SPORTS: The American League defeated the National League in the All-Star Game. Page 9. THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN VOL.102.NO.147 THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS ADVERTISING:864-4358 WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1993 (USPS 650-640) NEWS:864-4810 Flooding lingers in North Lawrence Residents left without water By Kate Greenwald and Carlos Tejada Kansas state writers Kansan staff writers On the bridge overlooking North Second Street, children and adults leap off the 14-foot drop and land in 12 feet of brown water instead of on asphalt. On the roof of a nearby house, a cloth banner says, "Save North Lawrence, before it's too late." Friday night's storm, which the KU Weather Service said dumped more than five inches of water in the Lawrence area has completely shut down one of Lawrence's largest business districts. The flood has endangered North Lawrence's drinking water, damaged an estimated $1.6 million in public and private property, and drawn the attention of city commissioners and Gov. Joan Finney. The storm also brought two tornadoes, which touched down near Lawrence Municipal Airport and set off the city. tornado warning sirens at approximately 11:30 p.m. the sirens went on again shortly after midnight. The flooding has been severely damaging to businesses in North Lawrence, said Paula Phillips, director of emergency preparedness for Douglas County. She said more than 50 businesses had been Inside* Page 3 A history of severe storms in Theories about what is causing the severe weather in the Mid- Page 5 Flooding in the Mississippi) and Missouri river valleys continues. Page 12 closed and some of them might never reopen. Local flooding was a major topic of conversation at last night's city commission meeting. "it's a frustrating situation," she said. "There aren't any easy answers. A lot of them are literally on the verge of failure." Four residents, the tenants of a mobile home and long-term renters at the Jayhawk Motel, 1004 North Third St. were evacuated. Phillips said. Phillips said the standing water contained sewage because a sanitary sewer lift station had become submerged, allowing sewage to seep into the water on North Second Street. However, she said hourly testing of the tap water had failed to find any contamination. The flood prompted a visit on Monday by Finney, who told city officials she had spoken to Vice President Al Gore by phone about federal disaster relief. She said that although no aid had been pledged yet, Gore had reassured her that he and President Bill Clinton were watching the entire Midwest flood situation. The sheer volume of water, ironically, left North Lawrence without water. Phillips said the city issued warnings against using the tap water. Because five hydrants had been completely submerged, officials feared the sewage in the standing water would leak into North Lawrence's tap water. Little could keep local business owners from becoming frustrated with the cleanup effort. A meeting of business owners, Phillips and members of the city commission, held at Johnny's Tavern, 401 North Second St., showed the frustration of local businesses, said Bob Moody, city commissioner. Moody said that many of their frustrations were justified, but Lawrence was better off than many other areas of the Midwest. Drainage at first was slowed because of high river levels. Phillips said. She said the height of the river had closed the flood gates, keeping the water from draining naturally. However, the river's water levels have dropped enough so that flood controls work properly. Workers have pumped water from the flooded areas into the Kansas River since Saturday. Yesterday, workers received a pump capable of flushing 14,000 gallons of water a minute, said Joe Miller, an equipment operator on the public works crew at the flood site. However, he said draining all the water out of North Lawrence still would take two to three days. "The levee system is doing what it's supposed to do." Phillips said. "It's keeping the water from the Kansas River in the Kansas River and keeping it from getting so high it goes over the leves." Brod Bremby, assistant city manager, said the pumping volume was not the only factor, however. He said the crews were disposing of the water by pumping it into the river through a nearby manhole. The channel is only eight inches across, which limits the speed of drainage. Live laughs for Lawrence The Renegade Comedy Theater offers skit performances in the tradition of "Saturday Night Live." Flood Fiasco Heavy rains flooded much of North Lawrence Friday night. The gray-colored streets represent areas still flooded Tuesday night. See story. Page 8. Shoppers beware of severe weather By Katie Greenwald Kansan staff writer john Paul Foelz. KANSAN If you are at a business during an emergency, you should stay away from windows and doors and avoid wide-span roof areas, said Phillips. She said people should seek cover in the interior halls or the backs of buildings. When the tornado siren sounds, businesses should know what to do with their clientele. Paula Phillips, director of Emergency Preparedness, said businesses need to make sure that they keep their customers and employees away from windows and doors. The majority of people who die in tornadoes are killed by flying debris, she said. "If it's a small building like The Yacht Club, you get as many people in the back as you can, away from the windows," she said. The Yacht Club is a bar at 530 Wisconsin St. Bob Weigel, manager of the Dillons at 3000 M. Sixth St., said his was prepared. Customer service employees monitor the weather and inform customers if a tornado warning has been issued. Customers then are free to leave the store and those who remain are told to go to a reinforced produce cooler, Weigel said. "All of that happens in minutes," he said. Phil Clark, an assistant manager for Kmart, 3106 Iowa St. said his store followed similar procedures. in severe weather: - Take shelter immediately. Go to a basement, an interior hallway, or the innestroom room of a building. Get behind or under beige furniture. - Unplug appliances and stay off the phone. Lightning can strike a power line and enter a home or business through the electrical system. - Have a first-aid kit, flashlight, candles and a battery-operated radio handy. - Keep a three-day supply of food, bottled water and medication. If you are driving, pull over and lay down in a ditch. Make sure you are between your car and the tomato. If you are outdoors, go to the near est building, ditch or low-lying area. Do not take shelter under a tree. There is no all-clear siren. You must listen for the all-clear announcement on the radio or television. Source: Douglas County Emergency Preparedness "We have an area back in the receiving department that we feel is pretty safe," Clark said. But customers are not forced to stay at the store, he said. Evan Kluhlmann, manager of Tellers, 746 Massachusetts St., said they listened to the radio. Once a tornado warning has been announced, customers are taken into the rest rooms, which are located in the vault of the building that once was a bank. "If that vault is full, there's a second one in the basement," Kuhlmann said. "I think it's about the safest place in Lawrence." Phillips said it was important to be alert "Don't wait for us to tell you about severe weather," she said. "Use common sense." Kansas River harmful to health because of sewage backwash By Susan White Special to the Kansan Jumping into the Kansas River from the North Second Street bridge may seem like a good time, but it could be hazardous to one's health. Heavy rains have caused sewers to back up into the river and contaminate it with human fecal matter, said Myra Strother, a physician at Watkins Memorial Health Center. The sewage contains bacteria that can cause diseases and other health risks to those who come in contact with it. "The bacteria has caused some people to come down with gastrointestinal infections," Strother said. The infections can cause discomfort to the stomach and intestines. People also can get infections or tetanus if they have any scratches or open wounds on their bodies, Strother said. Students who have should be Watched for a tetanus shot Fecal matter in the sewage can spread diseases such as hepatitis, which damages the liver, Strother said. "If people come in contact with the contaminated matter they may get really sick," she said. "A few people have come in and said that they just feel ill and have not stomachs," she said. Barbara Schnutter, director of nurses at the Douglas County Health Department, said bodily harm also could result from swimming in the flood waters. "There may be objects under the water like a car or post that would injure a person upon diving into the water," she said. an addition, Schnitker said drowning was a risk because of the strong pull of the drains and the swift moving current of the water. A group of people jump from the railroad bridge over North Second Street into 11 feet of flood water. Shortly after the jump Saturday, police asked them to stop because of hazardous debris in the water. Two-week-old smoking ban draws mixed reactions By Lisa Cosmillo Kansas staff writer Smokers no longer lean on their desks or sit comfortably in chairs while smoking a cigarette on campus. A policy banning smoking in campus buildings has been in place for two weeks. Although there have been no official complaints, the smokers said they thought a ban was unfair. Instead they stand clustered around doorways with cigarettes hanging from their mouths and dangling between their fingers. "I think it's very discriminatory," said Ruby Anderson, a housekeeper at Strong Hall. "I think everybody's got rights, not just the nonsmokers. They have smoking areas, so nonsmokers don't need to go to the smoking areas if they are offended by it. It's not like we're out there blowing smoke in everybody's faces." Jeannette Johnson, assistant to the executive vice chancellor, said that some smokers had called to express their resentment of the ban, but that no formal complaints had been filed. "It's taking some getting used to," Johnson said. A smoking ban went into effect May 17 at the Kansas Union, which is excluded from the campus ban due to its status as an independent corporation. "We have had people approach us and complain about the politically correct nature of the decision," said Bill Towns, Kansas Union operations manager. "Many people state that it is an abridgment of their rights. We have tried to stress the dangers of second-hand smoke as a rationale for the policy." John Eye, construction manager at Facilities Planning, agreed. A not of people have offered praise for the policy, he said. Towns said it was ironic that many of the buildings on campus were designed with fresh air intake vents next to the doorways where many smokers congregate. Towns said that although they had not caught anyone smoking in the Union, it was evident that people had not entirely even unsmoking in the building. "Every building with a central mechanical system would have an external opening that draws air into the building." Eye said. "But this time of year you wouldn't draw much air into the building. I can't imagine very much smoke getting in." No specific policy has been written to handle grievances regarding smoking, Johnson said. "There is no special procedure set up," Johnson said. "We would just use the existing policies of the University. We have grievance procedures in place, so if an employee was smoking where they're not supposed to, another employee could bring a grievance through existing procedures." Students can use the same grievance procedure. Johnson said she had stopped smoking in her office five years ago. She said that she became accustomed to stepping outside and that she did not smoke in her car. "It is a public health issue," Johnson said. "We need to do what is appropriate for the majority."