6,644 are still missing after Katrina; toll may rise

[Thom Little]

The whereabouts of 6,644 people reported missing after Hurricane Katrina have not been determined, raising the prospect that the death toll could be higher than the 1,306 recorded so far in Louisiana and Mississippi, according to two groups working with the federal government to account for victims.

Most of those who remain listed as unaccounted-for 12 weeks after the storm probably are alive and well, says Kym Pasqualini, chief executive officer of the National Center for Missing Adults. She says they are listed as missing because government record-keeping efforts haven't caught up with them in their new locations.

However, Pasqualini says those counting the victims are particularly concerned about an estimated 1,300 unaccounted-for people who lived in areas that were heavily damaged by Katrina, or who were disabled at the time the storm hit. The fact that authorities haven't been able to determine what happened to them suggests that the death toll from Katrina could climb significantly.

Some of those on the list of people still missing are likely to be among the 301 unidentified victims whose bodies are at a Louisiana state morgue in St. Gabriel. Those victims already are included in the death total.



http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-21-katrina-missing_x.htm

[markus]

1. The Mississippi resolution rate for missing was 14% fatalaties

There's no guarantee Louisiana would have the same experiece, but that would about double the toll.

I'm kind of pissed at the T-P BR bureau chief, who told me "he'd look into it" when I replied to a story he wrote with pointers to all the info and links he could need in my own Blog posts on wetbankguide.blogspot.com (See Remembering All The Dead on All Saints Day from November, Dead and Presumed Missing from October).

This is the 2nd break into the MSM. Look for it to be attacked. They cannot let the 9-11 number be exceeded.

[uppityperson]

2. nice blog, by the way. thanks.