Nation Briefs May 9, 2010

Staten Island ferry slams into dock

NEW YORK - A Staten Island ferry with a history of accidents, including a fatal wreck in 2003, malfunctioned as it approached its terminal Saturday and smashed into a pier with a jolt that tossed passengers to the deck and hurt as many as 37 people.The accident happened at around 9:20 a.m. as the Andrew J. Barberi arrived at the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island, carrying 252 passengers and 18 crew.

The accident appeared to be the result of a mechanical failure, New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said.The ferry's throttle failed to engage as it prepared to dock, she said, meaning the crew was unable to use the engines to apply reverse thrust and slow down.

Coast Guard officials said the ferry suffered serious damage to its ramps and gouges in the decks above the waterline. Ramps on the pier were also damaged.

Napolitano tours flood region

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano toured Tennessee's flood zone Saturday morning, urging those affected to seek help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.Napolitano said more than $4.1 million in individual assistance has been approved already with 16,000 applications made and 695 inspections done by early Saturday morning.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen joined Napolitano on the tour of Nashville, where the damage has been estimated to be at least $1.5 billion after record rains.Two more bodies of storm victims have been found, bringing the death toll from last weekend's string thunderstorms to 33 in Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi.

- The Associated Press