Prophecy, Drought, Earthquakes, Famine, Pestilence, War, and Strange Weather.

[Shammu]

Mixing Animal, Human Cells Gets Exotic
Jun 18 11:43 PM US/Eastern
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By PAUL ELIAS
AP Biotechnology Writer

SAN FRANCISCO

On the sun-splashed Caribbean island of St. Kitts, Yale University researchers are injecting millions of human brain cells into the heads of monkeys afflicted with Parkinson's disease.

In China, there are 29 goats running around on a farm with human cells coursing through their organs, a result of scientists dropping human blood cells into goat embryos.

The mixing of humans and animals in the name of medicine has been going on for decades. People are walking around with pig valves in their hearts and scientists have routinely injected human cells into lab mice to mimic diseases.

But the research is becoming increasingly exotic as scientists work with the brains of mice, monkeys and other mammals and begin fiddling with the hot-button issue of cloning. Harvard University researchers are attempting to clone human embryonic cells in rabbit eggs.

Such work has triggered protests from social conservatives and others who fear the blurring of species lines, invoking the image of the chimera of Greek mythology, a monstrous mix of lion, goat and serpent.

During his State of the Union speech in January, President Bush called for a ban on "human cloning in all its forms" and "human-animal hybrids," labeling it one of the "most egregious abuses of medical research."

He didn't elaborate, but scientists working in the field believe that by "hybrids," the president meant creating living animals with human traits _ something they say they aren't doing.

Other critics are calling for stricter regulations of the research.

"The technology is advancing quicker than the regulations," said Osagie Obasogie of the Oakland-based Center for Genetics and Society, which opposes the mixing of human and animal cells.

But scientists say the ethically charged work will help them better understand disease and hopefully cure some illnesses. They argue their work will never result in the birth of any living being, but lets them experiment with human disease without using people.

"The president touched on a nerve that we all feel," said Doug Melton, the Harvard researcher trying to eliminate the need for women to donate their eggs for cloning research by creating human embryonic stem cells in rabbit eggs.

"The prospect of having animals that are chimeras is frightening. This is not that kind of research. These experiments don't make animals, they make cells."

Melton's work, if successful, would reduce the need for female donors, who have to take fertility drugs to increase their egg production and undergo invasive procedures to extract the eggs. But he has not yet succeeded in extracting human stem cells from the cloned rabbit eggs.

Meanwhile, United Kingdom researchers led by Dolly the Sheep creator Ian Wilmut are planning similar experiments, which aim to copy a Chinese research team's success with goats, reported in the journal Cell Research in 2003.

"The concerns about chimeras and mixing species may be justified in some circumstances," Yale researcher Gene Redmond said by e-mail from his St. Kitts laboratory, where he's studying Parkinson's disease by injecting human brain cells into monkeys. "But there are strong scientific reasons to do it in many cases and great benefits to be had for humanity."

Redmond's work is funded by the U.S. government, but he works in St. Kitts because it and the neighboring island of Nevis have a large population of feral African monkeys. The research aims to reverse the symptoms of Parkinson's by supplying dopamine, a chemical in the brain whose absence is thought to cause the disease.

"There seems to be little or no chance that the monkeys would be 'humanized,'" because of the relatively few and highly specialized human cells that are being implanted, Redmond said.

Still, it's research like Redmond's that upsets critics the most.

Stanford University bioethicist Christopher Scott said "the stuff that raises the most ethical concerns" are the experiments that implant human cells into animals' brains.

So far, Scott and others know of no researcher that has come close to putting enough human cells into animal brains to confer any signs of humanity, such as emotion.

In December, for instance, Parkinson's disease researchers at the Salk Institute in San Diego reported they had created mice with .01 percent human cells by injecting about 100,000 human embryonic stem cells per mouse, a trace amount that didn't remotely come close to "humanizing" the rodents.

Most scientists also argue that the "architecture" of animals' heads couldn't support a brain of mostly human cells. The animals are also wired differently and couldn't survive with a human brain.

Still, there's enough concern about human-animal mixing that the influential National Academy of Sciences addressed it last year when it issued guidelines for stem cell research.

The report endorsed research that co-mingles human and animal tissue as vital to ensuring that experimental drugs and new tissue replacement therapies are safe for people. But the report warned that the "idea that human neuronal cells might participate in 'higher order' brain functions in a nonhuman animal, however unlikely that may be, raises concerns that need to be considered."

The report recommends that each institution involved in stem cell research create a formal, standing committee to specifically oversee the work, including experiments that mix human and animal cells.

Drawing ethical boundaries that no research appears to have crossed yet, the Academies recommend a prohibition on mixing human stem cells with embryos from monkeys and other primates. But even that policy recommendation isn't tough enough for some who advocate for formal regulations.

"You don't want a monkey with 95 percent of its brain cells being human," said Obasogie of the Center for Genetics and Society, "and to ensure that takes more than a recommendation."

Mixing Animal, Human Cells Gets Exotic

[Shammu]

Tropical sex disease surfaces in Toronto
A sign of increased high-risk sex, doctor says
30 new cases have been found in the GTA area
Jun. 17, 2006. 01:00 AM
TANYA TALAGA
HEALTH REPORTER

An outbreak of a sexually transmitted disease usually seen only in the tropics has public health officials worried it is yet another signal that HIV infections are about to rise.

Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), caused by a bacteria that is part of the chlamydia family, is normally confined to the tropics of Africa, South America, Asia and the Caribbean. By the end of 2005 there were 30 recorded cases of LGV in Toronto.

"This is a new thing," said Dr. Robert Remis, a University of Toronto HIV/AIDS researcher. "It's hard to diagnose and it's a rather painful condition."

The city is already in the grip of a syphilis outbreak, and both diseases are associated with an increased risk for HIV and AIDS.

Dr. Kelly MacDonald, chair of the Ontario HIV Treatment Network, said the two outbreaks are a serious concern.

"It's a marker for high-risk sex and partner change," she said. "In every study with explosive rates of HIV you see syphilis."

And LGV is a "tropical disease we shouldn't see" in Toronto, she added. "It means the rate of partner change is extremely high. Things like syphilis and LGV should be the first things we get under control," said MacDonald, a microbiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital.

LGV symptoms appear three to 30 days after exposure. It starts with a painless sore on the ****, ****, rectum or oral cavity. The condition can be cured with three weeks of antibiotics, but left untreated it can cause scarring, deformity and, in rare cases, hepatitis and meningoencephalitis (infection of the brain and spinal cord tissues).

In Toronto, all but one of the 30 cases were found in gay or bisexual men, said Dr. Rita Shahin, associate medical officer of health. Cases of LGV have been recently reported in gay men in the Netherlands and other European countries.

The current syphilis outbreak started in May 2002, mostly in gay or bisexual men, and peaked in 2004 with 368 cases. Last year there were 241.

"It's a true epidemic and related to an increasing rate of unsafe sexual behaviour," said Remis.

Most gay men practise safe sex, but some still don't wear condoms. Just as condoms can prevent the transmission of HIV, they can also lower the chances of getting syphilis and LGV.

The odds of getting HIV/AIDS are increased by three to five times if you already have syphilis, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Thirty to 40 per cent of the new cases of syphilis since 2002 were seen in men co-infected with HIV, according to Remis. Almost all of the men with LGV were HIV-positive.

An estimated 55,000 people in Canada live with HIV/AIDS. In Toronto, 15,300 people have the sexually transmitted disease; 10,700 of those are men.

Syphilis — which usually begins with a painless ulcer on the genitals — is easy to treat with a single, intramuscular shot of penicillin. But if the ulcer is small or hidden inside the ****, throat or anus, it can be missed.

As the syphilis progresses from a sore to its secondary phase, a rash develops on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. It usually clears up on its own and the syphilis becomes latent, making its appearance 10 to 30 years later. When it comes back, the lesions can appear anywhere, including the heart, liver and brain.

But if you have HIV or AIDS, syphilis can progress at an intensely rapid pace, infecting the brain and major organs in a year.

Health officials are trying to get the word out about syphilis, which can be easily transmitted during oral sex, by educating and encouraging testing in bathhouses and in the gay community.

High-risk sexual behaviour among gay and bisexual men and an associated increase in HIV rates has been seen in New York City and Miami.

"Now we have people making decisions not to use condoms because they don't think the risk is that great and the outcome isn't that bad," said MacDonald.

The popularity of recreational drugs could play a role. So could the lack of "fresh" messages teaching the public about the dangers of sexually transmitted infections, said Shahin.

Tropical sex disease surfaces in Toronto

[Shammu]

Sudan cholera outbreak reaches war-torn Darfur
12 Jun 2006 07:20:00 GMT
Source: Reuters

KHARTOUM, June 12 (Reuters) - A cholera outbreak in Sudan has spread to the war-torn western Darfur region, posing a serious threat to the 2.5 million living in squalid camps in cramped conditions, a U.N. statement said.

Cholera spreads rapidly in close-knit populations. An outbreak which began in late January in south Sudan has killed at least 516 people among more than 13,800 cases, affecting six of the 10 southern states.

"The World Health Organisation (WHO) in Nyala (south Darfur) confirmed 65 cases of acute watery diarrhoea," said a U.N. statement sent late on Sunday.

Cholera is an acute, diarrhoeal illness caused by infection of the intestine with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

The statement said an aid agency had confirmed one cholera fatality in Gereida, in southeast Darfur, where almost 100,000 people have fled their homes to seek safety in the town.

"WHO issued an alert warning on the cholera outbreak," the statement added.

Three years of rape, pillage and murder in Darfur has herded much of the population to crowded urban centres away from rural villages. Scarce food supplies, a lack of healthcare and the upcoming rainy season make them more vulnerable to the water-borne disease.

Cholera causes vomiting and acute diarrhoea that can lead to rapid dehydration and death within 24 hours if not treated.

Sudan cholera outbreak reaches war-torn Darfur

[Shammu]

Crews say Ariz. fire a 'caged-up coyote'

By AMANDA LEE MYERS, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 42 minutes ago

SEDONA, Ariz. - Firefighters battled a blaze burning in steep, rugged terrain that had grown to nearly 4,000 acres Friday and was not expected to be fully contained for several more days.
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"This fire is like a caged-up coyote," said Mike Dondero, deputy incident commander for the fire. "It's trying to get out 24 hours a day."

Officials said the blaze threatening this scenic community was 15 percent contained Friday morning, and full containment was predicted by June 28.

Firefighters were prepared to protect the roughly 460 homes and businesses in nearby Oak Creek Canyon that were evacuated after the fire began Sunday with a transient's campfire, but the danger of wind from thunderstorms was in the forecast.

"That's a red flag. That's a watch-out situation," said Mike Dondero, deputy incident commander for the fire. "It could hit and blow stuff all over the place."

Nora Walker-Yeager, who was allowed to return to her Oak Creek Canyon home Thursday to pick up belongings, grabbed her wedding book, her husband's wedding ring and her engagement ring.

"If it burns, we've got the things that are most important to us," Walker-Yeager said.

In southern Colorado, a 13,100-acre wildfire was 35 percent contained. Residents from a 62-house subdivision were heading home Friday, and motorists were being allowed to travel again on U.S. 160, which had been closed since Monday.

Cafe owner Luisa Sena said she was relieved to learn the highway, the main east-west route across southern Colorado, was reopening because she depends on the summer months to make most of the money to pay her nine workers. Without any tourists or truckers passing along the highway through the town at the gateway to the historic San Luis Valley, business slowed to a standstill.

"It's tough in the winter. It doesn't need to be like this in the summer," said Sena, owner of Lu's Mainstreet Cafe in neighboring Blanca.

In western Colorado, a 1,530-acre wildfire started by a car wreck Tuesday was 25 percent contained. The fire was burning in juniper, oak and ponderosa pine in the Manti-La Sal National Forest, about 225 miles southwest of Denver near the Utah border.

Firefighters in New Mexico, facing fires that have scorched more than 70,000 acres, dealt with more hot weather Thursday, but forecasts of storms and erratic winds didn't materialize.

The largest blaze — a 33,250-acre one in southwestern New Mexico — threatened cabins and other structures in the Willow Creek area.

"We have to take one day at a time," fire information officer Brian Morris said. "We can plan for the future, but we still have to deal with today."

In southern California, firefighters were holding their ground against a wildfire that has consumed nearly 15,000 acres of chaparral, pine and grasslands in Los Padres National Forest, officials said.

Fire crews prevented a 10-mile-long swath of flames from rolling over a ridge line bordering a wilderness area that has larger trees and brush, said Forest Service spokesman Joe Pasinato. The fire was 57 percent contained, officials said.

"Today was a key day," said Pasinato. "The fire did not make any rapid advances."

Crews say Ariz. fire a 'caged-up coyote'

[Shammu]

Fire commander reassures residents as wildfire battle continues


Associated Press
Jun. 23, 2006 03:30 PM

The head of the team fighting a 4,000-acre wildfire on Friday reassured evacuees about the safety of their homes in a scenic northern Arizona canyon but emphasized that the battle isn’t won yet.

Firefighters have created a good firebreak using a highway and deliberately set fires to clear away vegetation in part of Oak Creek Canyon, where roughly 430 homes and 30 businesses have been evacuated since Sunday, said incident commander Paul Broyles.

“We feel good about that,” Broyles told about 100 people attending a meeting in Sedona for area residents, including evacuees. “It’s still not a done deal,” he added. “I’m not going to guarantee we’ve completely turned the corner just yet.”

Broyles said residents may be allowed to return to their homes in two to four days. They’re being kept out partly because embers could still start fires in the canyon. No homes have burned.

“I feel a lot better now about the safety of our house,” said Sarah Peterson, one of the evacuees at the meeting. “The firefighters have done an awesome job. We couldn’t be more thankful the house is still there.” Firefighters were also concerned Friday that possible storms could bring strong and erratic winds that would whip the fire out of control.

“Currently, we’re winning, but Mother Nature bats last every day,” said Rod Collins, another fire commander.

The fire began Sunday as a transient’s campfire and quickly spread to steep, rugged terrain above Oak Creek Canyon, a lush area dotted with homes and resorts. Officials said the fire was 15 percent contained Friday, with full containment predicted by June 28.

About 660 firefighters assisted by helicopters fought the fire Friday. They burned away vegetation that could fuel the fire in some places and used hand tools to scratch out firebreaks in others. Crews manned fire engines to defend homes if needed.

The fire is the second to hit the Sedona area, about 90 miles north of Phoenix, during the past month. An 836-acre wildfire destroyed five buildings near the Village of Oak Creek in early June and forced the evacuation of about 200 people.

Fire commander reassures residents as wildfire battle continues

[Shammu]

India records 53 cases of polio, fuelling fears of resurgence

Fri Jun 23, 8:45 AM ET

NEW DELHI (AFP) - India has recorded 53 cases of polio since January, a government official said, raising fears of a resurgence of the crippling disease affecting children.

"We have had 53 cases so far in India and this is the situation in the low incidence period before the onset of the monsoon season," said the senior health ministry official, who asked not to be unnamed.

He was referring to the annual rains that lash the country between June and September.

If this trend continued, he said: "We could have a major outbreak of polio on our hands."

India accounted for 83 percent of the world's new polio cases in 2002 with 1,600 cases recorded that year.

Polio, largely eliminated in most of the world, still exists in Nigeria, India, Pakistan and
Afghanistan among other countries with 1,900 cases reported last year, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative spearheaded by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

In India, the number of cases was brought down to 66 in 2005, according to WHO figures, thanks to television and print campaigns featuring film stars.

But persistent recurrence of the disease in two states has resulted in India overshooting deadlines it has set for itself to achieve zero polio levels. The latest deadline missed was January 2005.

The federal health ministry Friday said the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were not doing enough to ensure the elimination of polio.

"Of the 53 cases, 22 are from (Uttar Pradesh's western) Moradabad district," the health ministry official said.

"The state government keeps changing district officials. What we need is stability for immunisation programmes to be effective. We need the best and most effective people to handle immunisation programmes," it said.

"If not India will continue to spend 225 million dollars to 250 million dollars each year in containing the virus and this is not a small sum."

Officials in Uttar Pradesh rejected New Delhi's charge, saying the administration was devoting all available manpower and resources to contain the disease.

So far 39 cases of polio had surfaced in the state, prompting authorities to launch a three-day immunisation programme which ended Friday, L.B. Prasad, director general of Uttar Pradesh's family welfare department, told AFP.

The state's family welfare minister Ahmad Hasan said all reported cases were from Muslim dominated districts.

The administration, he said, was devising methods to fight a fear among Muslims that polio drops would render their children impotent, he added.

India records 53 cases of polio, fuelling fears of resurgence

[Shammu]

WHO says H5N1 mutated in Indonesia
Fri Jun 23, 2006 7:01am ET166

GENEVA (Reuters) - The H5N1 birdflu virus mutated somewhat among Indonesians in the largest known human cluster, but did not evolve into a more transmissible form, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

A spokeswoman for the U.N. agency, Maria Cheng, said the result had come from its investigation into a recent cluster of cases in northern Sumatra, where seven members of a single family were killed in May.

"There was a mutation found, it was in a report recently given to the (Indonesian) government. It was the summary of the investigation into the northern Sumatra case," she told Reuters in Geneva, in response to a query.

"But it did not mutate into a form that is more transmissible because it didn't seem to go beyond the cluster," she added.

Indonesian and WHO officials closely monitored more than 50 contacts of the victims, keeping them in voluntary home quarantine for several weeks following the outbreak, but none developed symptoms, according to the Geneva-based agency.

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza has spread rapidly out of eastern Asia in recent months. It almost exclusively infects birds but has killed 130 people since 2003, mostly in Asia.

Experts believe it poses the greatest threat yet of a pandemic, a global epidemic of flu that could kill millions, if it acquires the ability to pass easily from human to human.

WHO says H5N1 mutated in Indonesia

[Shammu]

Strong quake strikes central Indonesia

Sat Jun 24, 10:29 PM ET

JAKARTA, Indonesia - A powerful earthquake struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island early Sunday and panicked residents, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The Hong Kong Observatory said the magnitude-6.2 quake struck at about 5:20 a.m. local time and was centered under the sea around 180 miles southwest of the city of Manado on the central island of Sulawesi.

"I was so shocked because my furniture and my roof started creaking," one witnesses in Gorantolo city told Indonesia's state news agency Antara. "When the shaking started, I immediately thought of my wife and child who were still asleep."

The agency said many people in the city fled their homes when the quake struck.

There were no reports of damage or injuries.

Indonesia is prone to seismic activity because of its location in the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

On May 27, a magnitude-6.3 earthquake devastated a large swath of Java Island, killing more than 5,800 people.

Strong quake strikes central Indonesia

[Shammu]

Mid-Atlantic hit with flooding
Mon Jun 26, 2006 7:27am ET13


By Todd Eastham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Waves of heavy showers and thunderstorms drenched Washington and the surrounding mid-Atlantic on Sunday, triggering flash flooding that swelled streams over their banks and closed roads around the region.

More rain showers, some heavy, were predicted throughout the region but showers and thunderstorms were expected to begin tapering off gradually toward evening on Monday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

A flood warning was in effect for the entire mid-Atlantic region including the greater Washington metropolitan area, the NWS said on its web site. A flash flood warning was in effect for parts of western Maryland, West Virginia and the extreme northwestern parts of Virginia, the weather service said.

"Washington up through Baltimore has received between five and seven inches of rain ... and most of it was in about a six-hour period," said NWS meteorologist Andy Woodcock.

"In many, many counties, rescues ... cars that got stuck in water, many road closures. It's been a very bad day, he said.

Flights into and out of mid-Atlantic airports were delayed as much as two hours at the height of the storm late on Sunday and early on Monday, said Rob Yingling of Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

Early Monday, "some flights are on time and others are delayed" depending on destinations, Yingling said.

As of 6 a.m., delays of 15 minutes of less were reported for flights into and out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Dulles International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration web site.

Mike Orenstein of the federal Office of Personnel Management said federal offices would open on time on Monday but the OPM had instituted an unscheduled leave policy,

The heavy rainfall in a such a short time-frame was unusual for Washington, destroying a single-day record for June 25 that goes back to 1870, Woodcock said.

Police blocked off traffic on major thoroughfares throughout the region as heavy rains caused flooding of underpasses, streams and low-lying streets, including a stretch of Constitution Avenue, a major Washington thoroughfare, and Massachusetts Avenue in suburban Maryland.

In Germantown, Maryland, off-duty firefighters jumped into action to rescue a woman trapped in a car that had been caught by water from a swollen creek, local Fox TV News reported.

"My car was stuck against the guardrail and the water started coming up from under the car. It was up to the windows, So I was flipping out," Patti Damiano told Fox after she was plucked from the car. "Thank God they came and got me out."

Local news reports in Washington reported that dozens of homes throughout the region had been evacuated, and others damaged by falling trees, but no casualties had been reported as of 5 a.m. EDT.

Some 14,000 Dominion power customers in Virginia were without electricity while some 9,200 PEPCO customers in Maryland and the District of Columbia had lost power, WUSA (CBS) television news reported.

The concluding round of the Booz Allen Classic golf tournament in Potomac, Maryland, was suspended because of lightning after teeing off six hours behind schedule because of drenching rain. Play was scheduled to resume early on Monday.

The National Weather Service forecast for the area did not look good. "I think we're going to have rain for the next couple of days," Woodcock said. "We have the potential for more problems, especially on Tuesday."

Mid-Atlantic hit with flooding

[Shammu]

Floods, landslide in Indonesia kill 22

Mon Jun 26, 7:48 AM ET

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Floods triggered by heavy rain killed 22 people in central Indonesia, the second such disaster in the sprawling nation in less than a week, a police officer said Monday.

More than a dozen others were missing after the floods tore through four villages on the small island of Laut, which lies off the southern tip of Borneo island, said the officer, who gave his name as Andi.

Seasonal downpours cause dozens of landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia, where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains close to rivers.

Last week, floods and landslides killed more than 210 people on Sulawesi island, just east of Borneo.

Floods, landslide in Indonesia kill 22

[Shammu]

Wheat Farmers See Weakest Harvest in Decades
by Frank Morris

 The wheat harvest is in full swing. But for many farmers, a financial loss is the only thing they expect to reap this year. Persistent drought has parched wheat stands in the western parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, places where wheat was once one of the most reliable cash crops.

"The old adage is 'Wheat has nine lives,' and we've been through 11 of them this year," says Kansas wheat farmer John Thaemert. "So it's been a trying year."

Farmers in parts of Oklahoma have abandoned their wheat fields, reporting the smallest harvest in 50 years. Meanwhile, Texas is experiencing its lowest wheat harvest since 1925.

Rising fuel costs and interest rates are also hitting farmers, most of whom carry heavy debt. And unlike past years, these struggling farmers don't expect federal disaster relief, since weather-related funding is going to the Gulf Coast. Frank Morris of member station KCUR reports.

[Shammu]

Flooding cripples Washington
Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:57pm ET166

By Randall Mikkelsen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Floods that ravaged the U.S. capital kept government tax collectors and federal agents away from work on Monday and closed the home of the Declaration of Independence.

With as much as 7 inches of rain having fallen since Sunday, flooded basements or electrical problems forced the closure of the Internal Revenue Service and Commerce Department headquarters, most of the U.S. Justice Department and the National Archives.

A century-old elm tree toppled at the White House and cars floated at flooded intersections on Constitution Avenue, which runs past tourist attractions such as the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial.

The federal government told its 280,000 area workers they could take leave time if they were unable to get to work.

Amtrak canceled seven early passenger trains between Washington and New York, and commuter rail service was disrupted. Mud washed onto the Capital Beltway highway, closing lanes. Many commuters took to the streets to walk.

The National Archives, which houses the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and other treasured documents, said inspections "revealed no damage to original records."

The White House also escaped damage when the elm tree fell near the north door to the presidential residence, said spokesman Bill Line for the National Park Service, which maintains the grounds.

Sun emerged on Monday morning but more rain was predicted. "We have the potential for more problems, especially on Tuesday," said National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Woodcock.

A flash-flood warning was in effect for the greater Washington metropolitan area until Monday evening, and a flood watch was in effect until Tuesday, the weather service said. Heavy rains and flooding also caused problems elsewhere along the U.S. East Coast.

As of noon (1400 GMT) departing flights, both national and international, were delayed as much as an hour at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and 45 minutes at Dulles International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Washed out track operated by CSX Corp. disrupted freight and passenger service south of Washington.

The heavy rainfall broke a single-day record for June 25 that goes back to 1870, Woodcock said.

Some 14,000 Dominion power customers in Virginia were without electricity while some 9,200 PEPCO customers in Maryland and the District of Columbia had lost power, WUSA television station reported.

The fallen White House elm tree, planted in the first years of the 20th century, met an ignominious end. "Nature took its toll ... The tree is being mulched as we speak," Line said.

Flooding cripples Washington

[Shammu]

 Eastern Flood Trouble Expands
Monday, June 26, 2006 3:59 PM EDT    

New England has suffered some of its worst flooding in decades during the past month or two, but now even more of the East is experiencing serious flooding. Rain and slow-moving thunderstorms have brought some locations more rain in just over 24 hours than they would normally receive during all of June and July! One such place is our nation's capitol, which had over seven inches of rain. The ground is similar to a sponge. It can absorb some water, but eventually the saturation point is reached. In Washington, D.C., the ground cannot absorb nearly as much water as it received on Sunday.
As a result, major flooding has occurred throughout a good portion of the interior mid-Atlantic. Traffic around the Capitol Beltway is bad enough on a normal day, but when you need an ark just to get to work, it's downright impossible! The railways weren't much help either, with many stations and rails under inches, if not feet, of water. Fire departments across the area have performed many rescues as floodwaters quickly trapped startled citizens.

Eastern Flood Trouble Expands

[Shammu]

 Historic Heat Wave
Monday, June 26, 2006 3:59 PM EDT    

The heat wave in the West has reached historic proportions. On Sunday, sizzling heat soared all the way through the Pacific Northwest and into Canada. Three cities recorded their hottest temperature ever for the month of June, with highs that were all roughly 25 degrees above normal. Even the coastal city of Quillayute, Washington, hit 92 degrees - its hottest temperature in four years. The heat doesn't look to be going anywhere fast in the interior Northwest, but the coast will be another story. A cold front will pass, opening the door for much cooler Pacific air. Throughout coastal Washington and Oregon, highs on Tuesday will be 10 to 20 degrees below Monday's warmth.

Historic Heat Wave

[Shammu]

Wildfires Going from Bad to Worse
Monday, June 26, 2006 3:59 PM EDT

Already, 2006 has been quite severe when it comes to wildfires, and we're only halfway through the year. More fires have been reported than in any of the past six years, with over three million acres of land torched - again, easily more than any other year this decade. On Sunday, lightning strikes sparked eight new large fires across Nevada, bringing the number of large fires across the United States to 24. There will be very little change in the weather pattern on Tuesday. Weak moisture continues to rise into the Southwest. The atmosphere will be moist enough to spark some afternoon storms, but still too dry to allow much rain to fall. The result will be more lightning strikes on bone-dry land, likely sparking additional fires.

Wildfires Going from Bad to Worse