Nio wrecks the US

 
Published: Tuesday 31 March 1998

though El Nio reappears regularly, it has never caused such damage to the us. Severe rainstorms recently battered California. Whereas tornadoes ravaged several countries, killing at least 38 people and injuring nearly 300 others. Rainstorms have also taken a toll on nearly 6,500 cows in southern California, usa . These have turned dairy farms into swamps so thick that cows cannot walk or sleep, and have dropped dead of exhaustion.

Milk production in a dairy preserve that spreads over 4,050 hectares about 64 kilometres east of Los Angeles, has dropped by seven per cent. The losses could be much higher as cows become weak from rainbred infections. "It's terrible and it's getting worse," said Bob Feenstra, executive manager of the Milk Producers Council, which represent most of the 300 dairies in the area.

With us $3.2 billion a year in sales, California is the nation's largest milk producer, and the Chino preserve has the state's highest concentration of cows. California governor has declared the area a disaster zone.

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