Katrina Death Toll

[Dark Knight]

Is now at 656, according to CNN, for both LA and MS.

[Dark Knight]

Katrina Makes Top 10 Deadliest Disasters

By ROBERT TANNER, AP National Writer


Hurricane Katrina already has become the 10th deadliest natural disaster to strike this country, a tragic footnote that comes even as some of the dead are still uncounted.

So far, the official toll across five states is at 659, with New Orleans accounting for two-thirds of the dead. Those numbers, while horrific, raised the possibility that earlier fears of fatalities reaching 10,000 or more might not prove true.

If casualties rose that high, it would place the devastation in New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast with such disasters as the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 or the Johnstown Flood of 1889, cataclysmic events that reshaped government policy and captured the nation's sympathy for generations.

"In recent history, this one's bound to be an extraordinary disaster," said Walter Gillis Peacock, director of the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center at Texas A&M. That's not only because of the deaths and destruction, but also because of the vast numbers of people displaced, Peacock and other experts said.

"Just the fact that a major American city had to be evacuated, there's no precedent for that — not just in American history, but world history," said Theodore Steinberg, author of "Acts of God: The Unnatural History of Natural Disasters in America," and a history professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Hurricane Andrew in 1992, up until now the most expensive hurricane, killed just 26 people, most in southern Florida. It doesn't even rank among the top 10 deadliest natural disasters.

Katrina, for now, has accounted for more deaths than the previous 10th deadliest disaster, the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, a category 5 storm that struck the Florida Keys and killed an estimated 405 people.

Taking roughly 700 lives each were the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 (720 deaths estimated), the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 (700 deaths estimated), the Georgia-South Carolina Hurricane of 1881 (700 deaths estimated) and the Tri-State Tornado of 1925, which took an estimated 695 lives in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

Only the deadliest five U.S. disasters killed 1,000 or more.

These include the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, with some 8,000 deaths; the Great Okeechobee Hurricane that struck Florida in 1928, with more than 2,500 dead; the Johnstown, Pa., Flood, 1889, estimated 2,200-plus; and two hurricanes in 1893 — one in Louisiana that killed more than 2,000, and one in South Carolina and Georgia that took somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 lives, according to Rusty Pfost, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

And the toll doesn't even compare to some of the sweeping devastation seen around the world, such as last year's tsunami or the deaths in Central America caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

Steinberg said Katrina's latest toll places it squarely with a type of disaster that most lists don't even consider — deadly heat waves. He compared it to the 1995 heat wave in the Midwest that killed somewhere between 400 and 700 people, most in the Chicago area.

But the 2005 disaster may lodge itself more firmly in the public mind because of the searing images that came with it of evacuees left for days without food and water, the ineffectiveness of government officials, and the larger questions of national security that have preoccupied Americans since the 2001 terrorist attacks.

"As with other events, as time passes, the collective knowledge diminishes and people tend to forget about it," said Havidan Rodriguez, director of the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware. "We failed in terms of preparedness and response to this event. We can't really afford to forget."

[rollerbladr123]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9156612/Katrina death toll climbs past 700

Quote 1

MSNBC News Services
Updated: 10:44 p.m. ET Sept. 14, 2005

NEW ORLEANS - As cleanup efforts continued in New Orleans Wednesday and three nearby towns allowed residents to return home for the first time since Hurricane Katrina struck, authorities raised the number of confirmed fatalities to 711.

In a report after another grim day of collecting bodies in New Orleans and other areas hammered by the storm, Louisiana officials said the number of corpses collected had risen to 474.

There were 218 dead in Mississippi and another 19 deaths confirmed in Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee from the Aug. 29 storm

more at link....

[Dark Knight]

(AP) The flooded areas of New Orleans continued shrinking over the weekend, but crews still searched by boat for the dead. The state Department of Health and Hospitals said the hurricane death toll in Louisiana had risen to 646. The toll across the Gulf Coast was 883.

[2luvmy]

The Invisible Body Battalion

A private firm's undertaker unit is witnessing the human cost of Katrina. But they're not talking.


WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Dirk Johnson
Newsweek
Updated: 11:12 a.m. ET Sept. 19, 2005
Sept. 19, 2005 - Meet the body handlers. That’s impossible in the field—the private unit deployed to find, package, and transport the dead in the Mississippi Delta shuns the press. Complete privacy is part of a battle plan aimed at treating each corpse with dignity. Or, at least, so says the company, leaving aside the issue of how the reality might affect public opinion. Their mantra—this was somebody's mother or father, sister or brother, or even a child. Therefore the workers even must be sworn to secrecy about what they’re finding.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9399130/site/newsweek/

What do you think about the secrecy? I understand about not wanting to upset the family members, but I also wonder about damage control.

[Sassygerl]

Originally Posted by Dark Knight

Is now at 656, according to CNN, for both LA and MS.

While I'm very sad, I must admit that after seeing the horrific pictures of those suffering that we all viewed I really thought the death toll would be much higher. Not to take away from those who lost their lives...so sad

[Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Sassygerl

While I'm very sad, I must admit that after seeing the horrific pictures of those suffering that we all viewed I really thought the death toll would be much higher. Not to take away from those who lost their lives...so sad

It ain't over yet.

[rollerbladr123]

According to a caption on tonight's Scarborough Country the death toll from Hurricane Katrina stands at a total of 973 today.

[poco]

Originally Posted by Dark Knight

It ain't over yet.

I agree with ya DK, - there will be more.

[rollerbladr123]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/21/kat...act/index.html

Katrina's official death toll tops 1,000

Louisiana prepares for Rita, but levees still vulnerable



Wednesday, September 21, 2005; Posted: 4:36 p.m. EDT (20:36 GMT)

Quote 1 NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- The number of deaths in Louisiana blamed on Hurricane Katrina has risen to 799, the state's Department of Health and Hospitals said Wednesday, bringing the overall death toll to 1,033.

Mississippi reports 219 people killed in the storm, Florida's toll is 11 dead and Alabama and Georgia each report 2 killed.

The new total came as Louisiana prepares for a second hurricane, Rita, which has strengthened to a Category 5 storm -- even more intense than Katrina when it slammed into the Louisiana-Mississippi border on August 29

more at link.....

[FACE-IT]

Death Toll Could Jump--Searchers in Hardest-Hit Areas of New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (Sept. 21) - Searchers smashed through doors in New Orleans on Wednesday, bringing their hunt for the dead to homes that had been locked and to blocks hardest hit by Katrina's flooding. Behind those doors, officials said they expected a sharply escalating body count - among them, more children. "There still could be quite a few, especially in the deepest flooded areas," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Jeffrey Pettitt, who is overseeing the retrieval of bodies. "Some of the houses, they haven't been in yet."
The death toll in Louisiana stood at 799 on Wednesday, a jump of 153 bodies since the weekend and nearly 80 percent of the 1,036 deaths attributed to Hurricane Katrina across the Gulf Coast region. Pettitt and other officials would not speculate on what the final tally could be. They said the effort could last another four to six weeks. About 500 people are involved in the search of locked homes, the third and most intense phase of the recovery effort. Initially, authorities made a hasty sweep through neighborhoods to identify the living and dead. That was followed by a door-to-door search, though locked doors were off-limits.

[rollerbladr123]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...ne_katrina_hk2Katrina's Death Toll Climbs Past 1,000 By ADAM NOSSITER, Associated Press Writer

Quote 1
NEW ORLEANS - Searchers smashed through doors in New Orleans on Wednesday, bringing their hunt for the dead to homes that had been locked and to blocks hardest hit by Katrina's flooding. Behind those doors, officials said they expected a sharply escalating body count even as the overall death toll passed 1,000. "There still could be quite a few, especially in the deepest flooded areas," said U.S. Coast Guard Captain Capt. Jeffrey Pettitt, who is overseeing the retrieval of bodies. "Some of the houses, they haven't been in yet." Officials said searchers are beginning to find more children.

Quote 2 At one home, Capt. Edan Jacobs of the Miami-Dade Fire Department kicked at a door a dozen times, then used a sledgehammer. The searchers, wearing special masks to ward off the mold and stench, sometimes have to go to three different entrances before they find one not blocked by refrigerators or couches.Police officers and National Guardsmen stood by, weapons ready, as emaciated dogs circled."We try not to destroy the homes, but we have to get inside," said fire department Lt. Eric Baum. "Drastic circumstances call for drastic measures."Many homes are unsafe to enter, while others lay under piles of muck and debris. Some homes are so structurally unsound they are marked, "Do not enter," and seemingly every house has mold growing from every surface. The difficulty of gauging the number of dead in those neighborhoods will delay a final count for weeks, said Dr. Louis Cataldie, medical incident commander for Louisiana

More at link.....

[FACE-IT]

and their wives thought they went to New Orleans on a mercy mission:

Strippers help tease back New Orleans nightlife

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - In a sign that things may be returning to normal in New Orleans, strip shows are back in the city's famous French Quarter.

Erotic dancers and strippers are entertaining crowds of police, firefighters and military personnel instead of the usual audiences of drunken conventioneers and tourists in Bourbon Street's Deja Vu club, which reopened this week.

It's the first strip joint to resume business, three weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck in the worst natural disaster ever to hit the United States.

"It's nice to get back to work, and all these men need some entertainment," Dawn Beasley, 27, a dancer at the club, said on Tuesday night. "They haven't seen anybody but their buddies for two weeks."

The crowd hooted and hollered as women peeled off their tops and gyrated, as customers tucked tips into their G-strings.

[BillyGoatGruff]

Originally Posted by 2luvmy

The Invisible Body Battalion

A private firm's undertaker unit is witnessing the human cost of Katrina. But they're not talking.


WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Dirk Johnson
Newsweek
Updated: 11:12 a.m. ET Sept. 19, 2005
Sept. 19, 2005 - Meet the body handlers. That’s impossible in the field—the private unit deployed to find, package, and transport the dead in the Mississippi Delta shuns the press. Complete privacy is part of a battle plan aimed at treating each corpse with dignity. Or, at least, so says the company, leaving aside the issue of how the reality might affect public opinion. Their mantra—this was somebody's mother or father, sister or brother, or even a child. Therefore the workers even must be sworn to secrecy about what they’re finding.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9399130/site/newsweek/

What do you think about the secrecy? I understand about not wanting to upset the family members, but I also wonder about damage control.

I know what they're trying to keep from having to talk about right now (especially with so many people still missing). Frankly, do you want to know that it might be your grandmother's arm that came off at the shoulder when she was picked up or that your missing newphew or grandchild or son might be the baby that exploded from trapped gass the moment it was touched? Sorry to be graphic, but that's what they're dealing with. My grandmother's first husband was a mortician before the days of refigeration in the south and I got to hear her talk about how he and she had to help harvest the dead after a particularly bad flood along the Mississippi. Ugh.

[FACE-IT]

Because of the uncertain conditions, the recovery of bodies was suspended Friday but previous discoveries pushed the death toll from Hurricane Katrina to 841 in Louisiana, and to at least 1,078 across the Gulf Coast.

[Shadow205]

Originally Posted by Buzzm1

and their wives thought they went to New Orleans on a mercy mission:

Strippers help tease back New Orleans nightlife

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - In a sign that things may be returning to normal in New Orleans, strip shows are back in the city's famous French Quarter.

Erotic dancers and strippers are entertaining crowds of police, firefighters and military personnel instead of the usual audiences of drunken conventioneers and tourists in Bourbon Street's Deja Vu club, which reopened this week.

It's the first strip joint to resume business, three weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck in the worst natural disaster ever to hit the United States.

"It's nice to get back to work, and all these men need some entertainment," Dawn Beasley, 27, a dancer at the club, said on Tuesday night. "They haven't seen anybody but their buddies for two weeks."

The crowd hooted and hollered as women peeled off their tops and gyrated, as customers tucked tips into their G-strings.

hmmmm....so this is how they are spending their per-diam(sp)

[FACE-IT]

Originally Posted by Shadow205

hmmmm....so this is how they are spending their per-diam(sp)

I happened to think that the "women of the night" would be one of the first businesses to come back online, as they begin rebuilding New Orleans. There are going to be 10's of thousands of mostly men working on this project, and it seems, that where lots of men congregate, this is almost guaranteed to happen. Before long it will be business as usual.

[JDB]

Originally Posted by Buzzm1

I happened to think that the "women of the night" would be one of the first businesses to come back online, as they begin rebuilding New Orleans. There are going to be 10's of thousands of mostly men working on this project, and it seems, that where lots of men congregate, this is almost guaranteed to happen. Before long it will be business as usual.

hey Buzz Tom Tolbert on KNBR was talking about the Deja Vu yesterday. Seems the owner has dropped the cover charge . Drinks were only 3 bucks.And a privat lap dance instead of being 20 was a dollar.

[FACE-IT]

Originally Posted by JDB

hey Buzz Tom Tolbert on KNBR was talking about the Deja Vu yesterday. Seems the owner has dropped the cover charge . Drinks were only 3 bucks.And a private lap dance, instead of being 20, was a dollar.

JDB, sounds as if the management was setting the table to promote another much larger business in the very near future. Lap dances for $1, instead of $20???? Give me $20 worth---LOL.

[FACE-IT]

Originally Posted by JDB

hey Buzz Tom Tolbert on KNBR was talking about the Deja Vu yesterday. Seems the owner has dropped the cover charge . Drinks were only 3 bucks.And a privat lap dance instead of being 20 was a dollar.

JDB, I think they refer to this tactic as "jump starting" a new business.

[GonzoReiter]

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, members of the U.S. military are saying that there's something spooky going on and it's not just images of death and destruction that's haunting them... But the men in uniform have the feeling that they're not alone. It prompted a chaplain to utter this directive: "In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you Satan to leave the dark areas of this building." ..

[Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by GonzoReiter

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, members of the U.S. military are saying that there's something spooky going on and it's not just images of death and destruction that's haunting them... But the men in uniform have the feeling that they're not alone. It prompted a chaplain to utter this directive: "In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you Satan to leave the dark areas of this building." ..

I've said all along that that city is full of ghosts/demons due to all the occult and voodoo stuff that goes on there.

OT: DO you really live in a town called RITAville, Texas?? Talk about spooky, lol!

[jannuncutt]

Originally Posted by GonzoReiter

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, members of the U.S. military are saying that there's something spooky going on and it's not just images of death and destruction that's haunting them... But the men in uniform have the feeling that they're not alone. It prompted a chaplain to utter this directive: "In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you Satan to leave the dark areas of this building." ..

I've been waiting to read something like this. This is one of the aspects of NO that I alway found intriguing. I am a Christian but, that doesn't mean that I would ignore voodoo.

[FACE-IT]

Originally Posted by GonzoReiter

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, members of the U.S. military are saying that there's something spooky going on and it's not just images of death and destruction that's haunting them... But the men in uniform have the feeling that they're not alone. It prompted a chaplain to utter this directive: "In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you Satan to leave the dark areas of this building." ..

Funny, I think of New Orleans and zombies, all in the same thought. It's "The Night Of The Living Dead" all over again.

[LovelyPigeon]

"I was using the restroom and I just saw a little shadow," Leanor said, "kind of looming in front of me."

A little shadow that "loomed" LOL My advice is that those military personnel stop telling each other ghost stories.