Biden to visit Rolling Fork, MS, on Friday, with more storms expected – National & International News – THU 30Mar2023

Biden to visit Rolling Fork, MS, tomorrow, with more storms expected.

Another fiery train derailment in Minnesota.

Mexico opens homicide investigation after deadly migrant center fire.

NATIONAL NEWS

Biden to visit Rolling Fork, MS, tomorrow, with more storms expected

Tomorrow, Pres. Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will visit Rolling Fork, MS, in Sharkey County, where a deadly tornado wiped out an entire neighborhood last week and killed several people. The Bidens will see the damage and meet with community members, local and state officials and first responders.

Over the weekend, Biden released emergency funds to help Rolling Fork and other Mississippi communities affected by several tornados that touched down in the state. Biden also committed to supporting these Mississippi communities for “as long as it takes” as they struggle to get back on their feet. This will be President Biden’s first visit to Mississippi since he took office.

More storms due Friday

Predictive weather map for Friday, March 31 from NOAA.

The Bidens may have to contend with some bad weather themselves tomorrow. A huge storm system will bring severe weather to a large swathe of the country Friday, stretching from the upper Midwest to the Gulf Coast. Thunderstorms and rain are predicted but there is potential for more dangerous phenomena to occur, such as hail and tornados.

Wind advisories are already in effect for several counties in Mississippi including all North Mississippi counties and the Delta. 

It could also bring misery and new danger for communities still cleaning up from last week’s storm. Power failures are also a strong possibility. Make sure your phones are charged and stay off the roads if possible.

An 8-year-old boy named Kaleb from Silver City, MS, is in the hospital fighting for his life after suffering a serious brain injury from Friday’s tornado. Click here for the CNN story. Click here for his mother’s GoFundMe.

Another fiery train derailment in Minnesota

Around 1am local time this morning, a BNSF train carrying ethanol, corn syrup and other materials has derailed near Raymond, MN, about 100 miles west of Minneapolis. Twenty-two cars derailed and four of them caught fire. The incident prompted an evacuation of homes with a half-mile of the location. There were no injuries in connection with the derailment. Raymond has about 800 residents according to reports, but it’s not clear how many were evacuated.

By 6:30, EPA officials were at the scene monitoring the air around the collision site. BNSF has declared that ethanol, a fuel additive, was the only hazardous material on board this train.

Following last month’s derailment in East Palestine, OH, the air and water monitoring methods used by the EPA and other state and federal agencies have been criticized by experts. While state and federal officials maintain that East Palestine’s air and water are safe, residents continue to experience symptoms consistent with chemical exposure. They’ve only recently begun monitoring dioxins, a by-product of the burn of vinyl chloride which that train was carrying. Critics say that the purpose of the burn was to get that track running again sooner rather than anything to do with safety.

This is the 6th train derailment in the US since the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, OH. Of those six, only two were caused by obstructions on the track. In the Ohio derailment, the cause was a failure of the Civil War-era braking system. Two competing bills in Congress are seeking to push rail companies to improve safety. One bill would require upgrading the brakes on trains carrying hazardous chemicals; the other would not.

Click here for the full story (opens in new tab).

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Mexico opens homicide investigation after deadly migrant center fire

Earlier this week, a fire at a migrant detention center in Ciudad Juarez killed at least 38 Central and South American migrants, all men. Following the incident, video emerged showing guards at the facility walking away from the trapped men as their dormitory burned. They made no attempt to open the doors to release them. Guards did release about 18 women from a separate dorm. But when firefighters arrived, they had to bust through a locked entrance to rescue the men.

Now Mexican authorities have opened a homicide investigation of 8 people involved in the incident, 5 of whom are believed to be guards. There are also charges against at least one migrant who officials say was part of the group that started the fire. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says the men set light to mattresses after learning they would be deported.

The local government has sought to put all the blame for the negligence and appalling conditions at the center on a private company hired to run the facility as contractors. However, the men were detained in the first place as part of a government-sanctioned roundup in Ciudad Juarez. The most serious crime any of them had committed was begging.

Thousands of migrants from Central and South America have converged on Ciudad Juarez in recent months, waiting for an opportunity to cross into El Paso, TX, just over the border.

Click here for the full story (opens in new tab).

Please share any thoughts, comments or questions in the Comments section below!