New Orleans

With the last weary refugees rescued from the Superdome and convention center, New Orleans turned its attention Sunday to gathering up and counting the dead across a ghastly landscape awash in perhaps thousands of corpses. No one knows how many people were killed by Hurricane Katrina and how many more succumbed waiting to be rescued. But the bodies are everywhere: hidden in attics, floating in the ruined city, crumpled in wheelchairs, abandoned on highways.

Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said Sunday the death toll from Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath is in the thousands, the first time a federal official has acknowledged what many had feared.
Leavitt said he couldn't provide a precise number on the impact of the devastation, but when asked if it was in the thousands, he told CNN's "Late Edition," "I think it's evident it's in the thousands."
"It's clear to me that this has been sickeningly difficult and profoundly tragic circumstance," Leavitt said.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said it was likely thousands were dead based on the city's population of 500,000, the percentage who left before the storm hit and the number evacuated from the shelters.
"So you probably have another 50-60,000 out there," Nagin said. "You do the math, man, what do you think? Five percent is unreasonable? Ten percent? Twenty percent? It's going to be a big number."
Earlier in the day, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff had declined to estimate the death toll, but conceded that an untold number of people could have perished in swamped homes and temporary shelters where many went for days without food or water.
"I think we need to prepare the country for what's coming," Chertoff said. "What's going to happen when we de-water and remove the water from New Orleans is we're going to uncover people who died, maybe hiding in houses, got caught by the flood, people whose remains are going to be found in the streets. ... It is going to be about as ugly of a scene as I think you can imagine."
Leavitt said he had received a report of an outbreak of dysentery in Biloxi, Miss., with disease among the concerns of federal officials in the hurricane's aftermath. Dysentery is a painful intestinal disease that can cause dehydration and can sometimes be fatal.
The lack of clean drinking water in parts of the Gulf Coast region and standing flood waters with decomposing bodies and human waste in the streets of New Orleans could cause a rash of infectious diseases, including West Nile virus and the often fatal E. coli bacteria.
"All of the infectious diseases that occur when people are in large congregations of people can spread," Leavitt said.
Amid widespread criticism about a slow and ineffectual response to the crisis, the Bush administration dispatched several top officials to the region: Chertoff, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
President Bush and first lady Laura Bush visited the Red Cross' disaster operation center, where they thanked employees. The president also announced that the White House would hold a blood drive on Friday.
"The world saw this tidal wave of disaster ascend upon the Gulf Coast," said Bush, who plans to return to the region Monday. "Now they can see a tidal wave of compassion."
In a series of interviews, Chertoff said the evacuation and relief operations are under way "? with federal assistance in place.
"There's no question that with the addition of National Guard and regular troops we've secured the city," Chertoff said on "Fox News Sunday." "We've got the adequate personnel now who are able to make sure that we have a comprehensive evacuation effort."
The criticism has continued unabated as it has taken days for food and water to reach thousands who took shelter in the Superdome, the New Orleans convention center and even the hard concrete of the highways traversing the city.
Nagin told NBC News on Sunday that the situation has been "a tragedy, a disgrace."
Chertoff said authorities are in place to handle the crisis, while cautioning that major challenges lay ahead.
"We are still in the middle of an emergency," he said on CNN's "Late Edition." "This is not the time when we can draw a sigh of relief."
Chertoff defended the job of FEMA Director Michael Brown and declined to get into a discussion about whether the government moved quickly and forcefully enough to deal with the catastrophe, saying there would be plenty of time for a review.
He did complain about problems getting information from local officials.
"One of the things we'll look at is why in the middle of this emerging crisis there was kind of a conflict on the information," Chertoff said on the Fox program.
Chertoff shrugged off suggestions that the demand for National Guard troops in Iraq had depleted the numbers available to respond to the crisis.
On Saturday, Bush ordered more than 7,000 active duty forces to the region and 10,000 National Guard troops were being sent to the Gulf Coast. All total, the number of Guard personnel in the stricken states is about 40,000.
Chertoff said Saturday that more than 100,000 people had received humanitarian aid and the Coast Guard had rescued 9,500 people.

In New Orleans, winding streets where revelers meandered, listening to jazz in the sticky heat, are now flooded with murky water. Some businesses and landmarks are submerged or damaged; others escaped the water but were ravaged by looters.
Rescue workers are combing the waters in search of survivors, but a different kind of reckoning is also becoming clear. New Orleans is one of the most iconic cities in America, and some of the places and pieces that make it unique could be lost or looted.
A list of famous spots in the city, and how they are faring, though the full extent of the damage won't be known for some time:
The French Quarter: This historic district is full of wrought-iron balconies and ornate colonial architecture, but was also a playground for adults who could roam the streets with cocktails in tow and listen to jazz and, during Mardi Gras, grab for beads and go wild. The area escaped much of the flooding.
Bourbon Street: A hedonistic strip in the Quarter bursting with bars like Pat O'Brien's, Molly's on the Market, and Jean Laffite's Blacksmith Shop. The latter, a piano bar, was supposedly the in-town headquarters of pirate Jean Laffite, who owned more than 10 vessels and raided American, British and Spanish ships in the early 1800s. Located in the French Quarter, the area escaped flooding but remains closed.
Cafe du Monde: Established in 1862, this coffee shop on Decatur Street in the French Quarter was best known for its cafe au lait, made with hearty New Orleans-style coffee, blended with chicory, and beignets "? crispy, square doughnuts. Still standing.
Galatoire's: Nearly a century old, the tiled and mirrored restaurant was famous for not taking reservations. The tuxedo-clad wait staff served Creole classics like shrimp remoulade and crab meat maison. Also located in the French Quarter. Still standing.
Acme Oyster House: Built more than 90 years ago at the gateway to the French Quarter, the menu included raw oysters (pronounced "ersters") and traditional po' boys, or fried oyster sandwiches. On the edge of the Quarter, should have escaped much flooding.
U.S. Mint building: The building housed Confederate soldiers during the Civil War and produced money for the federal government until 1909. It later became home to jazz and Mardi Gras exhibits and the streetcar immortalized in Tennessee Williams' play "A Streetcar Named Desire." The mint is still standing. The fate of the streetcar is unknown.
Preservation Hall: A famed New Orleans jazz club located in an unassuming building originally built as a private residence in 1750 and was once a tavern, inn, photo studio and art gallery. Fate unknown; it is in the middle of the Quarter, and should be unaffected unless looters have trashed it.
Anne Rice's home: Tourists and fans of the "Vampire Chronicles" books would visit the Garden District home of author Anne Rice. She has also helped create several "haunted tours" of the city. The area was battered by high winds which knocked down trees. Rice no longer lives there, though that hasn't stopped the tourists from stopping by.
St. Louis Cathedral: Located in Jackson Square and consecrated in 1794, it was said to be the oldest continuously active cathedral in the country. Still standing.
St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District: The St. Charles Streetcar ran down the historic street, and the area was shaded by majestic oak trees layered in Spanish moss. The Garden District was named for the collection of mansions and sprawling gardens, but Victorian homes were later built have become a well-known part of the neighborhood. Much wind damage; many of the trees were splintered.
Commander's Palace: A restaurant built in 1880 in the stately Garden District, frequented by everyone from wealthy elite to riverboat captains and charlatans. Known for its turtle soup and turquoise-and-white facade, which was partially destroyed.
Fair Grounds: Located in the northeast section of the city, the fair grounds is best known as the home of the New Orleans Jazz Festival, but is also famous for its racetrack, built in 1852. The roof was torn off.
Little is known about the fate of other landmarks located in the flood area, including St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, one of the larger cemeteries known as "cities of the dead," with narrow paths, rusty iron work and sun-bleached tombs built aboveground because the water table was so high caskets would occasionally float away if buried underground; Mid-City Lanes Rock 'N Bowl Nightclub, a bar near Xavier University which has bowling lanes, live Cajun, blues and jazz music plus a full bowling alley and dancing; and Maple Leaf Bar, a smallish place uptown on Oak Street with a hammered-on tin ceiling, an institution for local music.

It wasn't for a concert. R&B singer Macy Gray came to town specifically to help refugees from the flooding in New Orleans.
"I just really wanted to help out," Gray said after spending Saturday handing out clothes and toiletries in the Astrodome. "I think the most important thing to them is their futures. They are here, and they have gotten out of that disaster but it is, like, now what? Because they can't live like that forever."
About 18,500 survivors were housed in the Astrodome and an adjacent meeting hall. More than 120,000 refugees were in 97 shelters in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and dozens of smaller cities across the vast state, Gov. Rick Perry's office said, with another 100,000 in hotels and motels. Uncounted more were in churches or private homes.
"It is crazy when you don't know what is going to happen to you the next day and suddenly that is what their lives are like," Gray said of the refugees.
The Grammy winner said she was able to lift the refugees' spirits and many were excited to see her.
"It is very humbling, but I loved every second of it," Gray said. "It was really gratifying and I had a great time."
With more than 220,000 hurricane refugees camped out in Texas and more coming, Perry warned Saturday that his enormous state was running out of room.
"Texas is committed to doing everything it can to help our neighbors from Louisiana, but we want to make certain that we can provide them with the medical care, food, shelter, safety, education and other services they need to start getting their lives back together," Perry said in a statement. "Local officials are beginning to notify us that they are quickly approaching capacity in the number of evacuees they believe they can assist."
Buses continued to arrive at the Astrodome, where many were redirected to other evacuation centers after people were processed and evaluated for medical conditions.

I never ask for much on here, but my aunt, uncle, and their family live down there and we havent been able to get ahold of them at all since all this happened, so please keep em in your prayers....

how many people have been to New Orleans?

I've been twice. It was an Experience for sure.

I've been.

I've been.
95 Sugar Bowl

For all the devastation. And all the recover help. Has anyone heard of any major fuel company giving anything yet?

i've been to New Orleans once, and it was the most absolutely fuckin disgusting place ever, i would never go back there, now i may go back after they rebuild it... but that place was horrendously NASTY [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]