Nation & World Glance
SKorea suspends civilian drills to help talks with NKorea
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has suspended its summertime civil defense drills aimed at preparing against a North Korean attack to keep alive a positive atmosphere for nuclear diplomacy with the North.
Seoul’s decision on Tuesday to “temporarily suspend” the nationwide civilian drills had been anticipated since the United States and South Korea halted their annual military exercises following a summit last month between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Streets in South Korean cities froze at the sound of air-raid sirens every year during the Ulchi drills in August with cars stopping on roads, pedestrians moving into buildings and subway stations, and government workers evacuating from their offices.
Rescuers look through mud for Japan flood victims; 122 dead
HIROSHIMA, Japan — Rescuers combed through mud-covered hillsides and near riverbanks Tuesday to look for dozens of people still missing after days of heavy rains caused flooding and mudslides in southwestern Japan, where the death toll has risen to 122.
Officials and reports say more than 80 people are still unaccounted for, many of them in the hardest-hit Hiroshima area. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 122 people have been confirmed dead as of early Tuesday.
Several days of heavy rainfall that weather officials have called historic set off flooding and landslides in widespread areas of western Japan, including Hiroshima, Okayama and Ehime prefectures. Many people started to return and check on their homes and begin cleanup after the rain stopped Monday.
The government has set up a taskforce to speed up deliveries of supplies and other support for evacuation centers and residents in the region, but disrupted roads and other ground transportation have delayed shipment, raising concerns of shortages.
Baby survives 9 hours buried in western Montana woods
MISSOULA, Mont. — A 5-month-old infant who miraculously survived more than nine hours being buried under a pile of sticks and debris in the woods of western Montana suffered only minor injuries despite wearing wet and soiled clothes in cold weather, authorities said Monday.
The baby boy is otherwise in good condition, authorities said.
Missoula County Sheriff’s deputies were called about 8 p.m. Saturday about a man threatening people in the Lolo Hot Springs area of the Lolo National Forest. Deputies apprehended the man, who indicated that a baby was buried somewhere in the woods.
The sheriff’s office hastily put together a search crew of federal, state and local officials that combed the forest outside the hot springs for six hours before a deputy heard a baby’s cry at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
He found the baby facedown under the pile of sticks and debris, dressed only in a wet and soiled onesie in the 46-degree (8-degree Celsius) weather.
Power outages, flooding hits Puerto Rico, USVI amid storms
HUMACAO, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were hit by power outages and widespread flooding Monday as remnants of the Atlantic season’s first hurricane provided an initial test of how far they have recovered from last year’s devastating storms.
More than 47,000 customers in Puerto Rico lost electricity at the peak of the bad weather, but that number had dropped to 13,000 late in the afternoon as crews rushed to restore power. Some 8,600 customers were left without water.
Puerto Rico’s east coast was the most affected even as people in that region struggle to recover from Hurricane Maria.
“We’re still not ready to receive another storm,” said 17-year-old Ruben Del Moral, who lives in the southeast coastal town of Yabucoa, the first town hit by Hurricane Maria last September.
The Category 5 hurricane caused damages estimated at more than $100 billion, killed dozens of people by the most conservative estimates and destroyed up to 75 percent of Puerto Rico’s electricity transmission lines. Some 60,000 people still have only tarps for roofs blown off by Maria, and more than 1,500 customers are still without power more than nine months after the storm.
Power outages also were reported Monday on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix. Jose Alamo, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told The Associated Press that 1 to 5 inches of rain fell across Puerto Rico. The island experienced sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph. Several landslides were reported.