Ice storms, snow, floods, tornado wallop US killing 13

CHICAGO (AFP) - Freezing rain, snow, sleet, flash floods and at least one tornado walloped the United States this weekend, killing at least 13 people in accidents on slick roads as a storm front blanketed much of the country, local media and authorities said.

The storm was expected to continue through at least Tuesday.

The ice, wind and snow downed trees, traffic signals and power lines, blocked roads and forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Churches cancelled Sunday services and businesses closed early or did not open at all.

Ten people died in Oklahoma where slippery highways caused more than 200 accidents, the Oklahoman newspaper reported.

With about 100,000 people without power in Oklahoma, state Governor Brad Henry asked the federal government for assistance in handling the consequences of the ice storm, the paper reported on its website.

"Were doing everything we can to help Oklahomans who have lost power or suffered other hardships because of the winter storm," Henry said.

"We need additional resources that only the federal government can provide."

A state of emergency was declared and the National Guard was called out in the midwestern state of Missouri after an ice storm knocked power out to more than 200,000 homes on a bitterly cold weekend.

Emergency shelters and hotels were filled by people trying to warm up and a nursing home had to be evacuated because of the freezing temperatures, local media reported.

In Texas, the governor also called out the National Guard after more than six inches of rain caused flash flooding and dramatic high-water rescues.

One woman was swept away by floodwaters in an Austin creek and a man who jumped in to save her was rescued when he was spotted clinging to foliage in water up to his neck, the Austin-American Statesman reported.

Crowds filled grocery stores to stock up on essentials after the rain was forecast to turn into an ice storm, the Statesman reported.

Record-breaking cold weather even hit California, which usually has mild temperatures throughout the year, with citrus farmers in the Central Valley and the southern part of the state using wind-machines to protect their fruit, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Photos showed icicles hanging off of tangerine trees in a Central Valley orchard, a rare sight in the state.

"This is a very, very big cold front," National Weather Service spokesman Greg Romano told AFP.

"We're aware of at least six fatalities and numerous injuries due to weather-related vehicle accidents as of Saturday afternoon. There's been tree damage, downed power lines and significant power outages."

Parts of Colorado got up to half a meter (18 inches) of snow while up to eight centimeters (three inches) of sleet were reported in Illinois, Kansas and Missouri, Romano said. Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri got 2.5 centimeters (an inch) or more of freezing rain.

The storm is gathering moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and cold air from the Arctic, Romano said. It is expected to hit the east coast on Tuesday.

A man stands in strong winds in Malmo. Three people were killed in southern Sweden in severe storms that disrupted air, rail and road traffic and caused a power cut, the TT news agency quoted police as saying.(AFP/SCANPIX/Johan Nilsson)

Storm in Sweden kills three

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Three people were killed in southern Sweden in severe storms that disrupted air, rail and road traffic and caused a power cut, the TT news agency quoted police as saying.

The three victims -- one a nine-year-old boy, the other two motorists, one in his 60s -- died from falling trees, as meteorologists said winds on the southwest coast reached speeds of up to 144 kilometres (90 miles) per hour.

By late afternoon, the storms had left about 270,000 homes without electricity, TT said.

The rail authority Banverket said on its Internet site that train traffic in the affected southwestern regions would be suspended until 2300 GMT because of trees blown on to tracks.

Road traffic was stopped across the Oresund bridge linking Denmark and Sweden while trains were crossing at reduced speed.

The storm also swept into Denmark over the course of the day with falling trees blocking roads, said Danish press agency Ritzau.

At the airport in Gothenburg air traffic was partially affected but a spokesman said it was expected to return to normal during the evening.

"About five or six departures were cancelled ... and some planes preferred to land at other airports, in Oslo or Copenhagen," said spokesman Hans Roennqvist.

Late in the day, the storm moved from the west coast towards the east coast and hit the capital Stockholm, although its intensity had weakened.

"The worst is over... in the evening it will begin to diminish everywhere," said meteorologist Bengt Lindstrom.

Malaysia on alert for disease as floods return

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Malaysian health officials are on alert for outbreaks of disease as a second wave of floods hits southern areas, forcing more than 90,000 people to flee their homes and seek shelter at crowded relief centres.

Two people have died from leptospirosis, which is caused by exposure to water contaminated with the urine of animals such as rats, bringing the death toll from the worst floods in 37 years to 15, officials said. The other 13 deaths were due to drowning.

Health deputy director-general Ramlee Rahmat urged the public not to play in dirty flood water and wear clothes that covered their bodies to prevent them from becoming infected.

"But we are more concerned about food and water-borne diseases such as typhoid and cholera because those can spread fast. We are monitoring the situation," Ramlee told Reuters on Sunday.

The latest floods cut off several towns in the southern state of Johor, which is a major oil palm and rubber growing region, and shut down power and water supplies. Johor is just across a narrow strait from Singapore, which has also been hit by days of heavy rain.

Many of the victims had just returned to their homes when they were forced to move back to the evacuation centres.

"We had just finished cleaning up our house a few days ago and were resting when the floods came back. Now we have to start all over again," said 36-year-old Rosli Othman, a resident in Kluang, one of the worst-hit areas in Johor.

"The flooding could get worse as it's still raining here," said the father of five.

The Meteorological Department said rains in many parts of the state were expected to continue at least until Monday.

The damage bill from last month's floods, which displaced more than 100,000 people, was estimated at more than 100 million ringgit ($28 million). ($1 = 3.5 ringgit)

Bird flu spreads to sixth Vietnamese province

HANOI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Bird flu has been confirmed in poultry in a sixth Vietnamese province despite efforts by the government to stop it spreading.

The Animal Health Department said in a report on Sunday the H5N1 bird flu virus had been found in ducks in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh, extending the spread of bird flu in southern provinces in recent weeks.

Tra Vinh is adjacent to Vinh Long province where bird flu struck a chicken farm a week ago.

Officials have confirmed outbreaks of the virus in ducks and chickens in four other Mekong delta provinces further southwest of Ho Chi Minh City, where market inspectors have restricted the movement and sale of poultry.

Vietnam has had no human H5N1 cases since November 2005 but the virus that first hit the Southeast Asian country in late 2003 re-emerged last month in Mekong delta poultry.

Agriculture officials have warned the country's 84 million people that the virus could spread nationwide via migrating birds.

The risk of infections could also rise before the Tet Lunar New Year festival in mid-February, where the slaughter and eating of poultry is a traditional part of the new year's feast.

Bird flu killed 42 of the 93 people infected in Vietnam in 2003-2005.

It has killed 159 people globally since 2003, according to the World Health Organisation, spreading from Asia to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.