ARmy Rumour SErvice

**PartTimePongo** · 01-09-2005, 03:40

Via AP

Hurricane Katrina probably has killed thousands of people in New Orleans, according to the city's mayor.

"We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water" and other people dead in attics, Mayor Ray Nagin said on Wednesday.

Asked how many, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."

The estimate came as army engineers struggled to plug New Orleans's breached levees with giant sandbags and concrete barriers, while authorities drew up plans to clear out the tens of thousands of people left in New Orleans and all but abandon the flooded-out city.

There will be a "total evacuation of the city. We have to. The city will not be functional for two or three months", Nagin said.

Do any of our American posters have an update on this? I imagine it's running 24/7 on the US networks. I've been to Nawlins, it's a fantastic City , hard to believe that a Hurricane can do this to a modern(ish) city. Does anyone know what's happened to Old Nawlins?

I'm still trying to come to terms with "Thousands dead" in a modern US city.

Sympathies with the cousins at this dreadful time.

**YANK60** · 01-09-2005, 04:05

Nawlins is done. As far as fatalities, as many as 100,000 either wouldn't or couldn't evacuate. One estimate was 50,000 dead, but I think that's a bit high.

**ctauch** · 01-09-2005, 04:13

PTP,
the city and for that matter 3 states are without power. Most, if not all, of the NO area is under water. Thousands of surviors are making their way to higher ground with stories of others that are "lost". It will be days maybe weeks before any true tallies of casualties come in since the primary efforts of emergency services are to search for living souls. Reports are that emegency services are marking buildings with dead bodies during their searches and leaving the bodies in place while moving on to search for living souls.

This is no surprise since, unlike the Dutch, the levee system has not been reinforced for 50 years, just mearly maintained. The city may truely be lost only time will tell, but even if it is not abandoned the rebuilding will be costly and require years.

**DozyBint** · 01-09-2005, 04:45

I'm just viewing the pictures of a CNN report now & it looks dreadful. Nature shows once again how tenuous our grasp on life is and my thoughts are with all those affected.

**crabtastic** · 01-09-2005, 04:51

NBC reported tonight that the house-to-house searches in MS are moving from rescue to recovery ops. EXTRA (Spam enterainment news) is happy to report Brett Favre's mother is safe.

No doubt that by tomorrow night they will have the all-important sound bite from Britney.

**YANK60** · 01-09-2005, 04:56

Crabtastic, what the fcuk is wrong with you? Did somebody take a pi** in your cup of tea today?

**crabtastic** · 01-09-2005, 05:17

Just a quick stab at Extra trying to pass themselves off as news and trivializing an important and tragic event. What's the matter? Have you got a hard-on for Mark McGrath?

**woody** · 01-09-2005, 06:11

Worked their for a while nigh on 10yrs ago .Always something in paper about leeves need money spending on them .But a lot of the city is very low lying so any flooding would be horrendouse .Thoughts with the residents of that city .

**Line_Grunt** · 01-09-2005, 06:51

Sadly, this has been prophesiesed for quite some time. I remember looking at this very issue in an environmental geography seminar - what a hurricane and high tide could do to New Orleans - back in the early 90's. As has been said above this tragedy has come about partly through bad luck, but also through poor management of the Levees and the surrounding environment.

The continued draining and urbanisation of large amounts of the swamp surrounding New O has given the tidal swell and storm surge a perfect surface to run over at a fast pace - meaning that when it hit housing, levees etc it totalled them rather than just damaging them. If the swamps had been there in the quantity that they used to be they would have slowed the force of the water and possibly helped to divert some of the surge.

All very sad.

**Rudolph_Hucker** · 01-09-2005, 07:44

Listening to the news this morning (BBC, - yeah I know!!) there are apparently rumours starting that NO will in fact be abandoned as there is so much damage and rebuilding costs are so massive.

Would be a shame but maybe it is the right course of action? Rebuilding 12 feet below sea level is a recipe for disaster, mother nature has a way of taking back what she wants.