1.   Rescue operations were being hampered by severe winter weather and the death toll was expected to soar.

2.   Its operations were hampered at every turn by inadequate numbers of trained staff.

3.   The bad weather hampered rescue operations.

4.   Rescue operations were hampered by the mountainous terrain.

5.   Also hampering operations is an equipment holdup by the Vietnamese authorities at Haiphong Port, he said.

6.   But if the bad weather lasts several days, it could hamper operations.

7.   City officials say rescue operations are hampered by Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations governing access to storm drains.

8.   During the next several days, a sluggish low pressure zone over the Mediterranean Sea may hamper military operations in the Balkans.

9.   Even for businesses that were open, standard operations were often hampered by disruptions in various parts of the transportation system.