Dozens of weather-related crashes shut down stretches of several highways in the Kansas City area Sunday.
The Kansas City Star reports that one crash on Interstate 35 in Lenexa involved up to 30 vehicles. Meanwhile, another pileup along Interstate 435 in Kansas City, Kan., involved up to 40 vehicles.
Multiple accidents have also been reported along Interstate 70, including one that involved 70 cars. The Kansas Department of Transportation says I-70 was closed for several hours.
Earth Changes
© Esteban Felix/AP
A woman walks with an umbrella at a survivors camp during heavy rains in Port-au-Prince
A woman walks with an umbrella at a survivors camp during heavy rains in Port-au-Prince
The deluge occurred in and around Les Cayes, Haiti's third-biggest city, which escaped the earthquake devastation that trashed the capital Port-au-Prince January 12.
Haiti's civil emergency services unit told AFP that one person was killed in the nearby town of Baraderes, according to the local mayor.
It also said 500 detainees in Les Cayes's prison were being evacuated by UN peacekeepers and Haitian police as 50 centimeters (20 inches) of water inundated the facility.
There was up to 1.5 meters (60 inches) of water in Les Cayes, a coastal city on a peninsula 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of Port-au-Prince.
Witnesses said houses had also collapsed.
The first waves of a tsunami caused by an earthquake in Chile reached New Zealand on Sunday, authorities said, but there were no reports of any injuries or damage.
Hundreds of residents on the country's east coast were evacuated to high ground and ships moved out to sea as authorities warned that surges from the tsunami might be felt for most of the day.
Chile was hit on Saturday by a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake, which killed at least 214 people, knocked down buildings and triggered a tsunami that threatens Pacific coastlines.
The first waves were reported at the remote Chatham Islands, around 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of New Zealand, with surges measured at up to 1.5 meters, the Civil Defense Ministry said.
Hundreds of residents on the country's east coast were evacuated to high ground and ships moved out to sea as authorities warned that surges from the tsunami might be felt for most of the day.
Chile was hit on Saturday by a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake, which killed at least 214 people, knocked down buildings and triggered a tsunami that threatens Pacific coastlines.
The first waves were reported at the remote Chatham Islands, around 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of New Zealand, with surges measured at up to 1.5 meters, the Civil Defense Ministry said.
© AP Photo
Residents look at a collapsed building in Concepcion, Chile, after an 8.8-magnitude struck central Chile.
Residents look at a collapsed building in Concepcion, Chile, after an 8.8-magnitude struck central Chile.
Megathrust earthquakes occur in subduction zones where plates of the Earth's crust grind and dive. Saturday's jolt occurred when the Nazca plate dove beneath the South American plate, releasing tremendous energy.
The U.S. Geological Survey says 13 temblors of magnitude-7 or larger have hit coastal Chile since 1973.
The latest quake occurred about 140 miles north of the largest earthquake ever recorded.
A tsunami triggered by the Chilean earthquake sent a surge of water ashore in Hawaii, California and islands in the South Pacific on Saturday as the waves continued onto Alaska and parts of Asia.
There were no immediate reports of widespread damage, injuries or deaths in the U.S. or in the Pacific islands, but a tsunami that swamped a village on an island off Chile killed at least five people and left 11 missing.
In Hawaii, water began pulling away from shore off Hilo Bay on the Big Island just before noon, exposing reefs and sending dark streaks of muddy, sandy water offshore. Waves later washed over Coconut Island, a small park off Hilo's coast.
The tsunami was causing a series of surges that were about 20 minutes apart, and the waves arrived later and smaller than originally predicted. The highest wave at Hilo measured 5.5 feet (1.7 meters) high, while Maui saw some as high as 2 meters (6.5 feet).
There were no immediate reports of widespread damage, injuries or deaths in the U.S. or in the Pacific islands, but a tsunami that swamped a village on an island off Chile killed at least five people and left 11 missing.
In Hawaii, water began pulling away from shore off Hilo Bay on the Big Island just before noon, exposing reefs and sending dark streaks of muddy, sandy water offshore. Waves later washed over Coconut Island, a small park off Hilo's coast.
The tsunami was causing a series of surges that were about 20 minutes apart, and the waves arrived later and smaller than originally predicted. The highest wave at Hilo measured 5.5 feet (1.7 meters) high, while Maui saw some as high as 2 meters (6.5 feet).
The first small waves of a tsunami caused by an earthquake in Chile reached French Polynesia on Saturday, authorities said.
Residents were asked to move away from the shores and seek high ground while schools were shut down and most roads closed.
The first waves hit Gambier Archipelago at 10:50 a.m EST and Tahiti at 12:50 p.m. EST but Tahiti's seismological center said the waves were only 36 centimeters high.
The tsunami is expected to hit Bora Bora at 1:15 p.m. EST, the French Polynesia High Commissioner said in a statement.
French Polynesia President Gaston Tong Sang sought to reassure residents saying the territory was used to cyclones and hurricanes.
Residents were asked to move away from the shores and seek high ground while schools were shut down and most roads closed.
The first waves hit Gambier Archipelago at 10:50 a.m EST and Tahiti at 12:50 p.m. EST but Tahiti's seismological center said the waves were only 36 centimeters high.
The tsunami is expected to hit Bora Bora at 1:15 p.m. EST, the French Polynesia High Commissioner said in a statement.
French Polynesia President Gaston Tong Sang sought to reassure residents saying the territory was used to cyclones and hurricanes.
The winters showing no signs of letting up in the Russian capital, where relentless snowfall has broken a record that's stood for almost 50 years. And as the white stuff continues to come down, Moscow's working to prevent the winter fairytale from turning into a nightmare.
Ewa Beach - A tsunami triggered by the Chilean earthquake raced across the Pacific Ocean on Saturday, threatening Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast as well as hundreds of islands from the bottom of the planet to the top.
Sirens blared in Hawaii to alert residents to the potential waves. Nine small planes equipped with loudspeakers flew along the shoreline, warning beachgoers. On several South Pacific islands hit by a tsunami last fall, police evacuated tens of thousands of coastal residents.
The first waves in Hawaii were expected to hit shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday (4 p.m. EST; 2100 GMT) and measure roughly 8 feet (2.5 meters) at Hilo. Most Pacific Rim nations did not immediately order evacuations, but advised people in low-lying areas to be on the lookout.
Sirens blared in Hawaii to alert residents to the potential waves. Nine small planes equipped with loudspeakers flew along the shoreline, warning beachgoers. On several South Pacific islands hit by a tsunami last fall, police evacuated tens of thousands of coastal residents.
The first waves in Hawaii were expected to hit shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday (4 p.m. EST; 2100 GMT) and measure roughly 8 feet (2.5 meters) at Hilo. Most Pacific Rim nations did not immediately order evacuations, but advised people in low-lying areas to be on the lookout.
© Martin Bernetti/AFP
A destroyed pharmacy in Vina del Mar
A destroyed pharmacy in Vina del Mar
The 8.8 magnitude quake struck at 0634 GMT about 115km (70 miles) north-east of the city of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the capital, Santiago.
President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" in affected areas and appealed for calm.
Tsunami warnings have been issued for Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Central America and Pacific island nations.
© David Boe/AP
People shovel snow off a sidewalk in front of businesses as pedestrians make their way during a snowstorm in the Brooklyn Borough of New York, Friday, Feb. 26
People shovel snow off a sidewalk in front of businesses as pedestrians make their way during a snowstorm in the Brooklyn Borough of New York, Friday, Feb. 26
Commuters struggled in the absence of suburban train and bus services into New York City, where the National Weather Service said more than 20 inches of snow had fallen so far with the storm set to become the third heaviest on record.
The heaviest storm to hit New York was in February 2006 when 26.9 inches blanketed the city. The latest storm took New York City's total snowfall for February to more than 36 inches, making it the snowiest month on record.
"Enough is enough -- I am tired of shoveling," said retired Ron Rigo, 62, as he tried to dig out his car in a Manhattan street. "It's the worst winter in recent years."
