St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 1

GBs LAND IN MACEDONIA The first U.S. Army combat unit to serve as U.N. peacekeepers arrives in Macedonia, hoping to keep order in the Baltics 3A SPORTS St. Louisan Cooper An All-Star ic EVERYDAY Big River's Regulars Return id LOCAL Cable Firm Pursues Video Pirates ib Managing Your Money Learn more about how to manage your money in our new personal finance page. BUSINESS 11C posrasPAT 5-STAR IRfeOT JULY 13, 1993 (3) Douft -4 14 -L-- mm TUESDAY, Copyright 1993 4 1 Lw 4i 1 Wayne CrosslinPost-Dispatch Vice President Al Gore leaping from a boat after touring Grafton on Monday.

Gore later visited neighborhoods in Lemay, where the overflowing River Des Peres has flooded some homes. Flood Sends Rail Traffic Through St. Louis In Guard Sent On Patrol In St. Louis By Tom Uhlenbrock Of the Post-Dispatch Staff The record-breaking crest of the Mississippi River moves into northern Missouri today, leaving in its wake a flood-crippled Iowa and heading toward a historic high in St. Louis.

The Missouri National Guard patrolled an evacuated area of the city's southern tip, where Mississippi backwater filled the River Des Peres. Vice President Al Gore toured Grafton and then visited Lemay, where he talked with residents washed out of their homes. The Mississippi crested on Monday at Keokuk, Iowa, where flooding on its tributaries left much of Des Moines without fresh water or power. Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad described the flooding as "the worst natural disaster we've ever had." The crest was expected to move into Hannibal in Missouri later today and make its way by week's end to St.

Louis, where it could cause more problems for residents along the River Des Peres. $2 Billion Crop Loss Flooding on the Mississippi and its sister river, the Missouri, has toppled farm levees along their routes, inundating 526,000 acres and causing at least $2 billion in crop losses. Lakes 7 miles wide have formed in some areas of the Mississippi flood plain. The Missouri Emergency Management Agency blames flooding in the state for 13 deaths. About 15,000 people are estimated to have been displaced by the flooding, which the Army Corps of Engineers estimates covers 500 square miles of Missouri.

A St. Louis woman was killed Monday in a traffic accident north of Jefferson City, on a section of U.S. 63 that had been reduced from four lanes to two because of the flooding. Melissa Newport, 27, of St. Louis, died when the car she was driving collided nearly head-on with another vehicle, the Missouri Highway Patrol said.

The American Red Cross says floods have destroyed or damaged more than 7,600 homes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. With pounding rain renewing the crests last week, the National Weather Service had a glimmer of good news for water-logged river towns and bottomland farmers. "The upper areas of the Mississippi and Missouri basins will have the chance of locally heavy rains through the end of the week," said meteorologist Steve Thomas. Guard Patrols St. Louis The Mississippi at St.

Louis was expected to keep on rising until Sunday, when it was predicted to set a high-water mark of 45 feet before beginning its slow crawl back to within its banks. See FLOODING, Page 4 before cash, cars or real estate is forfeited to authorities. The changes also call for judges to review all forfeiture actions and for local authorities to make annual reports on seizures. And they prohibit local police or municipal officials from taking forfeited property for themselves. While the laws apply to property related to any felony, police and prosecutors have used them almost exclusively to take property they suspect is linked to drugs.

Sen. Wayne Goode, D-Norman-dy, spearheaded the legislation, which he said was prompted by a series of articles in the Post-Dis-See LAWS, Page 7 VOL. 115, NO. 194 Amid Water, Des Moines Goes Thirsty By Isabel Wilkerson C.1993 N.Y. Times Newt Service DES MOINES, Iowa Under a brilliant sky that mocked the misery below, Iowa's capital was immobilized for a second day Monday as most businesses closed and residents struggled without running water.

Floods engulfed the city's water-filtering system over the weekend. Most city agencies were shuttered, the Polk County Courthouse was closed and hospitals were refusing all but emergency patients. The fire department operated with an emergency supply of portable water that city officials said would not be enough to fight a serious fire. At the urging of city officials and business owners, most office workers stayed home because sprinkler and security systems were not working in downtown office buildings and the city did not have enough water to protect them in case of fire. About 250,000 residents were without running water, unable to take a shower, drink from their taps, wash their clothes or flush their toilets.

About 4,000 residents had no electricity, and those who did were warned that it could be disrupted. Telephone service remained sporadic. City officials said they could not -predict when Des Moines would return to normal. They said running water probably would not be restored to homes until next Sunday. Residents will not be able to drink faucet water for the next month, the officials said.

"We still have a very serious condition on our hands," said Mayor John Dorrian. "Everyone has to be good scouts and cope with it. It could have been worse, it is as bad as it has ever been. But we're dealing with it pretty effectively." Gov. Terry Branstad added Polk County to the list of distressed counties and asked that the entire state be declared a federal disaster area.

"The worst in terms of the crest has passed," Branstad said. "But we are still in the midst of a very big disaster." In grocery parking lots across the city, wilted and weary residents stood with empty milk cartons and garbage cans for their rations of two to five gallons of water, distributed by the Iowa National Guard. The water was being trucked in from as far as Omaha, Neb. A total of 550 Guard troops were assigned to Des Moines to set up roadblocks along overrun stretches of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers, give out the free water and help patrol the streets. When the Des Moines and the Raccoon overran their levees, the water rushed past the clay berm surrounding the filtration plant at 60,000 cubic feet a second, leaving city and state officials helpless to stop it, said Gen.

Tommy Thompson, deputy adjutant general of the Iowa Guard. Much of the pumping equipment was under as much as 14 feet of water. WEATHER Storms Likely FORECAST Today Cloudy; scattered storms likely. High 87. Chance of storms tonight.

Low 74. Wednesday Scattered storms. High 88. Other Weather, 12B Despair POST-DISPATCH WEATHtHBIHU ma pat 091891100 By Robert Manor Of the Post-Dispatch Staff Much of the nation's transcontinental train traffic was diverted through St. Louis on Monday as rising floodwater submerged rail lines for hundreds of miles.

"All traffic is being rerouted south of and to St. Louis," said Paula Newbaker, a spokeswoman for the Association of American Railroads. "Everything is backed up in the Midwest," New- baker said. "Every railroad has started a situation room, and crews are working 24 hours a day." High water and rain have interrupted rail service crossing the Mississippi river from north of St. Louis to St.

Paul, severing important rail lines linking Chicago and Eastern cities with the West. At the same time, the flood has idled thousands of barges on Midwestern rivers, costing barge operators an estimated $2 million a day. High water means many shippers must go north of St. Paul, Minn. a long detour for traffic heading to California or use St.

Louis or Memphis, to reach West Coast destinations. "The main line of the Santa Fe is out from Chicago to Kansas City, and they expect it to be out for 10 days to two weeks," Newbaker said. "All railroads from Minneapolis to St. Louis are disrupted." See TRAINS, Page 5 Evacuation Anger: People living near River Des Peres criticize city of St. Louis 4A Gore Visit: Vice president's word for area flooding is "unbelievable" 4A Elsah Update: Most of tiny town dry, but some homes evacuated 5A Water Safe: Officials say water plants here not threatened 5A Shelter Stories: Flooded-out families find sanctuary IB High-Water Rollers: Thousands gamble amid flooding IB Area By Area: Flooding in Missouri and Illinois 2B Community Support: Aid to flood victims extensive 3B Flood Information: Where to call for help or to help 3B wrr-nr itr -r Gary BohnPost-Dispatch Tom Wright of St.

Louis- sitting between appliances that he hoisted to stay clear of the flood. Story on Page 4A. Somalis Kill 2 Journalists After U.N. Stages Air Raid Drug-Forfeiture Laws Await Carnahan's OK INDEX Business 6-14C Classified Commentary 7B Everyday 1-8D Movie Timetable 7D NationWorld 3A News Analysis 5B Obituaries 4B People 2A Reviews 5D St. Louis 1-12B Sports 1-5C Television 6D EDITORIAL PAGE Hope And High Water The President Growls At North Korea 6B By Tim Poor Of the Post-Dispatch Staff After more than two years of legislative wrangling, far-reaching changes in Missouri's forfeiture laws are due to be signed into law today.

This morning in Kansas City, Gov. Mel Carnahan is expected to sign the second of two bills restricting how state and local governments can take and keep property they suspect of being tied to drug dealing and other crimes. Carnahan signed the first bill earlier this month. For the first time, a criminal felony conviction will be required Compiled From News Services MOGADISHU, Somalia U.N. helicopters spewed missiles and cannon fire into a warlord's command center Monday, and angry Somalis turned on journalists and killed at least two photographers from The Associated Press and Reuters.

Two other foreign journalists were missing and believed dead. Two more suffered stab and bullet wounds. Backers of warlord Mohamed Far-rah Aidid claimed that the U.N. attack killed 73 Somalis and wounded 200. But U.N.

officials said their troops counted 13 dead Somalis and 11 wounded at the villa after the 17-minute attack by American helicopters and soldiers. A U.N. spokeswoman, Maj. Leann Swieczkowski, said damage was con fined to the villa, which Aidid's fighters were using as a command center. Aidid's gunmen have been blamed for attacks that killed 35 U.N.

soldiers and wounded 137 the last five weeks, plunging Mogadishu back into the chaos that prevailed before a U.S.-led military force intervened in December. U.N. troops began trying to reassert control a week ago. In London, a group loyal to Aidid issued a statement saying his militiamen would continue attacks until all U.N. troops leave Somalia.

Aidid has accused U.N. officials of being biased toward his rivals in the civil war that has ravaged Somalia, an impoverished nation in the Horn of Africa. In Rome, Italian Defense Minister Fabio Fabbri called Monday for the See SOMALIA, Page 6.