CNN just reported that the coroner in MS is having a very difficult

[napi21]

time, and is overwealmed because of all the bodies.

I don't want to sound cold and uncaring, but we're talking about drownings here. Does the county coroner HAVR to examine EVERY ONE?

I've been thinking about it ever since I heard them say that, and I would think, in a case of a disaster, there would be some other solution!

[Dem Agog]

1. they DO have to examine them, how else do you find out who is who?

they can't exactly just shuttle them out without looking at them.

what the coroner needs is more coroners coming in to help...

[napi21]

3. If all he's doing is ID, couldn't others help?

People like the military that just got there, or police, etc?

I would also think that some are never going to be identified. If there's no ID on the body, ssurely they don't have the opportunity to do dental ID's on them too.

[Dem Agog]

5. to id people with no "id" on them...

you need dental records, etc. untrained people probably not only can't do that accurately, but also probably can't stomach the scene.

[MrBenchley]

8. These are bodies that have been floating in warm water for days....

In some cases it's going to take fingerprints...in some, dental records....

Also, it would be wirth knowing how many died from the storm, and how many died of dehyration or hunger or disease from the deliberate inaction following the storm...

[Horse with no Name]

2. They have to be identified

They have to also make sure that these people drowned and weren't killed and dumped.
As tedious as it is....yeah...he needs to examine every one.
They need to get him some help.
The way the teeeeveeee shows it...there are always teams of 8 people investigating the death of one person. Guess it's a shock to some when they realize that there aren't.:shrug:

[3waygeek]

4. There's a team of over 1000

coroners, MEs and other experts assembled by Homeland Security -- they've been on alert for days, but haven't been called in yet. See today's Salon.com for the article.

[Old and In the Way]

10. No excuse for this...absolutely none.

They need to process the bodies as quickly as possible. They will compound the tradegy if they don't dispose of the remains as quick as possible. This is a travesty.

[cbear70]

6. I don't understand either

When you look at 9/11 , they had a setup for dealing with those that had died... why is it not the same

just frustrated i guess.

[Dem Agog]

9. i thought we've been talking about this a lot...

i firmly believe there's no setup because these are mostly non-white, poor people. there's no denying that bush and the feds are racists and don't equate these "brown and black bodies" to real people.

i am frustrated too, but i know why they aren't called in and why they aren't set up to handle this. it's pure racism.

[MaineDem]

7. Will "time of death" be determined for those in New Orleans?

Will we ever know how many died from Tuesday on?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

11. Off topic, but Faux is calling it America's Challenge and CNN is

calling it STATE OF DISASTER.... no bias there with Faux, is there. Always trying to spin it so that we were/are/will do the right thing IN A TIMELY FASHION.