Nation & World Glance
Relatively low Harvey death toll is ‘astounding’ to experts
AUSTIN, Texas — Harvey has so far killed at least 70 people who drowned in floods, got crushed by trees and died during power outages — a surprisingly low toll that experts say reflects heeded warnings, swift action by first responders and volunteers, and no small amount of luck.
“It was astounding that we didn’t have a much larger loss of life,” said Phil Bedient, co-director of a Rice University effort to research severe storms and evacuations. “It is a relatively low number for as big a storm as this was.”
Authorities and experts say lessons learned from previous disasters made a major difference. Floodgates installed around hospitals kept the power on. Search-and-rescue crews raced toward the coast ahead of time. Houston leaders did not call for a mass evacuation in an area with 6.5 million people, keeping them off highways that were later underwater.
Pope Francis gets spirited, musical welcome to Colombia
BOGOTA, Colombia — Pope Francis received a spirited, symbol-filled welcome to Colombia on Wednesday as he began a five-day visit aimed at helping heal the wounds and divisions left by Latin America’s longest-running armed conflict.
The arriving pope was greeted at Bogota’s military air base by President Juan Manuel Santos and an orchestra mixing classics by Vivaldi and Beethoven with rhythmic cumbia music.
In a gesture likely to mark the deep symbolism of the trip, he was given a commemorative peace dove sculpted by an adolescent youth born in a jungle camp to a rebel father and a politician mother after she was taken captive by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in 2002. Clara Rojas, now a congresswoman, did not see her son again until 2008 when he was 3.
Ex-teen bride wins $16 million case against polygamous group
SALT LAKE CITY — A judge is awarding $16 million in a lawsuit filed by woman married to her cousin at age 14 in a ceremony overseen by polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs.
A lawyer for Elissa Wall said Wednesday the decision lets attorneys to investigate bank accounts and property connected to the secretive group based along the Utah-Arizona border.
Alan Mortensen says Wall plans to use the money to help people leaving the group, which also has a compound in South Dakota.
Wall’s testimony helped convict Jeffs in Utah, though the verdict was overturned on a technicality and he’s now imprisoned in Texas.