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Gunboats protect ‘blue gold’


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The Topaz is a fast-attack craft used by the Seychelles coast guard in the fight against piracy.The Topaz is a fast-attack craft used by the Seychelles coast guard in the fight against piracy.

It is armed with 30-millimeter guns and 25 sailors, but the country has only four such vessels.It is armed with 30-millimeter guns and 25 sailors, but the country has only four such vessels.

Fishing is big business in the Seychelles, but the country's industry has come under severe threat in recent years as a result of the Somali pirates.Fishing is big business in the Seychelles, but the country’s industry has come under severe threat in recent years as a result of the Somali pirates.

The problem has forced local authorities to change the way they manage the country's fishing waters. They've introduced a newly defined zone which restricts the movements of local fishermen.The problem has forced local authorities to change the way they manage the country’s fishing waters. They’ve introduced a newly defined zone which restricts the movements of local fishermen.

Fishing products account for about 90% of the Seychelles' merchandise exports by value. The sector supplies international markets with an array of items, including canned tuna.Fishing products account for about 90% of the Seychelles’ merchandise exports by value. The sector supplies international markets with an array of items, including canned tuna.

According to a recent report by the World Bank, piracy costs the global economy an estimated $18 billion a year.According to a recent report by the World Bank, piracy costs the global economy an estimated $18 billion a year.


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Marketplace Africa is a weekly show covering business trends and focusing on the continent’s key industries and corporations.

Seychelles (CNN) — The pristine waters of the Seychelles, a glittering necklace of coralline and granitic islands scattered on the Indian Ocean, have long beguiled jet-setters and eco-conscious visitors from around the world, turning the idyllic archipelago into a popular travel destination.

But as well as boosting the tiny nation’s tourism revenues, the high seas off the east coast of Africa have also helped create another strategic industry: fishing.

A major economic pillar, fishing is the second biggest contributor to the Seychelles’ finances after tourism. Over the last two decades, the sector’s products have accounted for more than 90% of the country’s merchandise exports by value, supplying international markets with items such as canned tuna, also known as the Seychelles’ “blue gold.”

But in recent years, the fishing industry has come under severe threat as a result of the ongoing risk posed by Somali pirates roaming the waters off the Horn of Africa.


Map: The Seychelles. Click to expand Map: The Seychelles. Click to expand


Map: The Seychelles. Click to expandMap: The Seychelles. Click to expand

“It’s a big problem,” explains major Jean Attala, deputy operations officer of the Seychelles coast guard. “Anything that disrupts the tourism or fishing industry or the maritime equilibrium is a very big problem for us,” he adds.

Read this: The global cost of piracy


Protecting ‘blue gold’ from piracy


Tackling piracy in Somalia


Ransom payments creating problems


The cost of piracy

To deal with the threat of piracy, the country’s authorities had to change the way they manage their waters in recent years. As part of this increased security drive, the Seychelles coast guard has intensified its patrolling efforts, with fast-attack armed vessels monitoring a newly defined zone for fishing.

But there are just four such vessels in the Seychelles’ entire fleet. It’s a small nation in terms of landmass, but with its oceans, it is nearly twice the size of France. “This is not adequate to cover such a large area,” says Attala. “We need more assets and build up more our capacity to deal with the issue.”

Local fishermen are restricted from sailing beyond the designated area’s perimeter, several dozen miles outside the main port.

Analysts say that fishing boats are of particular importance to pirates because they can be used as floating bases from which to launch further attacks.

But while the measure seems to be working — there have been no successful attacks in nearly a year — the restrictions on the movement of Seychellois fishermen has created another problem.

“There’s no fish,” explains local fisherman Patrick Pierre. “Every boat is fishing in the same place,” he adds.

Pierre, who’s been casting his nets for 12 years now, says his job was hardest during the worst period of the piracy — in 2007 and 2008. Since then, the Seychelles has been at the forefront of the global fight against piracy but the new rules mean fewer fish and less money.

Latest African gold rush: Hotels

Joram Madnack is the general manager of the French-owned Indian Ocean Tuna, one of the world’s largest tuna canneries and the biggest employer in the Seychelles. He says fish intake has fallen nearly 25% in the last five years.

“The impact has been on the price, which for some places has gone up by 70%-80% compared to 2007 prices,” explains Madnack.

According to a recent report by the World Bank, piracy costs the global economy an estimated $18 billion a year. The increased costs come as shippers are forced to change trading routes, sending fuel bills soaring, as well as pay higher insurance premiums and security bills for guards on board.

But the threat of Somali piracy is also damaging the economies of neighboring countries, particularly in the key sectors of tourism and fishing. Since 2006, the year the World Bank report takes as the starting point of piracy, exports of fish products from piracy-hit countries have declined by 23.8%. In Seychelles, the impact has been even greater, with exports collapsing by nearly 30%.

“We now fish where we are allowed to fish,” says Peter Sinon, the country’s minister of natural resources and industry. “It has made the industry more costly in terms of going out there [and] be secure to bring in what usually was our daily supply of protein,” he adds.

Watch video: protecting “blue gold” from pirates

And although many of the pirates have now gone, the fishermen say their industry still hasn’t recovered.

For people like Pierre, the fight against piracy and the introduction of fishing zones has proven to be a double-edged sword.

The protection is still necessary, he says, acknowledging that today he is safer. Yet, he and other local fishermen miss the freedom to sail about and return with a big catch.

“Five years ago, there was a lot of fish,” says Pierre. “We could go anywhere we wanted without the fear of piracy and everything.”

Teo Kermeliotis contributed to this report.


Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/22/business/seychelles-fishing-industry-pirates/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/OOZS5grMNdc/gunboats-protect-blue-gold

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No more missing in tornado-torn area


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An aerial view of the destruction caused by the massive tornado that struck areas south of Oklahoma City on Monday, May 20, shows the magnitude of damage left in its path. The storm's winds topped 200 mph as it a href='http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/21/us/severe-weather/index.html?hpt=hp_t2'carved a 17-mile path of destruction/a through Oklahoma City suburbs. On Tuesday, May 21, CNN sent photographer David McNeese to capture the story from above:An aerial view of the destruction caused by the massive tornado that struck areas south of Oklahoma City on Monday, May 20, shows the magnitude of damage left in its path. The storm’s winds topped 200 mph as it carved a 17-mile path of destruction through Oklahoma City suburbs. On Tuesday, May 21, CNN sent photographer David McNeese to capture the story from above:

The storm, which touched down near Newcastle, Oklahoma, spanned 1.3 miles. Some areas along the path were completely flattened.The storm, which touched down near Newcastle, Oklahoma, spanned 1.3 miles. Some areas along the path were completely flattened.

Officials from the National Weather Service gave the tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20 a preliminary EF5 rating -- the highest score on the scale that measures tornado intensities.Officials from the National Weather Service gave the tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20 a preliminary EF5 rating — the highest score on the scale that measures tornado intensities.

The tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburbs, hitting the town of Moore the hardest. It packed winds that topped 200 mph.The tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburbs, hitting the town of Moore the hardest. It packed winds that topped 200 mph.

A search-and-rescue effort to find survivors shifted Tuesday to one of recovery, officials said.A search-and-rescue effort to find survivors shifted Tuesday to one of recovery, officials said.

The devastation in Moore was so complete that the mayor said city officials were racing to print new street signs to help guide rescuers and residents through a suddenly twisted and unfamiliar landscape.The devastation in Moore was so complete that the mayor said city officials were racing to print new street signs to help guide rescuers and residents through a suddenly twisted and unfamiliar landscape.

A group of homes was reduced to rubble.A group of homes was reduced to rubble.

Debris from homes and structures was strewn for miles around. Debris from homes and structures was strewn for miles around.

In some areas, the homes of an entire street were destroyed.In some areas, the homes of an entire street were destroyed.

Rescuers and first responders immediately began searching through the rubble of structures on May 20.Rescuers and first responders immediately began searching through the rubble of structures on May 20.

Large trees were uprooted and flattened.Large trees were uprooted and flattened.

Given its breadth and power, the tornado ranks among some of the strongest storms ever to strike the United States, CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen said.Given its breadth and power, the tornado ranks among some of the strongest storms ever to strike the United States, CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen said.

Homes in some areas were relatively undamaged while others very nearby were destroyed.Homes in some areas were relatively undamaged while others very nearby were destroyed.

Police, firefighters, volunteers and nearly 180 National Guard troops joined forces Tuesday in searching the rubble and securing areas hit by the storm.Police, firefighters, volunteers and nearly 180 National Guard troops joined forces Tuesday in searching the rubble and securing areas hit by the storm.

In 1999 and then again in 2003, Moore took direct hits from tornadoes that took eerily similar paths to 2013's twister. The 1999 storm packed the strongest wind speeds in history, Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb said.In 1999 and then again in 2003, Moore took direct hits from tornadoes that took eerily similar paths to 2013′s twister. The 1999 storm packed the strongest wind speeds in history, Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb said.

A section of a bridge outside of Oklahoma City was blown off its foundation.A section of a bridge outside of Oklahoma City was blown off its foundation.

The path of the tornado is clearly visible with dirt and debris painting a wide path across the Oklahoma landscape.The path of the tornado is clearly visible with dirt and debris painting a wide path across the Oklahoma landscape.

The scene -- block after block of flattened homes and businesses, the gutted remains of a hospital and hits on two elementary schools -- left even seasoned veterans of Oklahoma's infamous tornadoes reeling.The scene — block after block of flattened homes and businesses, the gutted remains of a hospital and hits on two elementary schools — left even seasoned veterans of Oklahoma’s infamous tornadoes reeling.

View more galleries: a href='http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/20/us/gallery/moore-oklahoma-tornado/index.html'Deadly tornado hits Oklahoma City area/a and a href='http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/20/us/gallery/1999-oklahoma-tornado/index.html'The devastating Oklahoma tornado of 1999/a.View more galleries: Deadly tornado hits Oklahoma City area and The devastating Oklahoma tornado of 1999.


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Country star Toby Keith tours the damage in his hometown of Moore, Oklahoma on AC360 tonight, 8pm ET.

For local coverage of Monday’s devastating storms in Oklahoma, go to these CNN affiliates: KFOR, KOCO and KOKH.

(CNN) — With everyone missing now accounted for from this week’s deadly tornado, the long and difficult work of recovery can begin.

“We are, we hope, in the recovery stages now,” Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Wednesday.

“It’s going to take a while to get through all this, and we certainly are making a plan to move by stages.”

Teachers from Fairview Elementary School help clean up former school counselor Kay Taylor's home in south Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, May 22, two days after an extremely powerful tornado tore through Moore, Oklahoma. View more photos of the aftermath in the region and another gallery of aerial shots of the damage.Teachers from Fairview Elementary School help clean up former school counselor Kay Taylor’s home in south Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, May 22, two days after an extremely powerful tornado tore through Moore, Oklahoma. View more photos of the aftermath in the region and another gallery of aerial shots of the damage.

Jake English, 12, cleans up retired school counselor Kay Taylor's home on May 22 in south Oklahoma City, just west of Moore. The storm was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19. Jake English, 12, cleans up retired school counselor Kay Taylor’s home on May 22 in south Oklahoma City, just west of Moore. The storm was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19.

A man talks on his cell phone in front of a destroyed house on May 22.A man talks on his cell phone in front of a destroyed house on May 22.

A man looks through a pile of clothing at a roadside relief camp on May 22 in Moore.A man looks through a pile of clothing at a roadside relief camp on May 22 in Moore.

Volunteers form a chain to retrieve clothing and other household items on May 22.Volunteers form a chain to retrieve clothing and other household items on May 22.

Jon Booth moves a piece of debris from his mother's destroyed home across the street from Plaza Towers Elementary School on May 22.Jon Booth moves a piece of debris from his mother’s destroyed home across the street from Plaza Towers Elementary School on May 22.

Matt Johnson salvages items from his grandparents' home on Tuesday, May 21.Matt Johnson salvages items from his grandparents’ home on Tuesday, May 21.

Two men fold an American flag found in the debris of a house on May 21 in Moore.Two men fold an American flag found in the debris of a house on May 21 in Moore.

A young girl stands among the rubble outside Briarwood Elementary School on May 21.A young girl stands among the rubble outside Briarwood Elementary School on May 21.

A doll covered in dirt is among the rubble scattered throughout a neighborhood in Moore on May 21.A doll covered in dirt is among the rubble scattered throughout a neighborhood in Moore on May 21.

Bonnie Lolofie, left, and Ashley Do carry belongings from their apartment, which has no power, on May 21.Bonnie Lolofie, left, and Ashley Do carry belongings from their apartment, which has no power, on May 21.

Residents salvage belongings from their demolished homes in Moore on May 21.Residents salvage belongings from their demolished homes in Moore on May 21.

Kelli Kannady weeps after finding a box of photographs of her late husband in the rubble near where her home once stood in Moore on May 21.Kelli Kannady weeps after finding a box of photographs of her late husband in the rubble near where her home once stood in Moore on May 21.

Tufts of pink insulation hang from the rafters of a store in Moore on May 21 that was destroyed in the storm.Tufts of pink insulation hang from the rafters of a store in Moore on May 21 that was destroyed in the storm.

Natalie Johnson searches through her mother's destroyed car outside Briarwood Elementary School in Moore on May 21.Natalie Johnson searches through her mother’s destroyed car outside Briarwood Elementary School in Moore on May 21.

Rescuers dig out a house in Moore on May 21. Rescuers dig out a house in Moore on May 21.

June Simson embraces her cat Sammi after she found him standing among the rubble of her destroyed home in Moore on May 21.June Simson embraces her cat Sammi after she found him standing among the rubble of her destroyed home in Moore on May 21.

A man stands on the roof of a destroyed home in Moore on May 21.A man stands on the roof of a destroyed home in Moore on May 21.

A man helps move a resident's belongings from a destroyed home on May 21 in Moore.A man helps move a resident’s belongings from a destroyed home on May 21 in Moore.

Air Force Airman First Class Justin Acord sifts through the rubble of his father-in-law's home in Moore on May 21.Air Force Airman First Class Justin Acord sifts through the rubble of his father-in-law’s home in Moore on May 21.

People recover belongings from the rubble of a home in Moore.People recover belongings from the rubble of a home in Moore.

People sort through a leveled home in Moore on May 21.People sort through a leveled home in Moore on May 21.

Debris lies among headstones in the Moore Cemetery on May 21.Debris lies among headstones in the Moore Cemetery on May 21.

Workers clean up the Warren movie theater in Moore on May 21.Workers clean up the Warren movie theater in Moore on May 21.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett surveys damage in Moore on May 21.Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett surveys damage in Moore on May 21.

Piles of debris lie around the north side of Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore on May 21.Piles of debris lie around the north side of Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore on May 21.

As dawn breaks, storm clouds roll in over a devastated neighborhood in Moore on May 21.As dawn breaks, storm clouds roll in over a devastated neighborhood in Moore on May 21.

Members of the Oklahoma National Guard look for survivors in rubble in Moore on May 21.Members of the Oklahoma National Guard look for survivors in rubble in Moore on May 21.

A National Guardsman assists in the search for victims on May 21. A National Guardsman assists in the search for victims on May 21.

A rescue worker leads a horse from the wreckage of a day care center and barns on Monday, May 20, in Moore.A rescue worker leads a horse from the wreckage of a day care center and barns on Monday, May 20, in Moore.

Men tie an American flag on debris in a neighborhood off Telephone Road in Moore on May 20.Men tie an American flag on debris in a neighborhood off Telephone Road in Moore on May 20.

Children wait for their parents to arrive at Briarwood Elementary School in south Oklahoma City on May 20.Children wait for their parents to arrive at Briarwood Elementary School in south Oklahoma City on May 20.

Teachers carry children away from Briarwood Elementary School on May 20.Teachers carry children away from Briarwood Elementary School on May 20.

Teachers lead children away from Briarwood Elementary School on May 20. Read more about the photo.Teachers lead children away from Briarwood Elementary School on May 20. Read more about the photo.

A fire official drives through the rubble of Moore Medical Center on May 20.A fire official drives through the rubble of Moore Medical Center on May 20.

Abby Madi, left, and Peterson Zatterlee comfort Zatterlee's dog, Rippy, on Monday, May 20, in Moore.Abby Madi, left, and Peterson Zatterlee comfort Zatterlee’s dog, Rippy, on Monday, May 20, in Moore.

A woman is treated for her injuries on May 20 at a triage area set up for the wounded.A woman is treated for her injuries on May 20 at a triage area set up for the wounded.

Two girls stand in rubble in Moore. Two girls stand in rubble in Moore.

Rescue workers help free one of more than a dozen people who were trapped at a medical center in Moore on May 20.Rescue workers help free one of more than a dozen people who were trapped at a medical center in Moore on May 20.

Oklahoma City firefighters check on Gene Tripp on May 20 as he sits in his rocking chair where his home once stood.Oklahoma City firefighters check on Gene Tripp on May 20 as he sits in his rocking chair where his home once stood.

A nurse helps an older man who suffered a head injury on May 20 in Moore.A nurse helps an older man who suffered a head injury on May 20 in Moore.

Cars marked with an orange X, meaning they have been checked for occupants, are piled up in front of the entrance to the damaged Moore Medical Center on May 20.Cars marked with an orange X, meaning they have been checked for occupants, are piled up in front of the entrance to the damaged Moore Medical Center on May 20.

Jim Routon hugs his neighbor, 7-year-old Hezekiah, after the tornado strikes on May 20. An earlier version of this caption incorrectly stated that Routon was Hezekiah's teacher. See an interview with the pair. Jim Routon hugs his neighbor, 7-year-old Hezekiah, after the tornado strikes on May 20. An earlier version of this caption incorrectly stated that Routon was Hezekiah’s teacher. See an interview with the pair.

People look through the wreckage of their neighborhood after a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20.People look through the wreckage of their neighborhood after a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20.

Dana Ulepich searches inside a room left standing at the back of her destroyed house in Moore on May 20.Dana Ulepich searches inside a room left standing at the back of her destroyed house in Moore on May 20.

Residents look through the debris in Moore on May 20.Residents look through the debris in Moore on May 20.

A man looks through the remains of a home after the massive tornado struck Moore on May 20.A man looks through the remains of a home after the massive tornado struck Moore on May 20.

A woman is transported on a stretcher after she was rescued from the damaged medical center in Moore on May 20.A woman is transported on a stretcher after she was rescued from the damaged medical center in Moore on May 20.

A woman walks through debris in Moore on May 20.A woman walks through debris in Moore on May 20.

A man is taken away from the IMAX Theater in Moore that was used as a triage center on May 20.A man is taken away from the IMAX Theater in Moore that was used as a triage center on May 20.

A girl wraps herself in a blanket near the Moore Hospital on May 20.A girl wraps herself in a blanket near the Moore Hospital on May 20.

A nurse walks by the destruction at a Moore hospital on May 20.A nurse walks by the destruction at a Moore hospital on May 20.

Destroyed cars scatter the landscape in Moore, Oklahoma, where hundreds of homes and buildings were put to ruin on May 20.Destroyed cars scatter the landscape in Moore, Oklahoma, where hundreds of homes and buildings were put to ruin on May 20.

A woman with an arm injury is helped on May 20 in Moore.A woman with an arm injury is helped on May 20 in Moore.

Extensive damage from the tornado destroyed cars and demolished structures in Moore on May 20.Extensive damage from the tornado destroyed cars and demolished structures in Moore on May 20.

Onlookers stop to view a portion of the destruction left behind on May 20 in Moore.Onlookers stop to view a portion of the destruction left behind on May 20 in Moore.

Overturned cars are among the rubble from the tornado that hit Moore on May 20.Overturned cars are among the rubble from the tornado that hit Moore on May 20.

A woman is comforted after the May 20 tornado in Moore.A woman is comforted after the May 20 tornado in Moore.

A shredded tree stands amid debris in the aftermath of the storm in Moore on May 20.A shredded tree stands amid debris in the aftermath of the storm in Moore on May 20.

A shopping center parking lot is covered with debris and damaged cars on May 20.A shopping center parking lot is covered with debris and damaged cars on May 20.

Law enforcement officers block a roadway in Moore where there was extensive damage from the tornado.Law enforcement officers block a roadway in Moore where there was extensive damage from the tornado.

A massive tornado approaches Moore on May 20. The storm first touched down to the west of the city near Newcastle, Oklahoma. Visit CNN.com/impact for ways to help the victims.A massive tornado approaches Moore on May 20. The storm first touched down to the west of the city near Newcastle, Oklahoma. Visit CNN.com/impact for ways to help the victims.


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Photos: Deadly tornado hits OklahomaPhotos: Deadly tornado hits Oklahoma


Rescue dogs help find storm survivors


Storm Chaser pulls 15 people from rubble


Doctors protected patients during twister

At least 24 people, including 10 children, were killed in Monday’s monster tornado. Another 353 people were injured.

The twister ripped through 17 miles of central Oklahoma and pummeled 2,400 homes. The hardest-hit city was Moore.

Moore Mayor Glenn Lewis told Tapper, also Wednesday, that six people previously unaccounted for have been located.

Five were found alive. The sixth is dead, and the body was located at the medical examiner’s office. The mayor was not sure whether that death was included in the official count of 24.

He also told CNN that he would push for a law requiring storm shelters or safe rooms in new homes.

“What we will do is get the stakeholders here in the city … and we’ll discuss what we think we need to have,” he said.

“Anybody that lives in any tornado area should have (a storm shelter), but it’s just the matter of cost.”

Young lives remembered

One of the most heartbreaking scenes in Moore is a pile of wreckage where Plaza Towers Elementary School once stood.

Seven of the 10 children killed in the storm were inside the school when it collapsed.

Heroes or just doing their jobs? Teachers save lives during tornado

Terrified children, teachers’ heroics, no shelter: Inside a tornado-ravaged school

The children were in a classroom, Moore Fire Chief Gary Bird told CNN on Wednesday. He also said their deaths “had nothing to do with flooding, from what I understand.” On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb told CNN the youngsters had drowned in a school basement.

Local resident Adam Baker said he rushed to the school to help in the aftermath. He found some children who had died in a shallow space.

“The ones that were deceased had bumps, scrapes, and they probably would have made it if they weren’t pinned. It looked like most of them just drowned — all blue and stuff.” Pieces of pipe, metal, desks, 2-by-4s, and other debris were on them, he said.

Officials have not yet released official causes of death.

Opinion: We love and fear the Oklahoma skies

Kyle Davis, 8, was one of the victims.

His family said he loved going with his grandpa to see Monster Trucks and playing soccer.

“I am angry to an extent. I know the schools did what they thought they could do but with us living in Oklahoma, tornado shelters should be in every school,” Kyle’s mother, Mikki Dixon Davis, told CNN.

Her daughter, who was also at Plaza Towers when the storm struck, survived.

“There should be a place that if this ever happened again during school that kids can get to a safe place,” she said. “That we don’t have to sit there and go through rubble … and may not ever find what we’re looking for.”

Read more: The photo that shows the best of us

Heroes or just doing their jobs? Teachers save lives during Okla. tornado


Woman reveals grandparents missing


Teacher impaled while protecting class


Reality sets after deadly tornado


Photographer on tornado: It’s shocking

Destruction on a colossal scale

Damage assessments showed the tornado had winds over 200 mph at times, making it an EF5 — the strongest category of tornadoes measured, the National Weather Service said.

Mayor Lewis said the devastation was so catastrophic that city officials rushed to print new street signs to help guide rescuers and residents through the newly mangled and unfamiliar landscape.

President Obama will travel to the area Sunday to witness the damage, the White House announced.

Insurance claims related to Monday’s tornado and storm in metropolitan Oklahoma City are likely to top $2 billion, said Kelly Collins, a representative of the Oklahoma Insurance Department.

Craig Fugate, the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, told CNN the agency is in “good shape” to support the recovery in Oklahoma and in other disaster zones, such as rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and New York.

“We got full allocation last year with the Sandy supplemental funds. We are looking to continue the response here as well as the previous disasters.”

But “if we have another hurricane, we may need more money,” he said Wednesday.

Severe weather moves east

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano traveled to Moore on Wednesday to thank first responders and show her support.

“Our commitment is to be here for the duration — to work with our federal, state, tribal, local and community partners in the coming days, weeks and months to help you recover and rebuild from this terrible tragedy and emerge even stronger,” she said.

Those helping in Moore include police and firefighters from Joplin, Missouri — a city all too familiar with grief and devastation.

Wednesday marks the second anniversary of a tornado that pulverized Joplin, killing at least 158 people. It was the deadliest single U.S. tornado since federal record-keeping began in 1950.

“We remember the amount of assistance that we received following the tornado two years ago, and we want to help others as they helped us,” said Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr.

“We know too well what their community is facing, and we feel an obligation to serve them as they have served us.”

Opinion: We love and fear the Oklahoma skies

‘Still can’t believe this’

Some residents of Moore ventured back to where their homes once stood, only to find unrecognizable scraps of their lives.

“You just want to break down and cry,” Steve Wilkerson said, his voice trembling.

He held a laundry basket that contained the few intact belongings he could find.

“I still can’t believe this is happening. You work 20 years, and then it’s gone in 15 minutes.”

Basements scarce in tornado-prone area — here’s why

Moore in bull’s-eye twice, science may know why

CNN’s Chelsea J. Carter, Kyung Lah, Sara Weisfeldt, Nick Valenica, Brian Todd, Mayra Cuevas, Anderson Cooper, Gary Tuchman, Ed Lavandera, Pamela Brown and George Howell contributed to this report.


Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/22/us/oklahoma-tornado/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/vwy4y5kp4V4/no-more-missing-in-tornado-torn-area

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Most tasteless question Apple’s CEO was asked in Washington

Keep calm and carry on.


(Credit:
TMZ Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)

It’s not easy being the boss at 1 Infinite Loophole.

Instead of traveling around the world to expand your business and inspire your troops, you go to Washington in order to expand narrow minds and perspire at the absurdity.

You even have to find a polite way to answer Sen. John McCain when he demands to know why he’s always having to update his iPhone apps.

Doesn’t he have a Senate aide for that?

Still, Apple CEO Tim Cook emerged with nary a piece of stray fluff on his crisp white shirt, nor a dribble stain of sleepy boredom on his peculiar blue tie.

But just when he thought it was all over, he was accosted by a question for our times.

“Mr. Cook,” asked the questioner, “Will we see a hologram of Steve Jobs at the next Apple convention any time?”

You might wonder that some somnolent senator had just woken up after a heavy night with lobbyists and lap dancers.

Perhaps it crossed your mind that a crazed lunatic had wandered into the Senate, in order to plague Cook with the ravings of his addled mind.

You’d be close about the latter. For this was one of the fine, jovial cameramen from TMZ, in search of lasting video glory.

Cook might have stared into this man’s lens and offered a contemptuous sneer.

He could have gone nose-to-nose with the cameraman and suggested that he would be prevented from ever touching an Apple product again — for this is difficult to do without fingers, feeling, or a pulse.

Instead, he maintained a remarkable serenity as he offered a smile and said: “I can’t comment on that.”

The cameraman wouldn’t quit, even when he was behind: “That would be nice, though. That’s the trend nowadays.”

One day soon, it might be a trend for holograms clutching cameras to ask famous people tasteless questions too.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/0qm-BkZNeX8/

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Tornado mayor: New safety law needed


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An aerial view of the destruction caused by the massive tornado that struck areas south of Oklahoma City on Monday, May 20, shows the magnitude of damage left in its path. The storm's winds topped 200 mph as it a href='http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/21/us/severe-weather/index.html?hpt=hp_t2'carved a 17-mile path of destruction/a through Oklahoma City suburbs. On Tuesday, May 21, CNN sent photographer David McNeese to capture the story from above:An aerial view of the destruction caused by the massive tornado that struck areas south of Oklahoma City on Monday, May 20, shows the magnitude of damage left in its path. The storm’s winds topped 200 mph as it carved a 17-mile path of destruction through Oklahoma City suburbs. On Tuesday, May 21, CNN sent photographer David McNeese to capture the story from above:

The storm, which touched down near Newcastle, Oklahoma, spanned 1.3 miles. Some areas along the path were completely flattened.The storm, which touched down near Newcastle, Oklahoma, spanned 1.3 miles. Some areas along the path were completely flattened.

Officials from the National Weather Service gave the tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20 a preliminary EF5 rating -- the highest score on the scale that measures tornado intensities.Officials from the National Weather Service gave the tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20 a preliminary EF5 rating — the highest score on the scale that measures tornado intensities.

The tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburbs, hitting the town of Moore the hardest. It packed winds that topped 200 mph.The tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburbs, hitting the town of Moore the hardest. It packed winds that topped 200 mph.

A search-and-rescue effort to find survivors shifted Tuesday to one of recovery, officials said.A search-and-rescue effort to find survivors shifted Tuesday to one of recovery, officials said.

The devastation in Moore was so complete that the mayor said city officials were racing to print new street signs to help guide rescuers and residents through a suddenly twisted and unfamiliar landscape.The devastation in Moore was so complete that the mayor said city officials were racing to print new street signs to help guide rescuers and residents through a suddenly twisted and unfamiliar landscape.

A group of homes was reduced to rubble.A group of homes was reduced to rubble.

Debris from homes and structures was strewn for miles around. Debris from homes and structures was strewn for miles around.

In some areas, the homes of an entire street were destroyed.In some areas, the homes of an entire street were destroyed.

Rescuers and first responders immediately began searching through the rubble of structures on May 20.Rescuers and first responders immediately began searching through the rubble of structures on May 20.

Large trees were uprooted and flattened.Large trees were uprooted and flattened.

Given its breadth and power, the tornado ranks among some of the strongest storms ever to strike the United States, CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen said.Given its breadth and power, the tornado ranks among some of the strongest storms ever to strike the United States, CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen said.

Homes in some areas were relatively undamaged while others very nearby were destroyed.Homes in some areas were relatively undamaged while others very nearby were destroyed.

Police, firefighters, volunteers and nearly 180 National Guard troops joined forces Tuesday in searching the rubble and securing areas hit by the storm.Police, firefighters, volunteers and nearly 180 National Guard troops joined forces Tuesday in searching the rubble and securing areas hit by the storm.

In 1999 and then again in 2003, Moore took direct hits from tornadoes that took eerily similar paths to 2013's twister. The 1999 storm packed the strongest wind speeds in history, Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb said.In 1999 and then again in 2003, Moore took direct hits from tornadoes that took eerily similar paths to 2013′s twister. The 1999 storm packed the strongest wind speeds in history, Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb said.

A section of a bridge outside of Oklahoma City was blown off its foundation.A section of a bridge outside of Oklahoma City was blown off its foundation.

The path of the tornado is clearly visible with dirt and debris painting a wide path across the Oklahoma landscape.The path of the tornado is clearly visible with dirt and debris painting a wide path across the Oklahoma landscape.

The scene -- block after block of flattened homes and businesses, the gutted remains of a hospital and hits on two elementary schools -- left even seasoned veterans of Oklahoma's infamous tornadoes reeling.The scene — block after block of flattened homes and businesses, the gutted remains of a hospital and hits on two elementary schools — left even seasoned veterans of Oklahoma’s infamous tornadoes reeling.

View more galleries: a href='http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/20/us/gallery/moore-oklahoma-tornado/index.html'Deadly tornado hits Oklahoma City area/a and a href='http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/20/us/gallery/1999-oklahoma-tornado/index.html'The devastating Oklahoma tornado of 1999/a.View more galleries: Deadly tornado hits Oklahoma City area and The devastating Oklahoma tornado of 1999.


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Country star Toby Keith tours the damage in his hometown of Moore, Oklahoma on AC360 tonight, 8pm ET.

For local coverage of Monday’s devastating storms in Oklahoma, go to these CNN affiliates: KFOR, KOCO and KOKH.

(CNN) — The mayor of tornado-ravaged Moore, Oklahoma, will push for a law requiring storm shelters or safe rooms in new homes, he told CNN Wednesday.

“We’ll try to get it passed as soon as I can,” Glenn Lewis said.

The ordinance would apply to single-family and multifamily homes.

At least 24 people, including 10 children, were killed in Monday’s mammoth tornado, the state medical examiner’s office said. Another 324 people were injured, Gov. Mary Fallin said Wednesday.

Lewis said he does not expect the death toll to rise.

But Albert Ashwood, the state’s emergency management director, said six people remain unaccounted for.

The twister ripped through 17 miles of central Oklahoma and pummeled 2,400 homes.

Teachers from Fairview Elementary School help clean up former school counselor Kay Taylor's home in south Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, May 22, two days after an extremely powerful tornado tore through Moore, Oklahoma. View more photos of the aftermath in the region and another gallery of aerial shots of the damage.Teachers from Fairview Elementary School help clean up former school counselor Kay Taylor’s home in south Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, May 22, two days after an extremely powerful tornado tore through Moore, Oklahoma. View more photos of the aftermath in the region and another gallery of aerial shots of the damage.

Jake English, 12, cleans up retired school counselor Kay Taylor's home on May 22 in south Oklahoma City, just west of Moore. The storm was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19. Jake English, 12, cleans up retired school counselor Kay Taylor’s home on May 22 in south Oklahoma City, just west of Moore. The storm was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19.

A man talks on his cell phone in front of a destroyed house on May 22.A man talks on his cell phone in front of a destroyed house on May 22.

A man looks through a pile of clothing at a roadside relief camp on May 22 in Moore.A man looks through a pile of clothing at a roadside relief camp on May 22 in Moore.

Volunteers form a chain to retrieve clothing and other household items on May 22.Volunteers form a chain to retrieve clothing and other household items on May 22.

Jon Booth moves a piece of debris from his mother's destroyed home across the street from Plaza Towers Elementary School on May 22.Jon Booth moves a piece of debris from his mother’s destroyed home across the street from Plaza Towers Elementary School on May 22.

Matt Johnson salvages items from his grandparents' home on Tuesday, May 21.Matt Johnson salvages items from his grandparents’ home on Tuesday, May 21.

Two men fold an American flag found in the debris of a house on May 21 in Moore.Two men fold an American flag found in the debris of a house on May 21 in Moore.

A young girl stands among the rubble outside Briarwood Elementary School on May 21.A young girl stands among the rubble outside Briarwood Elementary School on May 21.

A doll covered in dirt is among the rubble scattered throughout a neighborhood in Moore on May 21.A doll covered in dirt is among the rubble scattered throughout a neighborhood in Moore on May 21.

Bonnie Lolofie, left, and Ashley Do carry belongings from their apartment, which has no power, on May 21.Bonnie Lolofie, left, and Ashley Do carry belongings from their apartment, which has no power, on May 21.

Residents salvage belongings from their demolished homes in Moore on May 21.Residents salvage belongings from their demolished homes in Moore on May 21.

Kelli Kannady weeps after finding a box of photographs of her late husband in the rubble near where her home once stood in Moore on May 21.Kelli Kannady weeps after finding a box of photographs of her late husband in the rubble near where her home once stood in Moore on May 21.

Tufts of pink insulation hang from the rafters of a store in Moore on May 21 that was destroyed in the storm.Tufts of pink insulation hang from the rafters of a store in Moore on May 21 that was destroyed in the storm.

Natalie Johnson searches through her mother's destroyed car outside Briarwood Elementary School in Moore on May 21.Natalie Johnson searches through her mother’s destroyed car outside Briarwood Elementary School in Moore on May 21.

Rescuers dig out a house in Moore on May 21. Rescuers dig out a house in Moore on May 21.

June Simson embraces her cat Sammi after she found him standing among the rubble of her destroyed home in Moore on May 21.June Simson embraces her cat Sammi after she found him standing among the rubble of her destroyed home in Moore on May 21.

A man stands on the roof of a destroyed home in Moore on May 21.A man stands on the roof of a destroyed home in Moore on May 21.

A man helps move a resident's belongings from a destroyed home on May 21 in Moore.A man helps move a resident’s belongings from a destroyed home on May 21 in Moore.

Air Force Airman First Class Justin Acord sifts through the rubble of his father-in-law's home in Moore on May 21.Air Force Airman First Class Justin Acord sifts through the rubble of his father-in-law’s home in Moore on May 21.

People recover belongings from the rubble of a home in Moore.People recover belongings from the rubble of a home in Moore.

People sort through a leveled home in Moore on May 21.People sort through a leveled home in Moore on May 21.

Debris lies among headstones in the Moore Cemetery on May 21.Debris lies among headstones in the Moore Cemetery on May 21.

Workers clean up the Warren movie theater in Moore on May 21.Workers clean up the Warren movie theater in Moore on May 21.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett surveys damage in Moore on May 21.Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett surveys damage in Moore on May 21.

Piles of debris lie around the north side of Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore on May 21.Piles of debris lie around the north side of Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore on May 21.

As dawn breaks, storm clouds roll in over a devastated neighborhood in Moore on May 21.As dawn breaks, storm clouds roll in over a devastated neighborhood in Moore on May 21.

Members of the Oklahoma National Guard look for survivors in rubble in Moore on May 21.Members of the Oklahoma National Guard look for survivors in rubble in Moore on May 21.

A National Guardsman assists in the search for victims on May 21. A National Guardsman assists in the search for victims on May 21.

A rescue worker leads a horse from the wreckage of a day care center and barns on Monday, May 20, in Moore.A rescue worker leads a horse from the wreckage of a day care center and barns on Monday, May 20, in Moore.

Men tie an American flag on debris in a neighborhood off Telephone Road in Moore on May 20.Men tie an American flag on debris in a neighborhood off Telephone Road in Moore on May 20.

Children wait for their parents to arrive at Briarwood Elementary School in south Oklahoma City on May 20.Children wait for their parents to arrive at Briarwood Elementary School in south Oklahoma City on May 20.

Teachers carry children away from Briarwood Elementary School on May 20.Teachers carry children away from Briarwood Elementary School on May 20.

Teachers lead children away from Briarwood Elementary School on May 20. Read more about the photo.Teachers lead children away from Briarwood Elementary School on May 20. Read more about the photo.

A fire official drives through the rubble of Moore Medical Center on May 20.A fire official drives through the rubble of Moore Medical Center on May 20.

Abby Madi, left, and Peterson Zatterlee comfort Zatterlee's dog, Rippy, on Monday, May 20, in Moore.Abby Madi, left, and Peterson Zatterlee comfort Zatterlee’s dog, Rippy, on Monday, May 20, in Moore.

A woman is treated for her injuries on May 20 at a triage area set up for the wounded.A woman is treated for her injuries on May 20 at a triage area set up for the wounded.

Two girls stand in rubble in Moore. Two girls stand in rubble in Moore.

Rescue workers help free one of more than a dozen people who were trapped at a medical center in Moore on May 20.Rescue workers help free one of more than a dozen people who were trapped at a medical center in Moore on May 20.

Oklahoma City firefighters check on Gene Tripp on May 20 as he sits in his rocking chair where his home once stood.Oklahoma City firefighters check on Gene Tripp on May 20 as he sits in his rocking chair where his home once stood.

A nurse helps an older man who suffered a head injury on May 20 in Moore.A nurse helps an older man who suffered a head injury on May 20 in Moore.

Cars marked with an orange X, meaning they have been checked for occupants, are piled up in front of the entrance to the damaged Moore Medical Center on May 20.Cars marked with an orange X, meaning they have been checked for occupants, are piled up in front of the entrance to the damaged Moore Medical Center on May 20.

Jim Routon hugs his neighbor, 7-year-old Hezekiah, after the tornado strikes on May 20. An earlier version of this caption incorrectly stated that Routon was Hezekiah's teacher. See an interview with the pair. Jim Routon hugs his neighbor, 7-year-old Hezekiah, after the tornado strikes on May 20. An earlier version of this caption incorrectly stated that Routon was Hezekiah’s teacher. See an interview with the pair.

People look through the wreckage of their neighborhood after a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20.People look through the wreckage of their neighborhood after a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20.

Dana Ulepich searches inside a room left standing at the back of her destroyed house in Moore on May 20.Dana Ulepich searches inside a room left standing at the back of her destroyed house in Moore on May 20.

Residents look through the debris in Moore on May 20.Residents look through the debris in Moore on May 20.

A man looks through the remains of a home after the massive tornado struck Moore on May 20.A man looks through the remains of a home after the massive tornado struck Moore on May 20.

A woman is transported on a stretcher after she was rescued from the damaged medical center in Moore on May 20.A woman is transported on a stretcher after she was rescued from the damaged medical center in Moore on May 20.

A woman walks through debris in Moore on May 20.A woman walks through debris in Moore on May 20.

A man is taken away from the IMAX Theater in Moore that was used as a triage center on May 20.A man is taken away from the IMAX Theater in Moore that was used as a triage center on May 20.

A girl wraps herself in a blanket near the Moore Hospital on May 20.A girl wraps herself in a blanket near the Moore Hospital on May 20.

A nurse walks by the destruction at a Moore hospital on May 20.A nurse walks by the destruction at a Moore hospital on May 20.

Destroyed cars scatter the landscape in Moore, Oklahoma, where hundreds of homes and buildings were put to ruin on May 20.Destroyed cars scatter the landscape in Moore, Oklahoma, where hundreds of homes and buildings were put to ruin on May 20.

A woman with an arm injury is helped on May 20 in Moore.A woman with an arm injury is helped on May 20 in Moore.

Extensive damage from an EF4 tornado destroyed cars and demolished structures in Moore on May 20.Extensive damage from an EF4 tornado destroyed cars and demolished structures in Moore on May 20.

Onlookers stop to view a portion of the destruction left behind on May 20 in Moore.Onlookers stop to view a portion of the destruction left behind on May 20 in Moore.

Overturned cars are among the rubble from the tornado that hit Moore on May 20.Overturned cars are among the rubble from the tornado that hit Moore on May 20.

A woman is comforted after the May 20 tornado in Moore.A woman is comforted after the May 20 tornado in Moore.

A shredded tree stands amid debris in the aftermath of the storm in Moore on May 20.A shredded tree stands amid debris in the aftermath of the storm in Moore on May 20.

A shopping center parking lot is covered with debris and damaged cars on May 20.A shopping center parking lot is covered with debris and damaged cars on May 20.

Law enforcement officers block a roadway in Moore where there was extensive damage from the tornado.Law enforcement officers block a roadway in Moore where there was extensive damage from the tornado.

A massive tornado approaches Moore on May 20. The storm first touched down to the west of the city near Newcastle, Oklahoma. Visit CNN.com/impact for ways to help the victims.A massive tornado approaches Moore on May 20. The storm first touched down to the west of the city near Newcastle, Oklahoma. Visit CNN.com/impact for ways to help the victims.


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Photos: Deadly tornado hits OklahomaPhotos: Deadly tornado hits Oklahoma


Rescue dogs help find storm survivors


Storm Chaser pulls 15 people from rubble


Doctors protected patients during twister

Heroes or just doing their jobs? Teachers save lives during tornado

Cassandra Jenkins has no idea what happened to her grandparents, more than a day after the twister struck their hometown of Moore.

“All we know is that their home is still left standing. However, they have not been seen or heard from since the storm hit,” she said as her daughters clutched photos of their great-grandparents.

Terrified children, teachers’ heroics, no shelter: Inside a tornado-ravaged school

“We’ve tried to locate them at every hospital, every shelter, every Red Cross. Anything we could possibly reach out to, we have.”

President Obama will travel to the area Sunday to witness the devastation first-hand, the White House announced.

Young lives remembered

One of the most heartbreaking scenes in Moore is the pile of wreckage where Plaza Towers Elementary School once stood.

Seven of the 10 children killed in the storm were inside the school when it collapsed.

The children were in a classroom, Moore Fire Chief Gary Bird told CNN Wednesday. He also said their deaths “had nothing to do with flooding, from what I understand.” On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb told CNN the youngsters had drowned in a school basement.

Local resident Adam Baker told CNN he rushed to the school to help in the aftermath. He found some children who had died in a shallow space.

“The ones that were deceased had bumps, scrapes, and they probably would have made it if they weren’t pinned. It looked like most of them just drowned — all blue and stuff.” Pieces of pipe, metal, desks, 2-by-4s, and other debris were on them, he said.

Officials have not yet released official causes of death.

Ja’Nae Hornsby, 9, was one of them.

Opinion: We love and fear the Oklahoma skies

“There’s no other kid like her,” Ja’Nae’s aunt Angela Hornsby said. “She’s the sweetest thing, the bossiest thing, the most fun, always trying to make us laugh.”

Ja’Nae’s father, Joshua Hornsby, isn’t ready to accept that his little girl is gone.

“I’m still hoping for that call to say, ‘We’ve made a mistake,’” he said. “I just pray that’s what it is.”

Read more: The photo that shows the best of us

Heroes or just doing their jobs? Teachers save lives during Okla. tornado


Woman reveals grandparents missing


Teacher impaled while protecting class


Reality sets after deadly tornado


Photographer on tornado: It’s shocking

Destruction on a colossal scale

Damage assessments Tuesday showed the tornado had winds over 200 mph at times, making it an EF5 — the strongest category of tornadoes measured, the National Weather Service said.

Lewis said the devastation was so catastrophic that city officials rushed to print new street signs to help guide rescuers and residents through the newly mangled and unfamiliar landscape.

Insurance claims related to damage from Monday’s tornado and storm in metropolitan Oklahoma City are likely to top $2 billion, said Kelly Collins, a representative of the Oklahoma Insurance Department.

Craig Fugate, the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, told CNN the agency is in “good shape” to support the recovery in Oklahoma and in other disaster zones, such as rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and New York. “We got full allocation last year with the Sandy supplemental funds. We are looking to continue the response here as well as the previous disasters.”

But “if we have another hurricane, we may need more money,” he said Wednesday.

About 10,000 customers remained without power on Wednesday, down from 37,000, Governor Fallin said.

Severe weather moves east

Those helping in Moore include police and firefighters from Joplin, Missouri — a city all too familiar with grief and devastation.

Wednesday marks the second anniversary of the tornado that pulverized Joplin, killing at least 158 people. It was the deadliest single U.S. tornado since federal record-keeping began in 1950.

“We remember the amount of assistance that we received following the tornado two years ago, and we want to help others as they helped us,” Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr said.

“We know too well what their community is facing, and we feel an obligation to serve them as they have served us.”

Opinion: We love and fear the Oklahoma skies

‘Still can’t believe this’

Some residents of Moore ventured back to where their homes once stood, only to find unrecognizable scraps of their lives.

“You just want to break down and cry,” Steve Wilkerson said, his voice trembling.

He held a laundry basket that contained the few intact belongings he could find.

“I still can’t believe this is happening. You work 20 years, and then it’s gone in 15 minutes.”

Basements scarce in tornado-prone area — here’s why

Moore in bull’s-eye twice, science may know why

CNN’s Sara Weisfeldt, Nick Valenica, Josh Levs, Brian Todd, Mayra Cuevas, Anderson Cooper, Gary Tuchman, Ed Lavandera, Dana Ford, Pamela Brown and George Howell contributed to this report.


Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/22/us/oklahoma-tornado/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/tYMbEwFOe2k/tornado-mayor-new-safety-law-needed

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Few basements in tornado-prone area

(CNN) — It’s one of the most familiar pieces of advice from authorities to people in the path of a tornado: Get into your basement. Yet few homes in the Oklahoma City area have them — even though that state is hit by far more powerful tornadoes than most others.

“Probably less than one tenth of one percent” of the houses in Moore are built with basements, said Mike Hancock, president of Basement Contractors in Edmond, Oklahoma. “There’s just such a misconception that you cannot do it.”

Why?

Hancock cited the area’s high groundwater levels and heavy clay as among the reasons some people believe — wrongly, he said — that basements are tough to construct.


Survivor: ‘Hunkered down in my car’


Teachers show bravery, save lives


Two EF5 twisters, 15 years apart


Tornado shelter saves lives in Oklahoma

But improved waterproofing methods can obviate the first; and the second, too, is surmountable, according to Hancock, who said he has built more than 600 basements in the Oklahoma City area over the past 15 years.

“We do ‘em all day long,” he said. “I’ve got 32 basements to put in the ground right now.”

The city of Moore was the epicenter of an EF5 tornado Monday that decimated neighborhoods in the Oklahoma City area, leaving at least 24 dead.

Inside a tornado-ravaged school

In Moore, other issues can dissuade new home buyers from investing in basements, Hancock said. One is that there are so few other such houses that comparable values are tough to estimate, “so appraisers don’t give you any credit.”

In fact, basements are so rare in the area that real estate listings do not include “basement” as an option under foundation types, he said.

“You can list it in the comments section, but that’s not a foundation type.” That means it’s hard for house hunters to narrow their searches to houses with basements, which makes it harder still for sellers who have built houses with basements to recoup their investments, he said.

Moore in bull’s-eye twice, science may know why

Mike Barnett, a custom homebuilder in the area for 37 years, estimated that some 2% of residents have basements, and 10% to 15% “have some kind of cellar.”

None of the homes in his partially completed, 51-house development, called Autumn Oaks, has a basement, he said. Though it was spared Monday’s storms, “a block north of us it looks like Bosnia,” he said. He plans to build a community shelter that would accommodate all of its residents.

Alternatives exist: An above-ground shelter runs $8,000 to $10,000; a small basement would cost $15,000 to $20,000; and a concrete cellar built during new-house construction would cost as little as $2,200, said Barnett.

Tornado prediction is improving, scientists say

Accessibility an important element

Basements provide good protection if equipped with a suitable door and a concrete roof, but basements of pier-beam houses would leave their occupants exposed and vulnerable if the structure above them were blown away, said Ernst Kiesling, a former professor of civil engineering at Texas Tech.

Kiesling created the concept of the above-ground storm shelter after a tornado swept through Lubbock, Texas, in 1970, killing 26 people and demolishing scores of homes.

EF5 tornadoes are terrifying perfect storms

In addition, it is difficult to make basements compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Kiesling, who is on the research faculty at the school’s National Wind Institute.

Above-ground storm shelters are easy to make accessible to those who are physically challenged, “and I would say that accessibility is a very important element,” Kiesling said.

Specially reinforced safe rooms provide “near absolute occupant protection from even the worst-case tornado,” he said.

Opinion: How can we be safe from tornadoes?

Other products include steel, concrete and plastic shelters; above-ground and below-ground shelters; indoor and outdoor shelters; and shelters that fit underneath the garage slab.

The extra cost of incorporating a basement into plans for a house depends on where it is being built. “If you’re in the colder climates, then one has to put the foundation walls several feet deep to get below the frost line,” Kiesling said.

A region’s frost line marks where the ground no longer freezes and is an important variable when installing pipes. The added cost of digging down the extra couple of feet needed to make a basement for a house in the Northeast is relatively small, he said. “If you’re that deep, you’re pretty well along forming the shell for the basement.”

But in the Southwest, where the frost line is only about 18 inches below ground, the added incremental cost of digging out a basement would be far steeper, said the Texan.

“Here, houses are typically built by placing a slab on the surface and building above it.”

Opinion: The making of a nightmare tornado

Lessons to be learned

Kiesling is also executive director of the National Storm Shelter Association, a nonprofit group that focuses on improving the quality of storm shelters.

He was planning Tuesday to organize teams to travel to Moore to study which structures failed and which performed well. “There’s a lot of lessons we can learn from this,” he said.

Kiesling said he had heard news reports citing underground shelters as the only safe places Monday in Moore. “That causes my blood to curdle, because I’ve spent my career developing safe places above ground,” he said.

Monday’s disaster is expected to lead to renewed calls to ensure that new houses are equipped with some sort of protection, said Leslie Chapman-Henderson, president and CEO of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes.

But don’t count on them to effect change.

“What happens is that time and fading memories are the worst enemies,” she said. “People think it can’t happen twice, but in the case of Moore, Oklahoma, the tragedy here is this is the third strike — 1999 to 2003.”

After each of those strikes, homebuilders pledged never again to build homes without including safe rooms, she said. Though many followed through on their vows, more work remains, she noted.

Opinion: We love and fear the Oklahoma skies


Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/22/us/oklahoma-tornado-basements/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/I9I_bRlhHDQ/few-basements-in-tornado-prone-area

Categories: Uncategorized Tags:

How a twister forms


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Teachers from Fairview Elementary School help clean up former school counselor Kay Taylor's home in south Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, May 22, two days after an extremely powerful tornado tore through Moore, Oklahoma. a href='http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/20/us/gallery/midwest-weather/index.html'View more photos of the aftermath in the region/a and another gallery of a href='http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/21/us/gallery/oklahoma-tornado-aerials/index.html'aerial shots of the damage/a.Teachers from Fairview Elementary School help clean up former school counselor Kay Taylor’s home in south Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, May 22, two days after an extremely powerful tornado tore through Moore, Oklahoma. View more photos of the aftermath in the region and another gallery of aerial shots of the damage.

Jake English, 12, cleans up retired school counselor Kay Taylor's home on May 22 in south Oklahoma City, just west of Moore. The storm was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19. Jake English, 12, cleans up retired school counselor Kay Taylor’s home on May 22 in south Oklahoma City, just west of Moore. The storm was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19.

A man talks on his cell phone in front of a destroyed house on May 22.A man talks on his cell phone in front of a destroyed house on May 22.

A man looks through a pile of clothing at a roadside relief camp on May 22 in Moore.A man looks through a pile of clothing at a roadside relief camp on May 22 in Moore.

Volunteers form a chain to retrieve clothing and other household items on May 22.Volunteers form a chain to retrieve clothing and other household items on May 22.

Jon Booth moves a piece of debris from his mother's destroyed home across the street from Plaza Towers Elementary School on May 22.Jon Booth moves a piece of debris from his mother’s destroyed home across the street from Plaza Towers Elementary School on May 22.

Matt Johnson salvages items from his grandparents' home on Tuesday, May 21.Matt Johnson salvages items from his grandparents’ home on Tuesday, May 21.

Two men fold an American flag found in the debris of a house on May 21 in Moore.Two men fold an American flag found in the debris of a house on May 21 in Moore.

A young girl stands among the rubble outside Briarwood Elementary School on May 21.A young girl stands among the rubble outside Briarwood Elementary School on May 21.

A doll covered in dirt is among the rubble scattered throughout a neighborhood in Moore on May 21.A doll covered in dirt is among the rubble scattered throughout a neighborhood in Moore on May 21.

Bonnie Lolofie, left, and Ashley Do carry belongings from their apartment, which has no power, on May 21.Bonnie Lolofie, left, and Ashley Do carry belongings from their apartment, which has no power, on May 21.

Residents salvage belongings from their demolished homes in Moore on May 21.Residents salvage belongings from their demolished homes in Moore on May 21.

Kelli Kannady weeps after finding a box of photographs of her late husband in the rubble near where her home once stood in Moore on May 21.Kelli Kannady weeps after finding a box of photographs of her late husband in the rubble near where her home once stood in Moore on May 21.

Tufts of pink insulation hang from the rafters of a store in Moore on May 21 that was destroyed in the storm.Tufts of pink insulation hang from the rafters of a store in Moore on May 21 that was destroyed in the storm.

Natalie Johnson searches through her mother's destroyed car outside Briarwood Elementary School in Moore on May 21.Natalie Johnson searches through her mother’s destroyed car outside Briarwood Elementary School in Moore on May 21.

Rescuers dig out a house in Moore on May 21. Rescuers dig out a house in Moore on May 21.

June Simson embraces her cat Sammi after she found him standing among the rubble of her destroyed home in Moore on May 21.June Simson embraces her cat Sammi after she found him standing among the rubble of her destroyed home in Moore on May 21.

A man stands on the roof of a destroyed home in Moore on May 21.A man stands on the roof of a destroyed home in Moore on May 21.

A man helps move a resident's belongings from a destroyed home on May 21 in Moore.A man helps move a resident’s belongings from a destroyed home on May 21 in Moore.

Air Force Airman First Class Justin Acord sifts through the rubble of his father-in-law's home in Moore on May 21.Air Force Airman First Class Justin Acord sifts through the rubble of his father-in-law’s home in Moore on May 21.

People recover belongings from the rubble of a home in Moore.People recover belongings from the rubble of a home in Moore.

People sort through a leveled home in Moore on May 21.People sort through a leveled home in Moore on May 21.

Debris lies among headstones in the Moore Cemetery on May 21.Debris lies among headstones in the Moore Cemetery on May 21.

Workers clean up the Warren movie theater in Moore on May 21.Workers clean up the Warren movie theater in Moore on May 21.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett surveys damage in Moore on May 21.Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett surveys damage in Moore on May 21.

Piles of debris lie around the north side of Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore on May 21.Piles of debris lie around the north side of Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore on May 21.

As dawn breaks, storm clouds roll in over a devastated neighborhood in Moore on May 21.As dawn breaks, storm clouds roll in over a devastated neighborhood in Moore on May 21.

Members of the Oklahoma National Guard look for survivors in rubble in Moore on May 21.Members of the Oklahoma National Guard look for survivors in rubble in Moore on May 21.

A National Guardsman assists in the search for victims on May 21. A National Guardsman assists in the search for victims on May 21.

A rescue worker leads a horse from the wreckage of a day care center and barns on Monday, May 20, in Moore.A rescue worker leads a horse from the wreckage of a day care center and barns on Monday, May 20, in Moore.

Men tie an American flag on debris in a neighborhood off Telephone Road in Moore on May 20.Men tie an American flag on debris in a neighborhood off Telephone Road in Moore on May 20.

Children wait for their parents to arrive at Briarwood Elementary School in south Oklahoma City on May 20.Children wait for their parents to arrive at Briarwood Elementary School in south Oklahoma City on May 20.

Teachers carry children away from Briarwood Elementary School on May 20.Teachers carry children away from Briarwood Elementary School on May 20.

Teachers lead children away from Briarwood Elementary School on May 20. a href='http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/21/us/oklahoma-tornado-school-photo/index.html?hpt=hp_c2' target='_blank'Read more about the photo./aTeachers lead children away from Briarwood Elementary School on May 20. Read more about the photo.

A fire official drives through the rubble of Moore Medical Center on May 20.A fire official drives through the rubble of Moore Medical Center on May 20.

Abby Madi, left, and Peterson Zatterlee comfort Zatterlee's dog, Rippy, on Monday, May 20, in Moore.Abby Madi, left, and Peterson Zatterlee comfort Zatterlee’s dog, Rippy, on Monday, May 20, in Moore.

A woman is treated for her injuries on May 20 at a triage area set up for the wounded.A woman is treated for her injuries on May 20 at a triage area set up for the wounded.

Two girls stand in rubble in Moore. Two girls stand in rubble in Moore.

Rescue workers help free one of more than a dozen people who were trapped at a medical center in Moore on May 20.Rescue workers help free one of more than a dozen people who were trapped at a medical center in Moore on May 20.

Oklahoma City firefighters check on Gene Tripp on May 20 as he sits in his rocking chair where his home once stood.Oklahoma City firefighters check on Gene Tripp on May 20 as he sits in his rocking chair where his home once stood.

A nurse helps an older man who suffered a head injury on May 20 in Moore.A nurse helps an older man who suffered a head injury on May 20 in Moore.

Cars marked with an orange X, meaning they have been checked for occupants, are piled up in front of the entrance to the damaged Moore Medical Center on May 20.Cars marked with an orange X, meaning they have been checked for occupants, are piled up in front of the entrance to the damaged Moore Medical Center on May 20.

Jim Routon hugs his neighbor, 7-year-old Hezekiah, after the tornado strikes on May 20. An earlier version of this caption incorrectly stated that Routon was Hezekiah's teacher. a href='http://outfront.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/21/neighbors-comfort-boy-in-tornado-aftermath/'See an interview with the pair./astrong /strongJim Routon hugs his neighbor, 7-year-old Hezekiah, after the tornado strikes on May 20. An earlier version of this caption incorrectly stated that Routon was Hezekiah’s teacher. See an interview with the pair.

People look through the wreckage of their neighborhood after a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20.People look through the wreckage of their neighborhood after a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20.

Dana Ulepich searches inside a room left standing at the back of her destroyed house in Moore on May 20.Dana Ulepich searches inside a room left standing at the back of her destroyed house in Moore on May 20.

Residents look through the debris in Moore on May 20.Residents look through the debris in Moore on May 20.

A man looks through the remains of a home after the massive tornado struck Moore on May 20.A man looks through the remains of a home after the massive tornado struck Moore on May 20.

A woman is transported on a stretcher after she was rescued from the damaged medical center in Moore on May 20.A woman is transported on a stretcher after she was rescued from the damaged medical center in Moore on May 20.

A woman walks through debris in Moore on May 20.A woman walks through debris in Moore on May 20.

A man is taken away from the IMAX Theater in Moore that was used as a triage center on May 20.A man is taken away from the IMAX Theater in Moore that was used as a triage center on May 20.

A girl wraps herself in a blanket near the Moore Hospital on May 20.A girl wraps herself in a blanket near the Moore Hospital on May 20.

A nurse walks by the destruction at a Moore hospital on May 20.A nurse walks by the destruction at a Moore hospital on May 20.

Destroyed cars scatter the landscape in Moore, Oklahoma, where hundreds of homes and buildings were put to ruin on May 20.Destroyed cars scatter the landscape in Moore, Oklahoma, where hundreds of homes and buildings were put to ruin on May 20.

A woman with an arm injury is helped on May 20 in Moore.A woman with an arm injury is helped on May 20 in Moore.

Extensive damage from an EF4 tornado destroyed cars and demolished structures in Moore on May 20.Extensive damage from an EF4 tornado destroyed cars and demolished structures in Moore on May 20.

Onlookers stop to view a portion of the destruction left behind on May 20 in Moore.Onlookers stop to view a portion of the destruction left behind on May 20 in Moore.

Overturned cars are among the rubble from the tornado that hit Moore on May 20.Overturned cars are among the rubble from the tornado that hit Moore on May 20.

A woman is comforted after the May 20 tornado in Moore.A woman is comforted after the May 20 tornado in Moore.

A shredded tree stands amid debris in the aftermath of the storm in Moore on May 20.A shredded tree stands amid debris in the aftermath of the storm in Moore on May 20.

A shopping center parking lot is covered with debris and damaged cars on May 20.A shopping center parking lot is covered with debris and damaged cars on May 20.

Law enforcement officers block a roadway in Moore where there was extensive damage from the tornado.Law enforcement officers block a roadway in Moore where there was extensive damage from the tornado.

A massive tornado approaches Moore on May 20. The storm first touched down to the west of the city near Newcastle, Oklahoma. Visit a href='http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/impact.your.world/'CNN.com/impact/a for ways to help the victims.A massive tornado approaches Moore on May 20. The storm first touched down to the west of the city near Newcastle, Oklahoma. Visit CNN.com/impact for ways to help the victims.


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Editor’s note: Louis Wicker is a research meteorologist at NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma.

Norman, Oklahoma (CNN) — On Tuesday morning, the residents of Moore, Oklahoma, woke again to another nightmare.

In the past 14 years, Moore and its nearby neighbors have been subjected to devastation from three major tornado events.

The latest chapter in this nearly unimaginable history was the EF5 tornado that claimed the lives of 24 people and injured hundreds. But how unusual is this tornado in context?

While the frequency is unusual, especially over such a short period, the actual tornado is less of an anomaly. Over the same 14 years, there were a number of similar events.

The Joplin, Missouri, tornado of May 22, 2011, destroyed 25% of the town and killed 158 people. The path length for the Joplin tornado was similar in length and width, about 20 miles long and 1.5 miles wide.

The “original” Moore tornado on May 3,1999, was rated F5 (NOAA now uses the enhanced Fujita scale, called the “EF” scale). It killed 36 people in Moore and had a similar path length.

On April 27, 2011, fifteen EF4 and EF5 tornadoes tracked across Mississippi and Alabama — many having damage tracks that extended for dozens of miles.

So while horrible and sad, this extreme class of tornado occurs regularly in the United States. And when these tornadoes travel across populated areas, we see their awesome power at its worst.


Inside a personal tornado shelter


CNN iReporter steps in to rescue victims


Moore mayor on school safety in tornadoes


Storm chaser: I was in a shock

So what do we know about the conditions that cause these violent storms?

First, the atmosphere must be what is called potentially unstable. Potentially means the atmosphere must first build up heat and moisture near the ground, like fueling the gas tank of your car for a long trip.

Unstable means that if an imaginary balloon filled with air from near the ground were to be lifted upward, colliding with some weather feature such as a cold front, the “balloon” would become warmer than the surrounding air at that level. The initial “push” upward by the cold front on that balloon filled with surface air is like a child letting a helium-filled balloon go — it just keeps rising.

The difference is that on these violent tornado days, the balloon does not just rise in a leisurely way. It slingshots upward, especially when the air inside cools enough to condense all the water vapor it carries.

It’s the extra heat released when the water vapor condenses that is like a driver flooring a car’s accelerator. The balloon of surface air quickly reaches speeds of 100 to 150 mph going straight up!

Our “balloons” — meteorologists call them “updrafts” — are the engines of the storm. The energy released in the updrafts then interacts with our second ingredient needed for violent tornadoes, the change of the wind direction and speed at you go upward from the ground.

Anyone who has flown knows that the wind speed increases with height. These violent storms almost always require that the wind speeds increase from 20 mph on the ground to more than 100 mph (horizontally) aloft.

Spin in the storm’s updraft is enhanced when the air entering the base of the updraft is from the south, while the winds further aloft are flowing from west to east. This is the so-called jet stream, the fast river of air that helps drive our weather, which interacts with the storm’s updrafts to create a spinning column of air.

It is this updraft spin, or mesocyclone, that creates the tornado.

When the updrafts are strong and the wind shear large, the spin inside the mesocyclone becomes very fast. And in the most extreme cases, a violent tornado is born beneath that spinning white cloud of updraft that meteorologists call the supercell thunderstorm.

So how well can we predict these storms?

Tornado deaths during the past 50 years have declined considerably, indicating our forecasting and warning skill has improved considerably.

The deployment of the Doppler radar system in the early 1990s by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration extended tornado warning lead times from five minutes to their now-annual average of 12 to 14 minutes. But other factors have improved warnings as well since then.

During the past 20 years, supercell thunderstorms have been the focus of intense academic and government research to understand how they work and how they produce tornadoes.

Two major field programs have studied these storms using dozens of mobile weather stations, aircraft and Doppler radars. The result from all these years of research and training was displayed Monday. Forecasters from the National Weather Service Office in Norman, Oklahoma, were very aware that the atmosphere in and around central Oklahoma had all the ingredients for significant tornadoes.

Knowing that the atmosphere could produce a strong tornado, they immediately issued the tornado warning as soon as the Doppler radar started to show low-level rotation within the storm.

This warning was 16 minutes before the touchdown of the Moore tornado outside of Newcastle, Oklahoma, and nearly an hour before the end of the tornado some 20 miles away.

Undoubtedly, the long lead time saved countless lives. I’m one of a number of researchers at NOAA who are working on ways to combine all of the environmental, radar and other weather data into a computer model that will attempt to predict when the tornado will develop and how strong it will be as much as an hour in advance.

This “Warn on Forecast” concept, while showing promise, is still years away from being a reality.

So until then, when you hear the tornado sirens or tornado warning, take cover immediately. Like the people in Moore, your life may depend on it.

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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Louis Wicker.


Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/21/opinion/wicker-tornado-cause/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/sH86o9TTvV4/how-a-twister-forms

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Gaza boy’s killing: Who’s telling the truth?

Jerusalem (CNN) — As Jamal al-Durrah washes his son Mohammad’s tombstone in a Gaza graveyard, he fears that the boy’s spirit rests uneasy.

The image of the father shielding his 12-year-old son in a hail of bullets, under the glare of a camera, became the symbol of the second Palestinian uprising, or Intifada.

Thirteen years later, the controversy behind those pictures is still alive.

An Israeli government committee concluded in a report presented Sunday that the story, which was broadcast by France 2 in 2000, cannot be substantiated by the pictures.

Children of the conflict: Innocence interrupted by war

The news report aired by France 2 stated: “Here Jamal and his son Mohammad are the target of fire coming from the Israeli position. … But, a new round of fire, Mohammad is dead and his father badly hurt.”

However, the Israeli government committee report states: “There is no evidence that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) was in any way responsible for causing any of the alleged injuries to Jamal or the boy.”

It’s a statement that pains a still-grieving father. But Jamal al-Durrah is prepared to have his son’s remains exhumed to demonstrate that he was killed by Israeli bullets, as reported in 2000.

“I would like to show the world the truth, and I am sitting in front of my son’s grave and ready to accept an international independent investigation commission including Arabs,” he said. “If Israel agrees, I am ready to open the grave.”

The head of the Israeli government review committee, Yossi Kuperwasser, said he does not know what happened to Mohammad al-Durrah.

Showing the raw material provided by France 2 to CNN, he said, “See, he was supposed to be dead. He was declared dead a moment ago, understand, he was declared dead when he was lying (there.) That’s where he cut it. He said the boy is dead. But a second later, he (Mohammad al-Durrah) raises his hand.”

Analysis: Conflict shifts balance of power in the Middle East

Israel places the implications of the Mohammad al-Durrah story in a much wider context.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “It is important to focus on this incident, which has slandered Israel’s reputation. This is a manifestation of the ongoing, mendacious campaign to delegitimize Israel.

“There is only one way to counter lies, and that is through the truth. Only the truth can prevail over lies.”

The search for that truth has been conducted in courthouses, human rights reports and media investigations.

Cameraman Talal Abu Rahma, who filmed the event for France 2, and also works for CNN, has been at the center of trying to understand what happened on that fateful day.

Thirteen years later, he points to the camera that recorded the event as his most solid source, saying: “My witness is (my) camera. … I am sorry this camera does not talk, but really this camera recorded that footage.”

Mohammad al-Durrah’s story has become an important symbol in the Palestinian struggle for statehood. The image of his final moments is shown on stamps in Egypt, Tunisia, Iraq, Iran and Morocco.

Israel says that the false narrative of al-Durrah’s death has been used to justify terrorist attacks against Israel and worldwide anti-Semitism.

It is perhaps the ongoing struggle between Israelis and Palestinians over the righteousness of their narrative that will not let this image be forgotten.


Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/21/world/meast/israel-palestinians-disputed-video/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/9n4i0-NOxCw/gaza-boys-killing-whos-telling-the-truth

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Tiny crystal flowers bloom in a beaker

The false-colored flowers bloom almost smaller than the naked eye can see.


(Credit:
Wim L. Noorduin, Harvard SEAS)

When you think of the word “crystal,” you think, perhaps, of wedges of quartz stone, ice crystals, and salt — not organic flowing forms or flowers. But by manipulating chemical gradients in a beaker of fluid, Harvard postdoctoral fellow Wim L. Noorduin has managed to control the growth of barium carbonate crystals to form very controlled sculptures of flowers, with petals, stems, and leaves.

How the crystal forms depends on the mixture of chemicals in a solution. As the chemical gradients react, the pH can change, causing the crystals to grow away from or toward the gradient, enabling Noorduin to coax the forms into leaves radiating outward, a ling, thin stem, or the petals of the flower head.

To create the crystals, the team from Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences dissolved barium chloride and sodium silicate in a beaker of liquid. Carbon dioxide, naturally dissolving into the liquid, sets of a reaction that precipitates the formation of barium carbonate. Additionally, it lowers the pH balance immediately around the crystals, adding a layer of silica and allowing the crystals to continue to form.

The work, said Noorduin, is meant to enhance the understanding of self assembly, which could potentially revolutionize the manufacture of tiny electronics. “For at least 200 years, people have been intrigued by how complex shapes could have evolved in nature,” he said. “This work helps to demonstrate what’s possible just through environmental, chemical changes.”

The research paper, called “Rationally Designed Complex, Hierarchical Microarchitectures,” can be read online in the journal Science.


(Credit:
Wim L. Noorduin, Harvard SEAS)

(Source: Crave Australia)

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Finding faces in Google Maps terrain


(Credit:
Onformative)

Something our human eyes seem to do, without any prompting, is to pick out shapes and structures that resemble other shapes and structures. Called pareidolia, it’s a form of pattern recognition — and a good example is the way we often see a human face where only a random collection of shapes or shadows exists. This, it is now known, is the reason for the infamous face on Mars.

Our own Earth, as folded and rippled as it is, is also prone to this phenomenon when viewed from above: the Badlands Guardian, discovered on Google Earth in 2006, for example. But we’re sure there are many more human-esque faces lurking in strange corners of the Earth.

That is the premise behind Google Faces, a project by Berlin design studio Onformative: can pareidolia be imitated by a machine? Using OpenFrameworks, the studio has created an application that crawls Google Maps, using facial recognition algorithms to seek out areas that look like faces.

Making faces with Google Maps (pictures)

The application uses a virtual browser to search Google Maps, transferring data back to the standalone application using ofxBerkelium to capture and store images of any “faces” found, communicating via Javascript. When the application has crawled all the available images, it jumps to the next zoom level and starts all over again.

Already, the program has been around the world several times, and the ground to cover only gets bigger as it zooms in farther.

“As it continues to travel the world within the upcoming months, it continuously zooms into the earth,” Onformative said on the project page. “This process decreases the step-size for each iteration and therefore increases the amount of images and travel time exponentially. Some of the detected images aren’t usable at all, as we are not able to recognize any face-like patterns within the detected images. Other satellite images, on the other hand, inspired our imagination in a tremendous, yet funny way.”

(Source: Crave Australia via CreativeApplications.Net)

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/rr-qyaFlzRw/

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Gunboats keep ‘blue gold’ from pirates


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The Topaz is a fast-attack craft used by the Seychelles coast guard in the fight against piracy.The Topaz is a fast-attack craft used by the Seychelles coast guard in the fight against piracy.

It is armed with 30-millimeter guns and 25 sailors, but the country has only four such vessels.It is armed with 30-millimeter guns and 25 sailors, but the country has only four such vessels.

Fishing is big business in the Seychelles, but the country's industry has come under severe threat in recent years as a result of the Somali pirates.Fishing is big business in the Seychelles, but the country’s industry has come under severe threat in recent years as a result of the Somali pirates.

The problem has forced local authorities to change the way they manage the country's fishing waters. They've introduced a newly defined zone which restricts the movements of local fishermen.The problem has forced local authorities to change the way they manage the country’s fishing waters. They’ve introduced a newly defined zone which restricts the movements of local fishermen.

Fishing products account for about 90% of the Seychelles' merchandise exports by value. The sector supplies international markets with an array of items, including canned tuna.Fishing products account for about 90% of the Seychelles’ merchandise exports by value. The sector supplies international markets with an array of items, including canned tuna.

According to a recent report by the World Bank, piracy costs the global economy an estimated $18 billion a year.According to a recent report by the World Bank, piracy costs the global economy an estimated $18 billion a year.


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Marketplace Africa is a weekly show covering business trends and focusing on the continent’s key industries and corporations.

Seychelles (CNN) — The pristine waters of the Seychelles, a glittering necklace of coralline and granitic islands scattered on the Indian Ocean, have long beguiled jet-setters and eco-conscious visitors from around the world, turning the idyllic archipelago into a popular travel destination.

But as well as boosting the tiny nation’s tourism revenues, the high seas off the east coast of Africa have also helped create another strategic industry: fishing.

A major economic pillar, fishing is the second biggest contributor to the Seychelles’ finances after tourism. Over the last two decades, the sector’s products have accounted for more than 90% of the country’s merchandise exports by value, supplying international markets with items such as canned tuna, also known as the Seychelles’ “blue gold.”

But in recent years, the fishing industry has come under severe threat as a result of the ongoing risk posed by Somali pirates roaming the waters off the Horn of Africa.


Map: The Seychelles. Click to expand Map: The Seychelles. Click to expand


Map: The Seychelles. Click to expandMap: The Seychelles. Click to expand

“It’s a big problem,” explains major Jean Attala, deputy operations officer of the Seychelles coast guard. “Anything that disrupts the tourism or fishing industry or the maritime equilibrium is a very big problem for us,” he adds.

Read this: The global cost of piracy


Protecting ‘blue gold’ from piracy


Tackling piracy in Somalia


Ransom payments creating problems


The cost of piracy

To deal with the threat of piracy, the country’s authorities had to change the way they manage their waters in recent years. As part of this increased security drive, the Seychelles coast guard has intensified its patrolling efforts, with fast-attack armed vessels monitoring a newly defined zone for fishing.

But there are just four such vessels in the Seychelles’ entire fleet. It’s a small nation in terms of landmass, but with its oceans, it is nearly twice the size of France. “This is not adequate to cover such a large area,” says Attala. “We need more assets and build up more our capacity to deal with the issue.”

Local fishermen are restricted from sailing beyond the designated area’s perimeter, several dozen miles outside the main port.

Analysts say that fishing boats are of particular importance to pirates because they can be used as floating bases from which to launch further attacks.

But while the measure seems to be working — there have been no successful attacks in nearly a year — the restrictions on the movement of Seychellois fishermen has created another problem.

“There’s no fish,” explains local fisherman Patrick Pierre. “Every boat is fishing in the same place,” he adds.

Pierre, who’s been casting his nets for 12 years now, says his job was hardest during the worst period of the piracy — in 2007 and 2008. Since then, the Seychelles has been at the forefront of the global fight against piracy but the new rules mean fewer fish and less money.

Latest African gold rush: Hotels

Joram Madnack is the general manager of the French-owned Indian Ocean Tuna, one of the world’s largest tuna canneries and the biggest employer in the Seychelles. He says fish intake has fallen nearly 25% in the last five years.

“The impact has been on the price, which for some places has gone up by 70%-80% compared to 2007 prices,” explains Madnack.

According to a recent report by the World Bank, piracy costs the global economy an estimated $18 billion a year. The increased costs come as shippers are forced to change trading routes, sending fuel bills soaring, as well as pay higher insurance premiums and security bills for guards on board.

But the threat of Somali piracy is also damaging the economies of neighboring countries, particularly in the key sectors of tourism and fishing. Since 2006, the year the World Bank report takes as the starting point of piracy, exports of fish products from piracy-hit countries have declined by 23.8%. In Seychelles, the impact has been even greater, with exports collapsing by nearly 30%.

“We now fish where we are allowed to fish,” says Peter Sinon, the country’s minister of natural resources and industry. “It has made the industry more costly in terms of going out there [and] be secure to bring in what usually was our daily supply of protein,” he adds.

Watch video: protecting “blue gold” from pirates

And although many of the pirates have now gone, the fishermen say their industry still hasn’t recovered.

For people like Pierre, the fight against piracy and the introduction of fishing zones has proven to be a double-edged sword.

The protection is still necessary, he says, acknowledging that today he is safer. Yet, he and other local fishermen miss the freedom to sail about and return with a big catch.

“Five years ago, there was a lot of fish,” says Pierre. “We could go anywhere we wanted without the fear of piracy and everything.”

Teo Kermeliotis contributed to this report.


Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/22/business/seychelles-fishing-industry-pirates/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/ve8q3MrYTz4/gunboats-keep-blue-gold-from-pirates

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