Sept. 24, 2004
www.guilfordian.com
In the wake of Ivan
Deidre Rhim
Staff Writer
Hurricane Ivan has
wreaked havoc on the
Caribbean and Gulf coast
regions, first by slamming into
Grenada Sept. 9 and then by
barreling into the Gulf coast of
the United States Sept. 15.
The death toll is approximate
ly 112, with 70 deaths report
ed in the Caribbean and 42 in
the United States. Search and
rescue efforts are still under
way in many coastal cities,
and officials expect the death
toll to rise.
According to the Associated
Press, Ivan is the deadliest
hurricane to hit the United
States since Hurricane Floyd
in 1999.
In Grenada, where the
Category 4 storm took the
lives of 34 people, winds in
excess of 155 miles per hour
banged and battered poorly
constructed buildings and
destroyed many of the shanty
towns citizens called home.
Cuba was spared a direct
hit from Ivan when the storm
passed through the strait
between Cuba and Mexico.
Officials advised cruise ships
to stay out to sea, while
15,000 people evacuated the
Yucatan Peninsula, according
to the International Herald
Tribune. Grand Cayman
reported no casualties from
Ivan; however, there was
damage from the strong
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Before and after pictures of a marina hit by ivan. In the after
picture (r), hurricane winds have destroyed the docks and
piled the boats by the shore.
WORLD & NATION
winds.
"Winds ripped the apart
ments like matchsticks," one
radio report from Grand
Cayman said. "The whole
island has taken a battering.
Cars and trucks were floating
away like toys."
As of Sept. 12, forecasters
were expecting Ivan to hit the
Florida coast by Sept. 14.
However, the storm shifted
westward late Sept. 14, spar
ing some of the Florida coast
from the projected direct hit.
Three hundred miles of Gulf
coastline, however, were still
hit directly.
State officials in Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Alabama hur
ried to issue mandatory evac
uation plans and curfews for
two million residents.
Insurance experts expect
damage to be between $3
and 10 billion, compared with
sll to 13 billion in damages
from Charley and Frances
combined. Fallen trees, high
winds, and flooding greatly
contributed to the devastation
experienced from the
Caribbean islands to rural
areas in the United States like
Stokesdale, N.C., where tor
nados spawned by Ivan
destroyed many homes.
In a report issued Sept. 17,
Gulf Power in northwest
Florida reported "catastrophic"
damage, with 90 percent of its
customers without electricity
Officials of Alabama Power
Chris Lett
Staff Writer
Martha opts to go to jail
early
Disgraced homemaking
guru Martha Stewart, who
was sentenced in July to five
months in prison, has decided
to begin serving time before
her appeal is heard. Stewart
was convicted on counts of
obstruction of justice and
lying to investigators in the
wake of allegations of insider
trading. Walter Dellinger, one
of Stewart's lawyers, said
"delays in the appeals
process" prompted Stewart's
decision. At a news confer
ence for Martha Stewart
Living Omnimedia Inc.,
Stewart said she hopes to be
out of prison in time for the
reported the largest power
outage in the state's history:
approximately 802,000 out
ages, which is double the pre
vious record, according to the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Florida residents who had
already braved Hurricanes
Charley and Frances were
once again forced to brace
themselves for another hurri
cane. Some, like resident
David Hastings, had seen
enough. "I've been here since
'7l, and I am sick of it,"he told
a reporter from
ABCNews.com.
Other Gulf coast residents
Shift out of neutral Make a choice, )r -
Woddnews in brief
spring planting season.
Two U.S. hostages dead,
Briton awaits fate
Members of the Tawhid and
Jihad groups, which are
headed by Abu Musab al-
Zarqawi of Jordan, have killed
two U.S. hostages. A video of
the beheading of first
hostage, construction contrac
tor Eugene Armstrong, began
being broadcast on the
Internet Sept. 18. A video of
the beheading of Armstrong's
colleague Jack Hensley fol
lowed Sept. 21. There has
been no word on the fate of
British engineer Kenneth
Bigiey, whc was kidnapped
along with Armstrong and
Hensley from Baghdad.
were just thankful to be safe.
In a telephone interview
Sept. 19, Theresa Pinnock of
Montgomery, Ala., said,
"Buffalo (N.Y.) has snow, and
Montgomery has hurricanes. I
am very thankful that we are
okay, and our house is still in
one piece" (Pinnock is a rela
tive of this article's writer).
The Red Cross has
appealed to the public for
more donations and volun
teers. According to
ABCNews.com, the combined
cost of the hurricane season
before Ivan was expected to
be SSO million, about sl4 mil-
Page 5
Greensboro. N.C
Cracker Barrel settles dis
crimination case
On Sept. 9, Cracker Barrel
agreed to pay $8.7 million to
settle allegations of unfair
treatment of black customers
and discrimination towards
black employees. Over 40
plaintiffs in 16 states had
alleged that blacks were
denied service, assigned to
segregated seating, subjected
to racial slurs, and served
food taken from garbage
cans. About 12 employees
had claimed their workplaces
were segregated, and that
blacks were usually assigned
"back of the house" assign
ments like cooking or wash
ing dishes.
lion more than was donated to
the agency last year. Agency
officials say it is still too soon
to say how much Ivan might
add to the price tag.
Those who want to assist
victims of Ivan should contact
their local Red Cross, or call
1 -800-HELP-NOW.
Contributions can also be
made online at
Redcross.org/donate/dona
tion-form.asp.B€