Are there any estimates yet as to the death toll from Katrina?

[bluestateguy]

Nobody seems to be saying. Is it that it's too high for us to comprehend? Or is there just no way to know right now?

[artemisia1]

1. Both. nt

[Maraya1969]

2. I'm sure it's too soon to know but look at this article from AP

People are STILL being ordered out.




Governor Orders Evacuations in New Orleans


By BRETT MARTEL, Associated Press Writer

UPDATED 31 MINUTES AGO


NEW ORLEANS - The flooding in New Orleans grew worse by the minute Tuesday, prompting Gov. Kathleen Blanco to say that everyone still in the city, now huddled in the Superdome and other rescue centers, need to leave.
She said she wanted the Superdome evacuated within two days, but it was still unclear where the people would go.


http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2005/08/31/211372.html

[aquart]

3. Mississippi ordered more body bags.

But they're still only admitting to 100 dead in that collapsed apartment complex alone.

We have NO body count from Louisiana, but we do have multiple reports of floating bodies.

I don't think George will ever be able to say 9/11 again. I think it will be that bad.

[MercutioATC]

4. The only number I've heard is 300-500.

I expect that number is a little low.

[maddezmom]

5. probably a bit of both

until the water recedes there is no telling :(

[ps1074]

6. Hope I am wrong but

I expect them in the thousands.

Remember the tsunami last year? First reports were for hundreds deaths. Then - a couple of thousands. I am not sure about what final count is but it surely was over 100,000... From the little we see on TV some of the areas are totally devastated.

[leftchick]

7. a person on CNN talking about hospital evacuations said

hundreds and hundreds will be found dead after the water leaves. If it leaves. And there are many critically ill patients that have yet to be evacuated.

:(

[subchicagogal]

8. Does anyone else find it interesting....

that our lovely MSM is not speculating AT ALL about the number dead??? They aren't even mentioning it. It's like they have been told to avoid the topic altogether. This is highly unusual (in my opinion), because in the past for any disaster of any kind they would ALWAYS be speculating on number dead and updating numbers hourly.

I probably have my tin foil hat on, but I honestly think they have been told to not report on this. After all, can't have the sheeple actually finding out the truth and by the time they announce the numbers the sheeple will have moved on to the next missing white girl.....

[KharmaTrain]

9. That's Be A Little Premature, Don't Ya Think?

This story is still unfolding. Water is still flowing across those breeched levees and homes continue to flood with no place to go. This will be the third full day without food, water, electric, sanitation. Just like the flood, this is a slow tragedy, rather than the tsunami that did all its destruction in a short time span.

Communications is still out in many of the cities and towns along the Gulf Coast...I dare not think about what lies in the rural areas. So I think any numbers game now is not only going to be wrong but make the one predicting it to look like a fool, too (not that the corporate media really cares).

I think people are still holding their breath. I will say that I've encountered several people who really don't understand how bad things are in NOLA or how it will affect them, but these are people who don't want to know...ignorance is bliss.

Cheers from a fellow Chicago area DU'er...

[subchicagogal]

10. Oh I agree that they would look like fools....

but that has never stopped them in the past! Remember the day of 911 they were immediately speculating on the number dead and they all pretty much agreed on a 10,000 number. Obviously, the actual number was only a third of that, but they didn't care. Of course, with 911, it was in the administration's best interest to make the number seem as big as possible.

Also, after the tsunami there was immediate numbers being thrown around, even though we all knew that it would take weeks to figure out the dead.

It's just very interesting that none of the talking heads are speculating!

Have a great day in Chicagoland - it was a nice, cool, comfortable night and morning, wasn't it?

[KharmaTrain]

11. Remember, TV is a Picture Game

We're not seeing news as much as we're being "dazzled" by pictures. You can see, beyond the usual hurricane chasing shtick these corporate mediatypes love to play, they are woefully ignorant about the economics and lifestyle of that area. They thought this would be another messy storm for 24 hours, then move on to the next one and get the DVD set on the bookshelves.

9/11 estimates had a bit of validity at the time as you knew the size of the building and the average number of people who would be in it at that hour. Honestly, I was expecting more like 15-20,000 when that attack first happened and IIRC, the media stopped gestimating and stuck with the information from NYC. But then I don't think we realize how well coordinated the aftermath work in New York went...until now.

Honestly, I think most of those "intrepid" newspeople are cleaning brown stains...overwhelmed by the story and totally unprepared in how to report or deal with it. Thank goodness for the WWL-TV and WDSU-TV feeds that offer a far better picture of what's happening...or at least what we can find out.

Yesterday I was watching the remnants of Katrina move through Illinois...the rains made it as far north as Danville and it got very cloudy here, but no rain.

Today, it's another beautiful day...enjoy! Winter's not too far away...

Cheers