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At least 100 homes hit by twisters

By wire services
Published September 27, 2005

STARKVILLE, Miss. - A tornado spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Rita ripped through Mississippi State University's campus, injuring four people at a nearby mobile home park and forcing cancellation of some Monday classes.

The tornado was one of at least 14 twisters that touched down Sunday in Mississippi, meteorologists said. More than 100 homes were damaged, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said. At least three tornadoes struck in Arkansas on Saturday.

By dawn Monday, the fading remnants of Rita were centered 80 miles north-northwest of Indianapolis and moving to the north-northeast at 30 mph.

The university cafeteria and some tennis courts were damaged as the tornado plucked trees, telephone and power lines from the ground.

The four people injured were treated and released, the Sheriff's Office said.

Brown: I should have sought military help

WASHINGTON - Former FEMA director Michael Brown said Monday he should have sought faster help from the Pentagon after Hurricane Katrina hit, and accused state and local officials of constant infighting during the crisis, according to congressional aides.

Brown is working at the Federal Emergency Management Agency at full pay, with his Sept. 12 resignation not taking effect for two weeks, said Homeland Security Department spokesman Russ Knocke.

Brown spoke to congressional aides from both parties a day before he is scheduled to testify in front of a House committee investigating the response to the Aug. 29 disaster.

FEMA sends $625M to Katrina victims

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration said Monday it has distributed nearly $625-million in temporary housing assistance to people left homeless by Hurricane Katrina, winning early praise from housing advocates but raising questions about whether the program has enough money.

Over the weekend, the Federal Emergency Management Agency processed claims to help more than 265,000 families in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, officials said. The estimated $2-billion program would pay for three-month rental costs.

As of last week, Congress had appropriated $62-billion for the Katrina relief effort, of which $46-billion remained in FEMA's relief fund. The fund can be used for Rita victims.

Also ...

GEORGIA KIDS GET 2 DAYS OFF: Hundreds of thousands of Georgia children got a break from classes Monday after Gov. Sonny Perdue asked schools to close for two days as a hedge against possible fuel shortages, leaving many parents struggling to arrange child care. The shortages that Perdue feared never materialized.

FIRST LADY WILL APPEAR ON "EXTREME MAKEOVER': Laura Bush will travel to storm-damaged Biloxi, Miss., to film a spot on the wish-granting hit Extreme Makeover: Home Edition . Mrs. Bush sought to be on the program because she shares the "same principles" that the producers hold, her press secretary said. The episode will air in November.

[Last modified September 27, 2005, 02:45:31]