The Salina Journal from Salina, Kansas • Page 9

The Sallna Journal Saturday, August 29,1992 9 HURRICANE ANDREW Water and food flow into Louisiana By The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS The basic necessities of life in Louisiana, including water, jambalaya and grits, began flowing into hurricane- ravaged parishes Friday, much of it hauled in by volunteers answering appeals for help. Engineers from the Louisiana National Guard teamed with local residents to clear downed trees, roofing shingles, twisted aluminum siding and other storm junk. Estimates of damage were unavailable. About 137,000 customers of three major utilities remained without electricity, and about 1,500 people remained in 11 shelters. Gov.

Edwin Edwards, wearing military-style fatigues on a tour of damage in Franklin and LaPlace, praised the cleanup and relief effort. "There are a lot of people suffering in Louisiana, but a lot of people can be proud of the way they're handling this," Edwards said. He also said he had a promise from President Bush: "If I need anything, pick up the phone and call nun." But there were also complaints that federal help was slow to arrive. "We're just struggling to get our people fed," said Franklin Mayor Sam Jones, who said he thought his community was being ignored. U.S.

Rep. Billy Tauzin, also criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency for not opening a field office in Franklin despite his "beating on their ears." "This community is late in getting some help," Tauzin said. "They're flying over. They need to The Associated Press Willa LaBlanc tiptoes around a fallen tree in her neighbor's yard in Baton Rouge, La. come walk with the mortals and see what's really going on." Later Friday, FEMA announced it would open an office in Franklin and said it was "moving as fast as we can." A makeshift network delivered emergency streams of water for cooking and for parched throats.

With pumps knocked out by a power outage, many areas can't get water from wells, and storm water may have contaminated drinking supplies. "We're trying to make sure that water is safe to drink. We're bringing in massive amounts of water," said Brett Krieger, spokesman for the state Office of Emergency Management. The National Guard dispatched a water purification unit to Berwick in St. Mary Parish and sent tanks filled with potable water to communities hit hardest by Hurricane Andrew, which killed one person and resulted in two later deaths.

Demand for water far exceeded the supply. Kentwood Spring Water Inc. tripled production to a 24-hour day at plants in Kentwood and New Orleans. "Everybody gets mad at us because we can't give them all they want. There's no way my production plant could support the entire state of Louisiana with all the water they want," said Bill Roohi, vice president.

Many Miami landmarks survive 'in tack' By The Associated Press MIAMI Some of Dade County's "historic landmarks escaped Hurricane Andrew unscathed, but one of the world's leading palm tree collections was devastated and some icons of the area's heritage and character will be recovering for years. The famed painted ladies in the Art district of Miami Beach weathered the storm, their pastel facades washed a shade or two i lighter, but most of their windows and whimsy intact. The hip European tourists who have helped to revive the once crumbling tropical deco district were out en masse by Thursday, basking in the al fresco cafes along Ocean Drive. "For a vacation, easy," shrugged Lata Nicki, a 36-year-old Parisian 'sipping cappuccino at the News Cafe, Jhe most popular place to meet and "be seen on the beach. "It's more than survived," Mark Soyka, the owner of the News Cafe said of the deco district.

"For all "It's more than survived. For all practical purposes, we just got a bad haircut." cafe owner Mark Soyka, speaking of Miami Beach's Art Deco district practical purposes, we just got a bad haircut." Heading south to Key Biscayne, the 95-foot Cape Florida Lighthouse, which was built in 1825 and is the oldest standing structure in Dade County, suffered only soil erosion at its foundation. But its surrounding 400-acre state park was wiped out. "Basically we have to rebuild the park from the ground up," said John Frosbutter, manager of the Cape Florida-Bill Baggs State Recreation Area. "Everything in the park is horizontal except for the lighthouse." Fairchild Tropical Garden in South Miami, a 83-acre garden that is the only tropical botanical park in the country, wilted beneath the storm.

The 54-year-old park has the world's leading collection of rare and endangered palm trees, many of which now lie snapped and bare. "There isn't a corner of the garden that wasn't untouched by this," said William McKinley Klein the garden director. "It's really a devastating attack on the place." The park has about 700 species of palm trees and about 125 types of cycads, a tropical shrub with only 194 species remaining in the world. When asked how much damage was sustained at the garden, Klein hedged. "How could you put a price tag on the Mona Lisa? You're talking about a one-of-a-kind," he said, noting botanists from around the world flock to the garden, much as art lovers to the Louvre.

Not far from the gardens is Viscaya, an Italian Renaissance-style villa built in 1916 as the winter residence of industrialist James Deering. Officials estimate the 70-room house filled with 15th- through 19th- century antiques and decorative arts sustained $3.3 million in damages. Richard Rickles, a member of city's historic preservation board, said renewal of historic structures is crucial to renewal of the city's psyche. "The first goals are always to provide the food, shelter and medical care," he said. "Then, the restoration of the city's historic buildings is a way to build back the community." In Coral Gables, the spectacular Biltmore Hotel survived the storm so well that the historic landmark is housing more than 100 homeless city, workers and their families.

County officials ask for primary election delay By The Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Dade I County officials on Friday asked a judge to postpone Tuesday's primary 'election statewide because the rav- of Hurricane Andrew would £make the voting unfair. "To conduct an election under the that currently exist in £Dade County could severely impact £the right of a substantial number of citizens to vote," wrote R.A. Cuevas, assistant county attorney. A hearing was scheduled today before Circuit Judge Leonard Rivkind.

The lawsuit doesn't seek a specific time for the delay. Dade County includes Miami and the southern suburbs that were hit hard by the hurricane. County Elections Supervisor David Leahy said 102 precincts serving 132,000 people in the badly damaged sections couldn't be used. Florida voters are selecting nominees for one U.S. Senate seat, 18 congressional seats, and 86 state legislative seats.

"Many of these polling places are non-existent," Leahy said. Secretary of State Jim Smith said he didn't think a delay would help. "I just don't think seven days or 10 days or 14 days are going to make any difference," Smith said. "For an awful lot of people in Dade County, they could care less about the election. They're concerned about food, water and where they're going to live." But Smith, Attorney General Bob Butterworth and Gov.

Lawton Chiles said they would not appeal if the judge decided a delay was proper. REMINDER: Early Display and Classified Advertising Deadlines For LABOR DAY Day of Publication Sept.7 Tuesday, Sept. 8 Sept. 9 9- Deadline Thursday, Sept. 3, 2 p.m.

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Saturday, Sept. 5, 10 a.m. The Salina Journal business office will be 'closed on Monday, September 7. the Salina Journal On Consolidated Dutchwest Wood Coal Stoves August 22 September 13 Heating efficiency at extraordinary value Clean burn technology Modern styling Choice of porcelain enamel colors High quality cast-iron construction See your authorized dealer today for these savings! or call Rex Fowles at 913-823-9500 tIFOUR SEASONS Bush stands by federal response after hurricane By The Associated Press WASHINGTON Defending the federal response to Hurricane Andrew, President Bush said Friday that thousands of troops were rushed to Florida within hours after their help was requested. "I'm not going to participate in the blame game," he declared.

Bush said 7,000 members of the armed forces were in Florida or on the way with tents, food, water, electric generators and other supplies. "We will commit all federal military resources necessary to help the people in Florida," Bush pledged at a hurriedly called press conference in the Rose Garden. The Pentagon said it was prepared to feed up to 72,000 people every 24 hours. Relief planes were moving supplies into Opa-Locka Airport in southern Florida every 15 to 30 minutes, officials said. Also Friday, Bush added a fourth Florida county, Collier, to his earlier declaration of a major disaster area.

The action allows Collier County "to receive the same federal funding and resources that have already been made available to affected individuals and local governments of Dade, Broward and Monroe counties," said White House spokeswoman Judy Smith. Yet, the administration has been smacked with complaints that it moved sluggishly and ineptly after Andrew left about 180,000 people homeless in south Florida and caused billions of dollars in damage early Monday. "Where in the hell is the cavalry on this one?" Kate Hale, director of Dade County's emergency services, demanded Thursday in a scene shown repeatedly on television. The criticism could not have come at a worse time for Bush, trailing in The Associated Press President Bush says troops were sent as soon as asked for. the polls 67 days before Election Day.

With 25 electoral votes, Florida is traditionally a Republican state in presidential votes and a must-win state for Bush. The White House said Bush could not send in troops until they were requested by Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles. The request was received Thursday afternoon, the White House and Chiles' office confirmed. "When we were asked to move, we moved these massive numbers of forces," Bush said.

"I am not going to participate in the blame game, and nor is Governor Chiles. What we're trying to do is help people, and it doesn't do any good to go into who-shot-John. I think the governor would agree that when he asked for this massive movement of force, it was only within a few hours that we responded to that," Emergency agency again takes heat for being slow By The Associated Press WASHINGTON Blame for the government's delayed response to Hurricane Andrew is being placed squarely at the feet of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Again. FEMA was accused of botching South Carolina's recovery from Hurricane Hugo in 1989, by responding too slowly and being too bogged down in red tape.

Now, amid charges of another slow FEMA response to another devastating hurricane, some are calling for a FEMA overhaul, saying the agency didn't learn a thing from its Hugo experience. "They assured us they had been studying Hugo and had been learning its lessons. I'm not sure they've yet developed the capacity to function quickly in that kind of disaster," said Rep. Bill Green, a member of the House Appropriations subcommittee that determines FEMA's budget. FEMA officials say they are unfairly being asked to respond faster possible.

"I wish we could have done it in 24 hours, for the people out there," FEMA spokesman Grant Peterson told Cable News Network. "But in a catastrophic event, 24 hours is not reasonable to expect to have all the resources of the federal government landing in the middle of a But Franklin, Mayor Sam Jones said the middle of the disaster is right where the federal effort ought to be. His town, population about 9,000, was flattened in a direct hit by Andrew and bypassed by FEMA. FEMA later in the day announced it was opening an office in Franklin. STIHL CHAIN SA WS ii 009 with 021 with 023 with 025 with 026 with 034 with 038 with 044 with 1 2 inch bar 14 inch bar 1 6 inch bar 1 6 inch bar 1 6 inch bar 20 inch bar 20 inch bar 20 inch bar FREE! 219 95 269 95 309 95 334 95 95 479 95 589 95 719 95 A.

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