"We have confirmed that there are crocodiles in the flood waters that are fast approaching residential areas," Kilifi lawmaker Joe Khamisi told reporters in the town, about 550 kilometers (345 miles) southeast of Nairobi.

"We fear they may harm children who like to swim," he said, adding that his constituents were worried the death toll might be higher due to the crocodiles, which slithered out of ponds and estuaries with the rising waters.

The rains have exacerbated humanitarian crises brought about by a searing drought that has hit east Africa, inundating parched soil, bursting the banks of dry rivers and forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes.

The floods have also increased the risk of waterborne diseases, destroyed crops and hamperered delivery of drought relief by cutting off key roads used by humanitarian agencies across the country.

In addition to the human toll, lightning from a storm in the central Rift Valley town of Nakuru hit a tree where scores of pelicans had taken roost, electrocuting at least 49 of the large-mouthed birds on Friday, officials said.

The carcasses of the pelicans, among the tens of thousands of birds that flock to Kenya's famed Lake Nakuru National Park, littered the grassy area around the tree, said government veterinary official Michael Cheruyoit.

The rock in the crater began growing last November, steadily moving west and pushing rock and other debris out of its way as it goes.

Mount St. Helens, located in the Cascades of Washington, has been quietly erupting since a flurry of tiny earthquakes began in late September 2004. Scientists initially mistook the quakes as rainwater seeping into the hot interior of the older lava dome.

But it soon became clear that magma was on the move, confirmed by the emergence of fire-red lava between the old lava dome and the south crater rim a few weeks after the seismic activity began.

The volcano has continued pumping out lava ever since. Eventually, scientists expect the volcano will rebuild its conical peak that was obliterated in the May 18, 1980 eruption that left 57 people dead.

The current growth of the new lava dome has been accompanied by low seismicity rates, low emissions of steam and volcanic gases and minor production of ash, the USGS said.

"Given the way things are going now, there's no hint of any sort of catastrophic eruptions," USGS geologist Tom Pierson said. "At any time, however, things can change."

Scientists flew a helicopter into the crater late last week to adjust equipment and take photographs that will likely be used to determine just how much the new lava dome has grown the last several months.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory, which closes down every winter, is the closest observatory to the 8,364-foot peak. It is named after David A. Johnston, a volcanologist killed in the 1980 eruption. It sits about five miles north of the mountain and offers the closest views of the volcano's horseshoe-shaped crater.

In Waco, much of the damage appeared to be concentrated in an industrial area, where winds gusting at an estimated 80 mph peeled off warehouse roofs and crumbled the walls at a Coca-Cola Co. bottling plant.

About 22,000 Waco residents still lacked power Saturday morning, said city spokesman Larry Holze.

An expert was en route to determine whether a tornado or just strong winds caused the damage, said National Weather Service meteorologist Ted Ryan.

In San Antonio, motorists stranded in high water had to be rescued.

A series of major earthquakes rocked Kamchatka and its sparsely populated Koryak area in the last two weeks. The initial 7.8-magnitude quake April 24, the strongest since 1900 in the Koryak area, which is eight time zones from Moscow, injured 31 people and damaged about 380 houses and 25 administrative facilities in the towns of Tilichiki, and Korf, and Ossora.

According to emergencies officials, over 1,000 people, including 542 children, have been evacuated from the emergency zone since April 24.

"The animals were going wild, the horses were bucking and dogs were barking and howling and then, all of a sudden right above my house, there was a big bright light and then just 'Bang!' And it lit up the five acres that are around us, and then I covered my eyes like this because it was bright and when it got past I saw there was a tail and it just went 'Shhhh' toward the Hueco Mountains," said Yawkey Jones, who witnessed the meteor from his home in Chaparral.

Amateur astronomers think that the meteor debris landed between Hueco Tanks and McGregor range.