CNN news 2010-09-10
Parts of New Zealand are trying to recover from a massive earthquake that hit over the weekend. A couple people had serious injuries. Around 100 others had minor bumps and cuts. Luckily, there were no immediate reports of any deaths. But there is a lot of damage, as you can see here. The government has gotten 5,000 claims for damaged properties. A lot of those are for houses. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1. It struck early Saturday morning. There have been some pretty strong aftershocks since then, too. Experts say those aftershocks could keep coming for a week.
Over in the Central American nation of Guatemala, people are struggling through the strongest rain in 60 years. More than 40,000 Guatemalans are at risk. What happens is the powerful rain storms cause landslides. Dozens of Guatemalans have been killed or hurt. In one spot, a landslide knocked some vehicles off the road, and when people nearby came to help, another one hit the exact same location. Thousands of homes have been damaged. Fields full of crops have been washed out. The country's president declared a national emergency over the weekend. He also said Monday would be a day of mourning.
In Chile, officials are working to get 33 men out of a mine they've been trapped in for more than a month. These officials have a plan, a back-up plan, and a back-up, back-up plan. And they're gonna run all three at the same time. You can see the miners in this video. They seem to be in good spirits. Now, Plan A is to drill straight down to the shelter these guys are in. That could take several months. Plan B is to drill at an angle. That could take about half the time. Plan C is to use an oil drill. That could be the fastest option, but it won't be ready until later this month.