Declarations

Significant Flooding Likely

“It appears likely we’ll get moderate to major levels of flooding on the Mississippi.”
— Mark Fuchs, a hydrologist for the National Weather Service, said towns along the upper Mississippi River could see significant flooding this spring. According to a report released by the weather service’s St. Louis office, tributaries are already running high, soil in northern states is saturated, and cold weather has kept snow from melting. Precipitation is expected to be above normal for February. The weather service said the probability of major flooding is as high as 80 percent at a few spots in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois, and nearly as high in parts of northeast Missouri. AP

A Stressful Experience

“It was a very stressful experience toward the end, especially not knowing what’s going on. … I’m just very confused as to why it all transpired this way.”
— Jenny Theroux, 23, a commuter stranded on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive during a record-breaking snow storm in early February. As a result of the blizzard, Chicago closed its public schools for the first time in 12 years and shut down Lake Shore Drive, where hundreds of motorists were stranded for 12 hours after multiple car accidents occurred on the iconic roadway. Bulldozers moved snow away from hundreds of cars that remained buried up to their roofs the following morning, after drivers had been rescued. AP

Electronics Not to Blame

“There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas.”
— U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. A U.S. government investigation showed no link between electronic throttles and unintended acceleration in Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles, a victory for the world’s top automaker, that has been battered by recalls over runaway vehicles. The encouraging result for Toyota stems from a 10-month probe ordered by Congress following recalls of nearly 8 million of its best-selling models in the United States over defective floor mats and accelerator pedals that hurt its reputation for quality. Some safety advocates and congressional investigators questioned whether software-driven throttles also played a role in unintended acceleration complaints. Reuters