death toll may already be over 1,000

[Stephanie]

I'm hoping as well that the death toll is much lower than 10,000. The news from MS and AL is encouraging, but I don't think that we've really scratched the surface of the toll in LA. I would've sworn last week 10,000 would've been low.

[JTD]

Also,

I am worried about the areas in SE LA outside of New Orleans like Slidell, etc.

BTW, the confirmed death toll is already 383 and that is not something to be happy about.

[logybogy]

I think I know the reason why the death toll is so low.

The numbers are being cooked based on direct versus indirect deaths from Katrina..

They aren't counting lack of water, food, heat stroke, or disease in the death count.

Both these articles are from NOLA.com.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Lee reports on deaths in Jefferson

Friday, 10:05 p.m.

Sheriff Harry Lee said Saturday night that the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s office had processed 152 bodies, but only 20 of those were deaths related to Hurricane Katrina. He said the coroner’s office was picking up bodies that are reported lying in the street and handling them to FEMA’s specifications. He also said that body count does not include bodies that may have been taken to the morgue in St. Gabriel.

Storm death toll reaches 197 in Louisiana

The confirmed death toll from Hurricane Katrina increased to 197 Sunday, state health department officials said late Sunday.

Although body-recovery operations were still under way, the death toll represents the number of bodies that have been counted where the deaths were a result of Katrina’s winds, rains or floodwaters, or those who died as a result of medical equipment that became inoperable during the hurricane.

State officials said that 161 bodies were being stored at a mobile morgue site in St. Gabriel about 20 miles south of Baton Rouge; three were in the St. Charles Parish morgue, 25 were in the Jefferson Parish morgue, five were in the St. Tammany Parish morgue and three were in the Iberia Parish morgue

[stormie_skies]

Seriously?????

If thats true, its ridiculous.

The only way they could do that and maintain any semblance of honesty would be to compile two casualty lists: one of people who died as a direct result of wind, debris and storm surge flood water; and one of people who died from complications during the response, like dehydration, lack of medication, inadequate food, heat exhaustion etc.

But I cannot imagine that will happen. Do you know how that would look to the public??? People would look at that second list, see how many deaths were avoidable..... and heads would roll.

Every body needs to be counted. Its the least we can do to show respect IMHO.

[wxmann_91]

What is the difference between a direct and indirect death? (Don't answer, I know that in direct death is caused by drowning/being hit by flying debris and that indirect death is in the aftermath/heart attack/car accident). In both cases, someone is dead. In both cases, someone is crying that their friend/family member is dead. In both cases, a unique person is lost that cannot be replaced ever again. Putting deaths into two categories is purely statistical, and in fact, it angers me that indirect deaths aren't put in the official records.

[soonertwister]

For goodness sake, deaths from murder due to lack of police presence are directly related to the occurrence of the storm, even if not caused by the elements directly. And those who die from lack of medication, dehydration, etc. need to be counted.

ONLY if they definitely rule out a storm influence in those deaths should they not be included. Ordinarily, traffic accidents resulting in death from people speeding on waterlogged highways are included in a death toll from a hurricane, and now we are not going to include those who die from dehydration? How insane is that?

[crazycajuncane]

They're all directly related to the storm IMO.... If not for the Hurricane can you say that ANY of these people would have died?

They died as a result of the EFFECTS OF Hurricane Kartina.

Like I said... a first responder in Florida told me that they counted 70 bodies in one county in Florida for Hurricane Ivan. You just never hear it out the governments mouth. According to him the death toll from Ivan should be in the hundreds.

[HurricaneBill]

Latest number: 429

According to Wikipedia, they list nearly 600 deaths, including 485 direct deaths. They also list 10,000- 239,000 as missing.

[JTD]

I think that 239,000 number is a fradulent entry.

[Anonymous]

It may be accurate, but is due mostly to the fact that many people have no checked in with family as of yet. Remember that families are scattered all over the south.

[alicia-w]

Families are scattered all over the country, not just the south. They've sent folks as far as Alaska!

[Derek Ortt]

hurricane fatalities in the USA have always been classified as direct and indirect. The NHC report always contains the final numbers of direct deaths, plus the number of indirect deaths. No funny reporting is going on here

[Derek Ortt]

the confirmed toll is now over 500

279 in Louisiana
214 in Mississippi
14 in Florida
2 in Alabama
2 in Georgea

Total: 511

[HurricaneBill]

the confirmed toll is now over 500

279 in Louisiana
214 in Mississippi
14 in Florida
2 in Alabama
2 in Georgea

Total: 511

If these were all direct, this would make Katrina the deadliest hurricane since Audrey in 1957.

[SouthernWx]

the confirmed toll is now over 500

279 in Louisiana
214 in Mississippi
14 in Florida
2 in Alabama
2 in Georgea

Total: 511

If these were all direct, this would make Katrina the deadliest hurricane since Audrey in 1957.

Nope.....Audrey took 390 lives. We are now witnessing the deadliest landfalling U.S. hurricane since the September 1938 "Long Island Express" hurricane slammed Long Island and adjacent areas of New England. It killed about 600 people.

If we exceed 600 fatalities, we'd have to go back to 1928 to find a deadlier hurricane to impact America......the great south Florida cat-4 dubbed "San Felipe" and "Lake Okeechobee hurricane" killed over 2000.

The saddest news......back in 1928 and 1938, there was virtually no advance warning of the impending monster hurricane. Katrina was well forecast; called a "potentially catastrophic" hurricane in advance warnings both by NHC and the local New Orleans WSFO....and yet still the toll is terrible. As someone who's dedicated much of his life to warning (SKYWARN) the public of impending severe weather, to see so many die IMO needlessly is very depressing; has given me nightmares

With a slow moving hurricane and plenty of advance warning....there's no way the death toll should be this high.....no way!

PW

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

Just think if this was 100 years ago. This hurricane would of killed 10 thousand plus. This is Mitch class cat5 over the northern Gulf of Mexico. In made landfall as a giant cat4. It would of been worst. Also just think if the trough waited 6 more hours to pick it up. It would of kepted its western quad. In most likely kept its cat5.

[wxmann_91]

Just think if this was 100 years ago. This hurricane would of killed 10 thousand plus. This is Mitch class cat5 over the northern Gulf of Mexico. In made landfall as a giant cat4. It would of been worst. Also just think if the trough waited 6 more hours to pick it up. It would of kepted its western quad. In most likely kept its cat5.

The population of the coastline back then was not as high as it is today. It evens out.

And if the trough had picked it up 6 hours later Katrina would've still remained over open water a few hours more (continued westward motion instead of northward), and the results would've been the same, except that instead of thousands of people dead, 10's of thousands (because NO would've been in the right front quadrant).

[HurricaneBill]

Nope.....Audrey took 390 lives.
PW

No, Audrey was actually deadlier than 390.

Many believe the toll was more like 550 because many bodies were never found.

[vbhoutex]

I continue to pray the death toll stays "down", but after hearing one of the rescue people in NO who is helping manage the recovery of the dead say "we haven't even gotten into the bad areas yet", I shudder to think what may be found, especially after the hospital and nursing home finds. All we can do is continue to pray.

[weathermom]

And don't forget to add prayers for the safety and strength of the rescue/recovery personell. This is going to be very difficult emotionally for them.