US/ DEADLY TORNADOES SLAM MASSACHUSETTS: At least 4 people were killed as at least 2 tornadoes and severe storms slammed Western and Central Massachusetts yesterday afternoon. The city of Springfield and surrounding areas saw the worst damage. Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency and the National Guard called up about 1000 troops. A spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the 4 deaths Wednesday night but said there were no details about the circumstances. He said 2 people died in Westfield, 1 in West Springfield and 1 in the town of Brimfield. The 1st tornado touched down at about 4:30pm in Springfield, the 3rd largest city in the state. A spokesman for the National Weather Service said: "There was a tornado on the ground and reports of widespread damage in Hampden, Massachusetts, and also reports of damage in Springfield". Much of the damage was in Springfield's South End neighborhood near Interstate 91 and the Connecticut River, pictured top. Heavy winds could be seen churning the Connecticut River and hail, heavy rain and thunder hammered the area. A 2nd tornado hit in north Springfield at about 6:20pm. Massachusetts state police said that at least 33 people were injured in Springfield, at least 5 of them seriously. At least 19 communities in Western and Central Massachusetts reported some form or a tornado or touchdown. The National Weather Service is out conducting surveys today in order to tally just how many tornadoes there were and their intensity. Tornadoes in Massachusetts are not as common as they are in the Midwest and South. The last one was on July 23, 2008, according to the National Climatic Data Center and the last tornado death recorded in Massachusetts was in 1996. The New England region sees, on average, 2 or 3 tornadoes per year.
Everyone reported missing since last week's massive tornado in Joplin, Missouri, has been accounted for, and at least 134 people have been confirmed killed. The Missouri Department of Public Safety said the confirmed death toll of 134 includes 124 people who had been on the unaccounted-for list, 7 people who were taken immediately to funeral homes after the storm and 3 people who have since died in the hospital from their injuries. More than 8000 homes and apartments and more than 500 commercial properties were damaged or destroyed in the EF5 tornado, pictured above left. Officials said the final 10 people on the list were tracked down by the Missouri Highway Patrol, which has led the effort to find the 268 people listed as unaccounted for after the May 22 tornado. The state now believes the 134 deaths is the up-to-date death toll but cautioned there could be more from people currently hospitalized with severe injuries. The announcement came as crews began the long task of removing millions of cubic yards of debris from the damage zone.
Colorado State University forecasters predicted the Atlantic hurricane season that began yesterday would be a busy one with 16 tropical storms and 9 of those growing into hurricanes. The CSU team predicted 5 of the storms would become "major" hurricanes of Category 3 or stronger on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale, with winds of 111mph or higher. Sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic-Caribbean basin are warmer than normal and the El Nino oscillation had moved into a near-neutral phase, conditions that contribute to storm development, the forecasters said. The CSU team said there was a 72% chance that a major hurricane would hit somewhere on the US coast this year, based on historical averages. They said there was a 47%chance that a major hurricane would make landfall along the US coast of the Gulf of Mexico, where major oil and gas facilities are clustered. Both those percentages were above the long-term average. The US escaped without being hit by any hurricanes during the busy 2010 season. The CSU outlook is in line with those of other meteorologists who issue seasonal forecasts, all of whom expect an above-average year. AccuWeather also updated its forecast on Wednesday, leaving it unchanged at 15 tropical storms with 8 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes.
: A deadly E. coli outbreak that recently began in Germany is a new form of the bacterium, researchers and public health experts said today. The infection can cause the deadly complication, haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS), affecting the blood and kidneys. More than 1500 people have been infected and 18 have died: 17 in Germany and 1 in Sweden. Infections have also been reported in Denmark, The Netherlands, Spain and the UK. The World Health Organization said the variant had "never been seen in an outbreak situation before". Scientists at the Beijing Genomics Institute in China are also reported as saying the new form was "highly infectious and toxic". The head of the Robert Koch Institute, which monitors the infection in Germany, said the outbreak could last for months and that "we may never know" the original source. It was originally thought that the outbreak was caused by raw cucumbers in Germany, but that was ruled out earlier this week. Scientists are still trying to trace the source of the outbreak. All people travelling to Germany have been advised not to eat raw cucumber, lettuce or tomatoes Fresh vegetables from the European Union have also been banned in Russia and the country's chief medical officer said such produce will be seized.
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