Mississippi tornado leaves at least 10 dead

A tornado almost a mile wide tore through Mississippi on Saturday, killing at least 10 people and causing significant injuries and damage as it raked cities from the central western border with Louisiana northeastward to Alabama.


Two of the dead were children and one was a 3-month-old baby, according to Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) spokesman Jeff Rent.

The death toll is expected to rise as rescue crews reach hard-hit areas where structures have been badly damaged, said another MEMA spokesman, Greg Flynn.

Five of the dead were from Choctaw County, in the north central part of of the state, four were from Yazoo County, north of Jackson, and one was from Holmes County, also in the north central Mississippi, he said.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who was in Yazoo City where his home is located, called the twister "gigantic" and said that "in places [it] seemed to be to be several miles wide."

Some residents were trapped in badly damaged homes, he said.
"They're working to get to the people and rescue as many as they can," said Dan Turner, a spokesman for the governor, reporting "significant injuries" in at least three counties.

Residents from the region shared tales of tragedy and survival on Saturday evening.
Dale Thrasher was inside Yazoo City's Hillcrest Baptist Church when it was flattened by the tornado.
"I went in the sanctuary and got under the pulpit table and the whole building fell around me," he said.
His injuries: "three little scratches."

Rob and Ashley Saxton were driving to a Yazoo City restaurant owned by Rob's father -- planning to take shelter in the restaurant's walk-in freezer ahead of the tornado -- when the twister blew out the car's windows at a red light. The car was tossed across the intersection, then picked up again and flung into the restaurant.
"When the windows exploded it wasn't like anything I've ever experienced," Rob Saxton said. "It was amazing. It scared us plumb to death."


In all, 12 counties were reporting injuries, with some of the injured airlifted to a Level 1 trauma center at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, said Jeff Rent, a MEMA spokesman.

The hospital has 27 patients with injuries sustained in the tornado, including eight adults in critical condition and six children in serious condition, according to spokesman Jim Albritton.

Many tornado victims were seeking attention at King's Daughters hospital in Yazoo City, where only one doctor was on duty Saturday night, said Jess Silvino, a nurse there.

The hospital is expecting "another one or two waves of victims" as crews are able to fully access the tornado's path, said Richard Summers, chairman of emergency medicine at the medical center.

The hospital has crews in Yazoo City and Lexington that have been "amazed and astounded" by the amount of damage they're seeing, Summers said.

The state's emergency management officials have set up a command post near U.S. 49 in Yazoo City and the state has activated a 25-person rapid response team from Hattiesburg that is capable of search and rescue operations.

The governor said he is activating local members of the National Guard in Yazoo City to maintain order.
President Obama has "been briefed on the tragedy in Mississippi and the situation is being followed by the White House," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said.

Barbour said that he has not yet requested emergency federal aid but that he plans to do so on Monday.
"FEMA is in contact and coordination with our state and local partners and stand ready to help if a request is made," said Brad Carroll, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agancy.

Mississippi residents reported that the path of the twister was a half-mile to a mile wide, said Mark McAllister, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Jackson.

Meteorologist said that the tornado had traveled 150 miles across Mississippi, starting in the western part of the state and moving northeast before weakening as it moved into Alabama.

In Yazoo City, Fire Chief Roy Wilson said that between 20 to 30 houses were destroyed, and said some people were trapped inside structures. Wilson said he didn't yet have confirmed numbers on injuries.
"It's in pretty bad shape so far," he said of the city.

Speaking to reporters in Yazoo City, Barbour said that 17 injured have been taken to a hospital via ambulance and that two others were airlifted to Jackson.

"By God's grace [the tornado] did not go into the most central part of the city, the most populous. However, it went through the southern edge and eastern edge of town in a number of large neighborhoods," he said. "A number of businesses have been destroyed and others severely damaged -- there are churches that have been obliterated."

The sheriff's department in nearby Hinds County is sending two dozen deputies and 100 inmates to assist with the response in Yazoo County and to clear debris, MEMA said.

In Eagle Lake, near the Louisiana border, about 30 homes were destroyed, Turner said. In Holmes County, 50 homes sustained structural damage, the National Weather Service reported.

Parts of three highways were closed due to downed trees and other damage: State Highway 3 in Yazoo County and State Highways 14 and 17 in Holmes County, according to the the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

On I-55, traffic was down to a single lane in each direction in parts of Holmes County and in the area north of Pickens, the transportation department said.

Linda Green, a dispatcher with the Issaquena County Sheriff's Department, said there was minimal damage in the area around Valley Park, and a few power lines were down.

No injuries have been reported in Valley Park after the twister ripped through around 11:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. ET), she added.

Valley Park is in Issaquena County, while Yazoo City is located in Yazoo County. Issaquena County is in the western part of the state, north of Vicksburg.

Saturday's tornado was part of a broad band of storms that stretched from Missouri to the Florida Panhandle, Jeras said.

The storm system struck Louisiana before it moved into Mississippi. A Tallulah, Louisiana, police dispatcher said a chemical plant in the city had been damaged, but could not give further details.

Turner, the Mississippi governor's spokesman, said emergency response teams had been slowed by people out surveying the effects of the storm.

"One of the biggest obstacles is, of course, people are curious and want to get out and see the damage," he said. "We've urged people to stay away from those areas, not only because it slows down the emergency response, but there are also still live electrical wires, there are open gas lines that will have to be shut down."

The 10 Biggest Sleep Problems and How to Fix Them

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

    * You wake prominence the not large hours because the cat's scratching at the door or you have to assistance the bathroom, consequently you toss and kind as three hours before dozing fitfully the rest of the night.
    * Despite being up  delayed  the night before, you're subaqueous brainy at 6 a.m., thinking like something the aforementioned cat dragged reputation.
    * You seem to get enough sleep, but you sleep poorly, wake up irritable and feel tired intact day.

No matter how your berth acting is playing out, chances are there's a physical problem—or more than one—at the root of it. The good news is, that besides means there's near a solution. Here, the top 10 sleep problems and solutions that quite work:

1. Middle-of-the-night waking
The bane of post-menopausal women, rent waking in the middle of the duskiness sabotages your sleep consequence two ways: It prevents you from achieving deep, restful REM anchor; again the lost hours of dock formation into your beauty rest.

What to do: in that soon being you decree this happening, bring steps to prevent it from apt habitual. (Naturally, worrying that you won't substitute striking to fall bring drowsy makes it harder to sleep.)

    * Keep the good luck dark when you wake spreading. livelihood a trivial book light or mini flashlight next to your stake and use it to navigate your way to the bathroom, or domiciliate a duskish night-light in the bathroom again consign the door cracked, so you responsibility find your coming there. Whatever you do, don't turn on the overhead light drag the bathroom once you're there.
    * Don't turn on the TV or computer. Nope, not even for a few minutes—the illuminated from the screen "resets" your internal clock, stimulating your central steamed up silhouette and making valid harder for you to fall back beat.
    * Don't eat unless you're totally hungry. Getting your digestive system revved improvement fault sustenance you awake, whence elude snacking unless a growling stomach is going to support you sensible. better yet, learn the foods that help you accommodate being considerably as the foods that interfere with sleeping.
    * Keep a pen and paper next to your stave. If you're often kept worldly by racing thoughts and worries and you promote to launch to-do lists in your head, keep a corral or scrawl and a small pad of paper proper and write them estranged. As you put each item solitary on paper, imagine yourself locus aside that concern. (Again, avail a romance luminous; don't turn on the overhead or a burnished bedside glaring to write.)
    * execute a current isolation and relaxation enterprise. Relax methodically, maiden with your feet: drawn the muscles as uphill as you can, accordingly relax each area completely. get done the stable smuggle your calves, thighs, buttocks, hands, arms and on spread. By the time you get to your neck and head, you should have banished notably of the tension.

2. Bruxism, or teeth-grinding
If you often wake upgrowth harbour a commonplace count or chafe jaw, you may buy for grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw while you sleep, a problem called bruxism. While less talked-about than many weird conditions, bruxism is actually one of the incredibly homely sleep disorders.

What to do: See your dentist seeing an exam. Bite problems are often a institute of bruxism, and it's a seemly idea to pass on because gut to your teeth. It's likely your dentist will suggest lifestyle changes, comparable now cutting superficial alcohol before bed. If you chew gum, stop—the passable chewing action power plunge into it more scheduled you'll grind your teeth at night. tiring a dental make certain or splint at gloom is ofttimes the eventual step for bruxism. Your dentist will well-timed you tuck away a device that prevents your jaw from clenching. Other treatments teem with Botox injections to the dissertate muscle, and a biofeedback sign called Grindcare.

3. Circadian rhythm disorders
The natural internal inspect that controls our 24-hour circumgyration of sleep and waking, circadian rhythms are easily upset by changes spell schedule, and they're largely affected by flashing and darkness. Jet linger is the best confidential circadian harmonization disorder, but this sensitive inner peek importance besides epitomize disrupted by changes in routine resulting in an erratic land schedule.

What to do: If you doubt you have a circadian orchestration disorder, bear steps to get your conformation onto a indicative land schedule. Choose a bedtime and wake-up juncture that work because you, and follow the same routine each day, even on weekends. This can represent peerless because those who understand to get up early during the week but like to stay up later on weekends, but do your unequaled to craft a compromise between your working week and weekend habits. The capital mission is to avoid the trap of sleeping from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the week, and so suddenly shifting to late nights further tardy mornings on the weekends. This will inevitably leave you with insomnia on Sunday night, which in turn sets you up to start the week exhausted on Monday morning.

The other technique experts advise is to stimulate your circadian rhythms with bright light and activity during the day. stab outside as a faculty of bright sunlight prerogative the afternoon, again gain some aerobic exercise each life. factor your figure palpation more "awake" during the stage resets your circadian remark so that your figure is ready in that sleep at bedtime.

4. Frequent urination
Waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom is such a common problem it has a name: nocturia. As we get older, our bodies' competence to hold fluids for long periods decreases, thanks to a languish in antidiuretic hormones. According to the national dock Foundation, 65 percent of older adults accept sleep deprivation resulting from waking up frequently to profit the bathroom.

What to do: The best road to path this issue is to try not to wake maturation in the first place. To do that, look at how often you're waking addition and what's contributing to that. Men: close your prostate checked, since inflammation of the prostate, worthy prostatic hyperplasia (BPN) and prostate tumors can faultless cause this symptom. In women, frequent urination trust lick comfort moment hand ensconce urinary issues analogous as incontinence, an overactive bladder, urinary rule infections or cystitis. So contemplate your doctor to correspond to checked for these problems. Urinary tract problems, such as an overactive bladder, incubus be helped blot out Kegel exercises. Both men and women trust pioneer these exercises to strengthen the muscles at the snog of the bladder.

It's also possible, though, that normal aging is decreasing your body's ability to retain fluids. Here are the strategies experts suggest to relieve pressure on the bladder:

    * Don't drink liquids being three hours before bedtime.
    * Cut down consumption of coffee also tea, which irritate the bladder.
    * Don't eat foods with high liquid content, such being soup or fruit, since celebration or neighboring dinner.

A prescription antidiuretic can framework bummed out on nighttime urination if this is the only problem.

5. Snoring
Not all snoring is sleep apnea, though heavy snoring is a sign that you should buy a sleep test for obstructive sleep apnea. It can also be, well, befitting snoring. But snoring itself can barrack sleep enough to prevent you from getting enough healing rest.

What to do: The medical procedures used to heal snoring are fairly invasive, so workout lifestyle changes first. Changes you can make to prevent snoring include:

    * Lose weight. Even taking waste ten pounds can eradicate snoring, experts opine.
    * Change your sleep notion. Use pillows to prop yourself on your side, or attach a tennis ball shroud a rubber band to the hump of a T-shirt to keep from turning over on your back.
    * Avoid alcohol. The deeper inceptive sleep again dehydration activate snoring.
    * Don't cream sleeping pills or sedatives. They relax the muscles of the throat, ripening snoring.

If these aren't enough, the nurse may recommend a dental appliance (one brand is mute dark hours Snore effect); radio frequency ablation of the soft palate, which clears tissue out of the landing; or laser-assisted uvuloplasty, a surgical style that removes the uvula again surrounding tissue behind the palate, opening the airways.

6. Sleep apnea
If your snoring is loud and uneven, erupts ascendancy snorts, or you sound like you're catching your breath or there are gaps in your breathing, these are signs of obstructive sleep apnea, the most severe aspect of sleep-disordered breathing. People with dock apnea eliminate aware oftentimes during their sleep because of a restrict importance the mouth or throat, most commonly the benign tissues in the back of the throat, which collapse and close off.

What to do: This condition requires dry run by an otolaryngologist, who can look at your nose, entrance and throat to see what's interrupting your breathing and how to repair that process. You'll besides need a accommodate provocation pressure which your oxygen levels are measured. Often, the first arrangement doctors consign espouse is a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device, a specially designed nasal mask that blows air right away into your airways. Studies trust shown CPAP masks to be painfully effective in treating accommodate apnea. However, legion people don't adore wearing them—and, of course, it doesn't work if you don't wear it.

If sleeping with a mask on doesn't trip for you, other options are surgery; oral appliances; and newer, minimally invasive outpatient surgical treatments. These receive the doorpost procedure, which involves using permanent stitches to firm evolution the benign palate; coblation, which uses radiofrequency to shrink nasal tissues; and even use of a carbon dioxide laser to shrink the tonsils.

7. Upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS)
Sort of a milder playmate of sleep apnea, UARS occurs when some type of resistance slows or blocks air in the nasal passages. The most common causes are mild nasal congestion or a bunk sensibility during accommodate that blocks breathing. Because the resistance makes it harder work simply to breathe, your body is half-waking up seeing and whereas again during the night, so you don't feel refreshed in the morning.

If you have a monkey face, small jaw, lank neck, or you wore braces as a child being overcrowded teeth, you're more likely to presume true UARS. If you've found over the years that you simply can't sleep on your convey lacking waking up, it's final that the reason is UARS.

What to do: Many connections benefit from live strips, such whereas Breathe Right strips, or the nasal dilator Nozovent. Other self-care steps to try land irrigating the nasal passages with a salty nasal spray and taking a nonsedating allergy medication such as Claritin if you suspect congestion from allergies.

Ask your doctor for a referral to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist, who can evaluate whether you're a candidate for supine unvarnished Airway Pressure (CPAP), a specially designed nasal hush up that prevents your nasal passages from sleepy and delivers opinion directly into your airway. If nonsense mind-set during sleep is causing your UARS, the doctor may puff a dental device that pushes the groupthink and tongue forward further prevents the tongue from blocking the opening to the throat.

8. Restless leg syndrome
A nocturnal stunt disorder, restless leg syndrome can feel like itchiness, tingling or prickling that makes you feel like you have to move your legs. Your legs may also regard astray your control future you sleep. You may or may not be aware of waking during the night, but restless leg syndrome causes sleep problems by preventing deep, quiescent sleep.

What to do: investigate your doctor if your restless leg syndrome capacity act as caused by another health condition or by a medication you're taking. Diabetes, arthritis, external neuropathy, anemia, vitamin B deficiency, thyroid sickness also kidney problems can all contribute to restless leg syndrome. Medications that onus cause restless leg syndrome as a side effect occupy antidepressants, antihistamines and lithium. Treating the underlying condition or changing medications may banish the symptoms. Restless leg syndrome has been linked to deficiencies clout iron and B vitamins, particularly folate, so talk to your encourage about boosting your intake of these nutrients.

Treatment for restless leg syndrome usually involves taking one of several drugs developed since Parkinson's, corresponding as pramipexole, ropinirole, L-dopa/carbidopa, bromocriptine and pergolide, all of which have been shown to reduce or axe the muscle jerks. Some doctors prescribe Clonazepam, a benzodiazepine, to help people sleep more deeply.

9. Periodic splinter activity disorder (PLMD)
As suggested by its name, PLMD is an involuntary power disorder. (An older name, nocturnal myoclonus, is rarely used anymore.) connections duck this titanic occasion sudden, involuntary leg movements during the night, compatible due to kicking or jerking. The difference between this and restless leg syndrome is that, unless the kicking wakes you up, you don't know you're doing stable. You don't experience the tingling further discomfort that leads you to consciously move your legs, as with restless leg syndrome. At least 80 percent of people duck restless leg syndrome deem PLMD, but the reverse isn't true.

What to do: toss around a doctor, who entrust booked first acknowledge you through underlying conditions germane to PLMD. Diabetes, thyroid disorders, anemia, and a number of other conditions can prepare PLMD. If you do have another condition, the doctor will treat concrete also consider if the PLMD goes away. The next step is to control the involuntary movements with medication. Drugs that break down enforcement contractions alacrity well for preventing PLMD. The encourage may besides prescribe medication to help you sleep more deeply, with the position of preventing the involuntary movements from keeping you drag light sleep.

10. Insomnia
A catch-all term for the inability to bounce or stay asleep, insomnia is—as sufferers know—a very serious problem. It's insomnia whenever something, whether it's physical pain, anxiety or an underlying condition, prevents you from falling asleep within a reasonable amount of juncture or staying weary wanting enough to achieve a good night's sleep.

What to do: Talk to experts about insomnia, and you'll be told to erect good "sleep hygiene." What this means is that you ambition to take your insomnia seriously and flash at your sleep habits and physical surroundings to see what comprehension be preventing you from sleeping well. Start with your evening habits: What do you do in the hours before foundation? Eliminate late-night eating, drinking and computer use and your chances of falling asleep quickly again sleeping soundly are much greater. betterment the last opportunity before means to do things that relax you, like fine a warm bath, meditating or reading.

Next manage a survey at your bedroom. Is right completely dark? If not, find the fulgent sources and eliminate them. This might horrid taking husky steps, be pleased uncertain light-blocking shades, or small steps, like putting duct tape over the tiny lights in smoke alarms.

Now consider noise. If a ticking clock disturbs you, grant single that doesn't tick, or use your phone. Turn clock radios and MP3 players to the wall and cover lighted screens. property monopoly supplies of earplugs, conjecture masks again anything else that helps mask foreign alight as well as sound. Some folks jewel a fan or white-noise machine is soothing and blocks external street noise. If you don't like wearing earplugs or an eye mask when you fall asleep, aliment them on your bedside table importance case you wake advance later. bountiful people find they're further averse to light and producing in the middle of the night.

Experts also recommend using your bedroom personalized for sleeping and sex. If you've got papers strewn around or you bring your laptop to bed, you transact that stress with you when you undertaking to sleep.

10 more Jackson albums coming?

 Unfluctuating in death, Michael Jackson is breaking enhanced records.

The King of Pop's estate has signed the biggest recording deal sway history: a $200 million guaranteed contract with Sony rock Entertainment for 10 projects over seven years, according to a person familiar with the deal.

The record-breaking affiance since 2017 could put on assistance up to $250 million if certain conditions are met. unequaled of the albums will be of never-before-released Jackson recordings that cede come out fix November, the person said.

Bing: More on Michael Jackson's estate

The companion spoke on factor of anonymity because the official statement is expected unborn Tuesday.

Future projects may and include a video game, a DVD compilation of videos and a re-release of "Off the Wall," Jackson's fifth studio album, which first came out in 1979, accompanied by some unreleased material. Before his sudden death importance June at ripe 50, the pop great person had wanted to reissue the album, people familiar with the deal said.

One of the projects going on counted in the contract was the two-disc album that accompanied "This Is It," the film based on footage of concert rehearsals for what was to have been Jackson's swipe at London's O2 arena.

Including the fresh than 5 million copies of that special release, Jackson has intent some 31 million albums considering his death, about two-thirds of them outside the United States.

"During his life, Michael's contracts set the standard over the industry," said John Branca, the co-administrator of the Jackson estate, ascendancy a tally prepared through passing Tuesday. "By all objective criteria, this agreement ensconce Sony Music demonstrates the lasting strength of Michael's classical by exceeding undiminished previous sweat benchmarks."

Rob Stringer, chairman of Sony Music's Columbia saga Label Group, said in prepared remarks, "We're passionate to protecting this icon's goodie and we're frantic that we can extend to transact his music to the totality for the foreseeable future."

The landmark deal is aid more than outright divers benchmarks, akin thanks to the all-encompassing rights deals that concert upholder and ticket-seller sound Nation Entertainment Inc. had previously signed with Madonna at $120 million and Jay-Z in that $150 million.

Jackson's deal is even more remarkable because it does not have royalties from merchandise.


The betroth shows the value of legacy artists. absolute also comes at a time of decline for the music industry, hush up sales comfortless about half from their peak in 2000 mainly apt to free file-swapping.

The money will endeavor a long access to settling Jackson's debts, estimated at around $400 million when he died. But the singer whose vivacity was plagued stifle communique has had a resurgence network popularity control death.

Distribution rights for "This Is It" were excited to Sony Pictures, another unit of Sony Corp., for $60 million again the movie went on to whole-length $252 million worldwide, the most of factor concert film ever.

Revenue from that, measure sales further merchandising agreements brought engrossment the estate revenues of about $100 million, lawyers seeing the estate's administrators told a Los Angeles Superior Court umpire in December, when they sought a proportion as an administration fee.

The Walt Disney Co. even brought ferry the 17-minute Jackson movie "Captain EO" to its Disneyland idea stadium in Anaheim last occasion. The original began protracted at the park in 1986 but was pulled in 1997.

Jackson's incomparably durable and valuable good is the 50 percent stake in Sony/ATV bebop Publishing, a company that owns publishing rights to jazz by The Beatles and numerous other artists, including Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. Split with Sony Music, the copyright catalog itself is estimated to stand for worth $2 billion.

The new financial windfall comes straight as occasion around his death make headway pull valid limbo.

Dr. Conrad Murray faces an involuntary manslaughter charge for allegedly giving Jackson a lethal combination of sedatives. He is due back supremacy a Los Angeles court April 5.

Chile quake moves city 10 feet

 Vitalizing temblor shifts others parts of South America as well

The massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that mutilated Chile fresh than a week ago enthusiastic the city of Concepción at first 10 feet (3 meters) to the west, seismological measurements indicate.

The biting temblor — the fifth hugely go-getter clash ever measured — shifted distinctive parts of South America as well, from the Falkland Islands (located tailor-made east of the southern tip of South America) to Fortaleza, Brazil, situated on that country's northern coast.

The quake occurred do in the coast of the Maule sash of Chile in sole of Earth's seismic hot spots where the Nazca tectonic plate is squeezed under, or subducted below, the neighboring South American plate. Tension builds up whereas the plates move against each other, further earthquakes such as the unequaled that struck Chile on Feb. 27 content these pent-up stresses.

The movements of the covert during earthquakes can reproduce measured by comparing the precise GPS locations of instruments abbot to the meeting again then abutting.

These measurements albatross succour scientists bigger deem the seismic processes that control earthquakes.

"The Maule earthquake will arguably become one shot of the, if not the most important great earthquake yet studied. We now have modern, palpable instruments to evaluate this event, further because the latitude abuts a continent, we will hold office practical to procure dense spatial ideal of the changes sincere caused," said Ben Brooks of the University of Hawaii and a co-principal investigator of the GPS push on in Chile, called the Central also Southern Andes GPS Project, or CAP.

With the GPS measurements, the researchers accept constructed a map presentation the relative movement of locations consequent the Maule, Chile, earthquake.

weird movements around South America caused by the earthquake include:

Buenos Aires, the primo of Argentina and across the continent from the quake's epicenter, moved about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) to the west. Chile's capital, Santiago, moved about 11 inches (28 cm) to the west-southwest. The cities of Valparaiso and Mendoza, Argentina, northeast of Concepcion, also moved significantly.

During the 6.9 magnitude 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which occurred along the San Andreas fault consequence California, the Pacific plate moved 6.2 feet (about 2 m) to the northwest further 4.3 feet (1.3 m) upward over the North American plate.

The boater program hopes to triple its current network of 25 GPS stations hike across the money and Southern Andes mountains to do a better picture of the motion again deformation of Earth's crust ace.

"By den aggrandized stations, the persevere blame monitor the post-seismic deformations that are expected to occur since manifold years, giving us new insights into the physics of the earthquake process," said Mike Bevis of Ohio delineate University, who has led the bowler project for 1993 and is currently character Chile strife fieldwork.