WEDNESDAY, NOV.7, 2001
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 7A
Michelle continues to wreak havoc
The Associated Press
HAVANA — Hurricane Michelle destroyed at least 2,000 homes and damaged another 8,000 in central Cuba, officials said yesterday as they began totaling the damage from the weekend storm that killed five people nationwide.
Half of Cuba was blacked out for a second night, and millions of residents remained without power, gas or water. The government was working to rebuild the telecommunications network.
Civil defense officials said the first tallies of destroyed homes came from Matanzas province, which was worst hit by Sunday's storm.
"We were rebuilding the house," Jose Ramon Pedrozo said quietly as he tried to rescue a few wooden planks that once formed part of his modest home in Solis Viejo, a small town in Matanzas. "Now we're going to start all over."
The hurricane, which killed 12 people in Honduras, Nicaragua and Jamaica last week, lost some strength as it moved off Cuba, and it left Florida virtually untouched. Authorities had ordered the Florida Keys evacuated.
Michelle swept past the Bahamas capital of Nassau on Monday with 85 mph winds, flooding houses and cutting power. At 10 a.m. EST, the storm was centered about 400 miles southwest of Bermuda and was barely a hurricane with winds of 74 mph.
In Cuba, damages to telephone lines and microwave antennae that provide national long-distance service snarled communications between Havana and outlying regions.
Outgoing international telephone service was restored before dawn Monday, but callers outside the country reported they were unable to call loved ones on the island.
"I'm very worried because we don't know what happened to them," Isabel Nunez, 55, of Elizabeth, N.J., said of her relatives in Cuba.
Although the power was shut off to prevent accidents during the storm, the government said extensive repairs must be made before it can be safely restored.
When the storm made landfall on Cuba's southern coast, its winds were estimated at 130 mph. Michelle caused at least 23 homes to collapse in Havana, on the northern shore, state television reported — and more were expected to crumble as they dried out in the sun.
Concorde returns to flight after grounding
The Associated Press
PARIS — When the Concorde takes off from Paris today on its first passenger flight in more than 15 months, it will mark the rebirth of the world's highest-profile commercial aircraft—and a small triumph for an industry wounded by the events of Sept. 11.
After months of redesigning and test flights, engineers say they have fixed the flaws that led to the fiery crash of July 25, 2000. The flight path has been changed to avoid the town of Gonnees, where the supersonic jet plunged to the earth, killing 113 people.
Air France will be the first to fly its newly remodeled Concorde, on a sold-out Paris-New York flight leaving at 10:30 a.m. An hour later, British Airways will operate an invitation-only flight from London; its fare-paying flights to New York resume Friday.
New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has welcomed the Concorde's comeback, saying its return is "symbolic of how all New Yorkers feel about rebuilding this great city."
In a third Concorde flight today, British Prime Minister Tony Blair will take a special plane to Washington to meet with President Bush.
President The new Concordo has been fitted with bulletproof fuel-tank liners, a flameproof reinforced undercarriage and newly designed, extra-resistant radial tires.
But as important as the engineering changes, aviation analysts say, is the symbolism of the Concorde, the world's only supersonic jetliner, reclaiming the skies.
"One of the icons of the civil aviation industry is returning," said Chris Yates, aviation safety editor at Jane's Transport in London. "It's the shot in the arm that the industry needs."
It's also a boon for the executives and the rich and famous for whom time is more important than money. A roundtrip Paris-New York ticket costs $7,300 while a London-New York roundtrip runs $10,000.
roundtrip class." said Eric Pelletier, vice president for Booz Allen Hamilton in Paris, who has flown the Concorde 40 times. "It's not something you do because it's enjoyable."
British Airways is investing $20 million to redecorate cabin interiors and Concorde lounges. On Air France, fresh lobster and petits fours will be served. But fine silver has been traded in for plastic cutlery - a safety feature following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Flying above turbulence at twice the speed of sound, the delta-
winged aircraft crosses the Atlantic in about 31 1/2 hours — half the flying time of conventional jets.
Despite a 30 percent drop in trans-Atlantic travel since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the airlines say they are confident of filling the 100-seat planes. British Airways says it has already sold 7,000 seats.
However, service is being scaled back from what it was before the crash. Air France will run five round-trip flights per week and British Airways will run six, about half the previous schedule.
han the previous senator.
Investigators are expected to make their report on the cause of the crash public by early next year. Officials have theorized that as the plane raced down the runway, it hit a metal strip that ruptured a tire and sent debris hurling toward a fuel tank, triggering a fire and a fuel leak.
www.statravel.com
Community Art Exhibit Through November 9
Community Art Exhibit
Student Photo Exhibit November 12-December 13
Kansas Union Art Gallery, Level 4, Kansas Union
Don't Try This at Home Tour Saturday November 17
Lied Center 8:00 PM. Tickets are $5 with KUID $7 with out KUID Available at the SUA Office, Level 4, Kansas Union
Register now for College Bowl!
The battle of KU's biggest and brightest brains takes place January 26, 2002. A team of 5, $25 at the SUA Office, Level 4, Kansas Union
A team of 5, $25 at the SUA Office, Level 4, Kansas Union
Other events at the Union
Thursday Afternoon Tea 3:00-5:00
Traditions Area, Level 4, Kansas Union.
Free sweets and tea.
Questions about these or other SUA events? Call the SUA Office at 864 SHOV