Vox Sentences: Drought-stricken Cape Town faces “Day Zero” for drinkable water

Vox Sentences is your daily digest for what’s happening in the world, curated by Ella Nilsen.
Sign up for the Vox Sentences newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday, or view the Vox Sentences archive for past editions.
One person is dead after a train carrying GOP lawmakers collided with a garbage truck in Virginia; Cape Town is dramatically rationing its water amid a severe drought.
We’re fine, but our train hit a garbage truck.
pic.twitter.com/0I9jOwHTmb — Rep. Greg Walden (@repgregwalden) January 31, 2018 An Amtrak train carrying members of the House and Senate to an annual GOP retreat accidentally hit a garbage truck on Wednesday afternoon, causing at least one fatality and other injuries.
[Rachael Bade via Twitter] Describing the impact of the crash, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) told reporters that it looked like the truck had been “cut in half.” [Washington Post / Martine Powers, Faiz Siddiqui, Ed O’Keefe, and Hawes Spencer] Former combat medic Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) tended to crash victims at the scene.
The GOP retreat will continue, although many lawmakers said they were shaken up by the incident.
[USA Today / Jessica Estepa and Michael Collins] Cape Town is trying to ration what little water it has left South Africa is experiencing a severe drought that’s pushing water levels in Cape Town to their breaking point, causing dramatic rationing.
If the water stops flowing through the taps, the city will have to set up ration sites where people can stand in line to get water each day.
Some people are criticizing the city government for not doing more to tap groundwater sources to mitigate the drought.

Learn More