Rains Hinder Aid After Fatal Floods

Heavy rain and swollen rivers roaring down from the mountains in neighboring Ethiopia hampered international efforts to rescue Somalis trapped by nearly a month of flooding. Over a 24-hour period, at least 72 people drowned in the flooded Juba Valley, bringing the death toll to 520 since rains began Oct. 5, and aid workers fear the number of dead could reach 1,000. In villages south of Baidoa, some residents climbed to the tops of trees to escape the flood waters and have been stuck there for nearly a week, aid workers said.