Disaster_Accident

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A family walks on a street as flames rise in the distance from an explosion at the Amuay refinery near Punto Fijo, Venezuela. Residents near the country’s biggest oil refinery said they smelled a strong odor of sulfur hours before a gas leak led to an explosion on Saturday. The fire was still burning on Sunday (below). The blast damaged 209 homes and 11 businesses. (Associated Press)

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Members of a Florida consumer activism group Sunday march down the streets of Tampa, Fla., with a giant Mitt Romney puppet. Republican National Convention protesters, many of whom have camped outdoors, said the wind and rain expected Monday from Tropical Storm Isaac would not deter their plans for the week. Tampa officials warned that if safety becomes a concern, people will be ordered off the streets. (Andrew S. Geraci/The Washington Times)

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In this photo released by MINUSTAH, the U.N. mission in Haiti, a woman swims through floodwaters in a low-lying area affected by Tropical Storm Isaac in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/MINUSTAH, Logan Abassi)

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Firefighters and rescue teams work at the Amuay oil refinery after an explosion in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Diario EL Amanecer)

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Neil Armstrong was a quiet self-described nerdy engineer who became a global hero when as a steely-nerved pilot he made "one giant leap for mankind" with a small step on to the moon. The modest man who had people on Earth entranced and awed from almost a quarter million miles away has died. He was 82.

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In this frame grab from WABC-TV, emergency personnel respond to reports of several people being shot outside the Empire State Building, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012, in New York. Authorities say the shooter is dead. (AP Photo/WABC-TV)

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National Mall and Memorial Parks Superintendent Bob Vogel on Thursday said the Washington Monument’s structure would require full scaffolding as part of the restoration process after last August’s earthquake. The 555-foot-tall structure has been closed since the day of the quake. A separate project to fix its elevator has been completed. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Drought-damaged corn is seen in a field near Nickerson, Neb. Plains farmers have begun harvesting what corn managed to survive, although many cut their fields weeks ago, chalking the year up as a loss. Some ranchers have sold livestock because they had no grass for grazing or money to buy feed, the price of which has soared. Nearly all of Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois are in extreme or exceptional drought. (Associated Press)