastern towns as water levels rose.
The southern German town of Passau on the Austrian border was partly flooded when the Danube burst its
banks.
Further downstream, Austrian towns including Linz and Melk were bracing for the worst, with some local
authorities fearing a repeat of the record floods in 2002 that caused damage of up to 7.5 billion euros
nationwide.
Rail services between the southern German city of Munich and Salzburg in Austria were brought to a halt.
Much of Austria's western provinces of Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Salzburg, as well as northern Upper Austria,
were on flood alert.
Rail links were suspended due to landslides in many parts of Salzburg and Tyrol, Austrian Rail said, while
a section of the motorway to Switzerland was closed because of flooding, as were smaller roads throughout
the country.
In a small town near Salzburg, a worker helping with the clean-up effort was killed in a landslide, police
said.
In nearby Taxenbach, rescue services were still searching for two people - a farmer and a female driver believed to have been caught in a mudslide overnight.
Hundreds of firefighters and emergency workers, as well as the Austrian army, have been mobilised to
help clear roads, assist with evacuations and put up anti-flood barriers.
At least 240 residents in Salzburg and another 80 in neighbouring Tyrol were evacuated from their homes
as local rivers threatened to burst their banks, local authorities said.
On Saturday alone, Vorarlberg province saw up to 132 millimetres of rain, according to the Austrian
meteorological centre ZAMG.
In just a few days, Austria has experienced as much rain as it normally would in two months during this
season, ZAMG added.
In Switzerland, the federal weather office said water levels were still rising in a number of lakes and there
remained a risk of landslides, although the situation was under control overall.
Damaging storms moving through eastern,
southern US
Published on Jun 03, 2013
8:27 AM
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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Damaging winds knocked down trees and utility wires in parts of the
Northeast, flights were delayed in New York City, and there were reports of a tornado in South Carolina as
the East Coast braced for the remnants of violent weather that claimed 13 lives in Oklahoma.
Heavy rain, thunderstorms, high winds and hail moved through the region on Sunday, and the National
Weather Service issued a rare tornado warning as a line of thunderstorms raced through New Hampshire
into western Maine.
The warning was issued as radar indicated a possible tornado moving from Kingfield, Maine, to Bingham,
Maine. The tornado was not immediately confirmed.
In northwestern South Carolina, authorities checked unconfirmed reports of a tornado, said Ms Jessica
Ashley, a shift supervisor for Anderson County's emergency centre. The fire department responded to a
report of roof damage to a home and callers said trees were blown over. No injuries were reported.
The weather service said thunderstorms and winds in excess of 96 kph in Vermont produced 25millimeter-diameter hail and knocked down numerous trees and wires. In northern Maine, radar picked up
a line of thunderstorms capable of producing quarter-sized hail and winds stronger than 112 kph.
Forecasters warned of tornadoes.
The prediction for stormy weather in the New York City region produced delays at major airports. John F.
Kennedy International Airport had delays of about two hours on departing flights, while La Guardia
Airport was delayed nearly three hours, and Newark Liberty Airport was delayed more than three hours on
arriving flights to New Jersey.
In the southern part of the United States, thunderstorms, high winds and hail were expected as part of a
slow-moving cold front.
Heavy rains could spawn flash flooding in some areas, the weather service said.
Meanwhile, residents in Oklahoma cleaned up after the storms there killed 13 people, including three
veteran storm chasers. Mr Tim Samaras, his son Paul Samaras and Mr Carl Young were killed last Friday.
The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said the men were involved in tornado research.
Mr Jim Samaras told The Associated Press on Sunday that his brother Tim was motivated by science.
"He looked at tornadoes not for the spotlight of TV but for the scientific aspect," Jim Samaras said.
"At the end of the day, he wanted to save lives and he gave the ultimate sacrifice for that."
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin toured damage in El Reno, about 48 km from Oklahoma City. She said
the death toll could rise as emergency workers continue searching flooded areas for missing residents.
The state Medical Examiner's Office spokeswoman Amy Elliott said the death toll had risen to 13 from
Friday's EF3 tornado, which charged down a clogged Interstate 40 in the western suburbs. Among the dead
were two children - an infant sucked out of the car with its mother and a 4-year-old boy who along with his
family had sought shelter in a drainage ditch.
In Missouri, areas west of St. Louis received significant damage from an EF3 tornado Friday that packed
estimated winds of 242 kph. In St. Charles County, at least 71 homes were heavily damaged and 100 had
slight to moderate damage, county spokeswoman Colene McEntee said.
Northeast of St. Louis, the town of Roxana, Illinois, also saw damage from an EF3 tornado. Weather
service meteorologist Jayson Gosselin said it wasn't clear whether the damage in Missouri and Illinois
came from the same twister or separate ones.
Five tornadoes struck the Oklahoma City metro area on Friday, the weather service said. Ms Fallin said
Sunday that 115 people were injured.
The storms formed out on the prairie west of Oklahoma City, giving residents plenty of advance notice.
When told to seek shelter, many ventured out and snarled traffic across the metro area - perhaps
remembering when a tornado hit Moore on May 20 and killed 24 people.
Thousands evacuated as crews fight
California wildfire
Published on Jun 03, 2013
11:33 AM

A firefighter monitors flames from a wildfire burning at a horse ranch in Lancaster, California on June 2, 2013. A wildfire
raging north of Los Angeles prompted evacuations and burned structures as the so-called Powerhouse Fire has burned an
estimated 25,000 acres and is only 20 percent contained. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A wildfire that destroyed at least six homes, damaged 15 others and
threatened hundreds more grew quickly as it triggered evacuations for nearly 3,000 people and
burned dangerously close to communities in the parched mountains north of Los Angeles.
The blaze had burned about 103 sq. km of very dry brush in the Angeles National Forest mountains and
canyons, some of which hadn't burned since 1929.
The fire was growing so fast, and the smoke was so thick, that it was difficult to map the size, US Forest
Service Incident Commander Norm Walker said.
"This is extremely old, dry fuel," Mr Walker said at an afternoon news conference.
The fire, which was 20 per cent contained, appeared to be the fiercest of several burning in the West,
including two in New Mexico, where thick smoke covered several communities and set a blanket of haze
over Santa Fe on Saturday.
Crews fighting the two uncontained wildfires focused on Sunday on building protection lines around them
amid anticipation that a forecast of storms could bring moisture to help reduce the intensity of the fires.
The fire raging in Southern California had crews fighting the fire on four fronts, with the flames spreading
quickest northward into unoccupied land, authorities said.
But populated areas about 80 km north of downtown LA remained in danger, with more than 2,800 people
and 700 homes under evacuation orders in the communities of Lake Hughes and Lake Elizabeth, sheriff's
Lt. David Coleman said.
They wouldn't be allowed to return home until at least on Monday and possibly on Tuesday, Mr Coleman
said.