How many have died?

ABC15.com: Phoenix and Arizona News, Live Weather, Web Cams and More: "Congressman reports more than 100 died in a warehouse, waiting for rescue

Posted: 09/07/2005 15:05:14

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Even as crews in New Orleans try to find and count the corpses that are decaying in the 90-degree heat, reports of the extent of the tragedy are starting to emerge.

A Louisiana congressman says more than 100 people died at a warehouse along a New Orleans dock. Congressman Charlie Melancon (muh-LAWN'-suhn) says they died as they waited for rescuers to take them to safety.

And a state lawmaker says 30 people died at a flooded-out nursing home just outside New Orleans. Nita Hutter says the staff had left the residents behind in their beds. A rescue that was supposed to take place never materialized."

This is just getting worse even after more than a week. The New York Times says fema has ordered 25,000 boby bags. The Tennessean interviewed a mortician named Dan Brukner working for the Disaster Mortuary Responce Team and he reported that he was told to expect up to 40,000 dead bodies in the three affected states.