Not a problem....it is a different article and maybe we will get a few more readers...*hugs*

Floods spread in Mekong Delta http://uk.news.yahoo.com/000923/80/akaxd.html MEKONG DELTA, Vietnam (Reuters) - The worst floods for decades have spread to new provinces in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, where the death toll has risen to 75, mostly children, local officials said on Saturday. More than half a million homes have been flooded in the Delta, many to the rafters, and at least 150,000 people forced to flee their homes to seek refuge on crumbling earthen dykes surrounded by waters five or more metres deep. Although water levels in the three worst-hit provinces of Long And, Dong Thap and An Giang appeared to be stabilising, downstream areas have seen rises of 10 cm (four inches) a day. A combination of high sea tides and flood waters from upstream provinces had affected Vinh Long, Kien Giang, Tien Giang and Can Tho provinces, officials from the Kien Giang and Vinh Long people's committees said. Officials in Dong Thap, Long An and An Giang provinces said rises in water levels had slowed distinctly in the past two days in upstream districts bordering Cambodia. The death toll this month from the floods rose to 75 with nine more deaths reported. They were in Long An, Kien Giang and Tien Giang. The vast majority of the dead have been children. Meteorologists have warned month-end high tides in the South China Sea could prevent the floods draining away even though water levels have fallen. And relief officials worry that when the immediate danger from the flood waters passes, it will be replaced by the threat of diseases like cholera and dengue, as it could be late November or early December before the waters fully recede. The effect on Vietnam's rice output -- a key export industry -- has been limited as farmers managed to gather most of their summer-autumn crop before the worst floods hit. However, most will not be able to plant a smaller third crop and Wednesday's Vietnam Economic Times quoted the Agriculture Ministry as saying 500,000 tonnes of unhusked rice would be lost. On Friday, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific blamed deforestation for the floods that have affected millions and killed more than 200 people in Indochina and the Mekong Delta.

Poor Vietnam. As if they have not had enough trouble in the 20th centurym now the Mekong delta is flooding. It is not as bad as the Pakistan and Bangladesh floods, but a disaster is all relative. It is always worse to those undergoing the misery and death. Thanks for posting the article.

Saturday October 14, 10:47 PM Mudslide ravages Swiss village, three feared dead Saturday October 14, 10:47 PM GONDO, Switzerland (Reuters) - A mudslide destroyed a third of the small village of Gondo on the Swiss-Italian border on Saturday morning. Police said 18 people were missing but could not confirm reports that three had died. Some 100 people were evacuated, including a group of 40 who had sought refuge in a civil protection shelter and were unable to leave as the entrance was blocked with debris, local authorities said. The landslide was caused when an earth dam above the lower part of the village, constructed after torrential rains threatened the town in 1993, gave way under the mass of water. The mayor of Gondo told Swiss television a wall of water and mud some 30 to 40 metres wide had taken just 10 seconds to cut a swath through the village just before 11 a.m., taking houses and possibly people with it down the mountain slope. At a news conference in Sion, the capital of the canton of Valais, a police spokesman said 18 people were still missing. "We have so far not recovered any bodies and we do not know whether there are any dead," he said. Local customs officer Rolf Gruber had said earlier by mobile telephone from the village that there were at least three dead. Gondo, home to some 140 people, lies 885 metres above sea level in a narrow valley between Brig in Switzerland and Domodossola in Italy, near the Simplon pass. A statement from the Valais cantonal government said a third of the village had been badly damaged and some 10 houses and the historic Stockalper tower washed away. The inhabitants were evacuated to Domodossola and the village of Simplon-Dorf. The rescue action, which was called off for fear of a possible avalanche, was to continue on Sunday with the help of the army. Heavy earth moving machines were due to be brought to the town over partially blocked roads. Heavy rainfall since Friday had swollen the Doveria river, which runs along the village. The Swiss meteorological service said more rain had fallen in the past few days than in an average month of October. The high water levels have severed some road links and telephone lines in the area. Rail traffic through the Simplon tunnel was halted as a local station was under water. In Locarno, Lake Maggiore broke its banks and the water level was still rising. Several mountain passes were closed to traffic.

More mass wasting. I thought Britain had taken all of the rain out of those clouds. And, I thought we got all the rain...!

Kentucky Hams Help in Coal Sludge Spill Disaster Amateur Radio operators in eastern Kentucky are helping their neighbors to cope with a lack of drinking water in the wake of a coal sludge spill that has cut off water supplies. More than 200 million gallons of coal waste flooded waterways without warning October 11 after a coal plant retention pond near Inez gave way. The resulting pollution--described as being the consistency of wet cement or molasses--has forced communities in the path of the spill to close water intakes and rely on existing water supplies. The Amateur Radio Emergency Service has not yet been activated, but ARES remains on stand-by to provide emergency communication, if needed. Section Emergency Coordinator Ron Dodson, KA4MAP, says the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management has requested Amateur Radio assistance in Martin County, where the spill originated. In Lawrence County, Emergency Coordinator Fred Jones, WA4SWF, says hams are helping to supplement communication among the different agencies involved whose radios operate on a variety of different frequencies. But Jones says the primary need has been making sure affected residents have water to drink, cook, and bathe with. Jones says officials are concerned there might not be enough water to fight a fire. Another worry is that heavy rainfall could cause widespread flooding. Kentucky Gov Paul Patton declared a state of emergency Monday in a large portion of northeastern Kentucky. Affected are the counties of Boyd, Bracken, Carter, Fleming, Greenup, Lawrence, Lewis, Martin, Mason, and Robertson.