More than half a million have lost their homes. Millions are without power. More than 20,000 people are missing. People are starting to estimate the dead in the thousands. I just heard a big tough guy on CNN crying, saying he saw bodies floating past his door as the water rose. People still in New Orleans are starting to smell the dead bodies floating in the water. There are still 20,000 people in the Superdome, where rapes have been reported, the plumbing no longer works, there's essentially no fresh water, they haven't eaten in days, and dysentery and cholera are expected to be rampant soon. Several other small communites have been obliterated. The Houston Astrodome is now full of refugees and turning people away. An expert in disasters was CNN was asked to estimate when people would be able to start moving back into New Orleans, and she said the best case scenario was several months, more realistic estimate was on the order of years. It's really just hard to fathom. I'm always amazed at Wikipedia's response to unfolding events. The Katrina Page is no exception.
