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Hurricane survivors accuse U.S. police
IF testimonies by survivors of Hurricane Katrina are anything to go by, human agents might have aided the angry elements in shooting up the casualty figures in the disaster that ravaged New Orleans in the United States (U.S.).
But U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, said earlier in the week that 'nobody, especially the President (George W. Bush) would have left people unattended on the basis of race.
One Maria Ines Tapia, who came from Central Mexico, told Mexican Press in Houston that firemen and police agents did nothing for Latinos and African-Americans when they asked for water in New Orleans.
Frustrated by hunger and desperation, African-Americans had begun to open fire.
"They are using guns to demand food", she said.
Tapia's family was rescued by volunteers in New Orleans but were "intercepted" by National Guardsmen who pointed their guns at them all the way out of the city, she said.
Clasing Delgado, another survivor, said his family had sought refuge in an undestroyed building in New Orleans for seven days.
There were elderly people of various nationalities that nobody came to save, he said.
According to initial figures, 80 per cent of those who lost their houses and now live in shelters are African-Americans and Latinos.
Thousands of bodies are expected to be found as the waters recede in New Orleans. The grim work of identifying them is being done in a small Mississippi river town, more than 70 miles from the city.
A former chemical industry warehouse in the community of St. Gabriel is the scene for one of the most unpleasant, but vital tasks in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
No one knows how many people were killed in the floods - or who died waiting for help to arrive.
But as the body recovery operation slowly gets under way, refrigeration lorries escorted by police have begun delivering a grisly cargo of unidentified bodies to a makeshift mortuary.
Over the coming months, specialists will work round the clock to find out who they are - and bring some relief to thousands of families.
Ricardo Zuniga, of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC): "We don't refer to them as bodies, these are people and they will be treated with the utmost respect and dignity, this is someone's mother or father or brother."
Fifty-nine bodies were being held at the facility as of Wednesday lunchtime, but the site can process up to 140 each day. It is expected to be operational for at least three months.
Steps to help identify the dead include collection and documentation of personal effects and body marks, fingerprinting by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), dental photographs and collection of bone samples for Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid (DNA).
In some cases, full-body X-rays will be used to spot serial numbers on hip replacements, pacemakers and other internal medical implants.
Bodies bearing signs that death was not hurricane-related - gunshot wounds or blows - may be sent for autopsy.
When every scrap of information has been gleaned, the bodies will be passed on to the state of Louisiana, which is setting up family assistance centres, and is expected temporarily to bury many bodies.
The authorities say the site is a scientific facility - and that relatives will not be allowed inside.
But it has not stopped those hoping for news of a loved one from trying to gain access.
Kevin Ambeau, St. Gabriel police chief, said: "Yesterday we had a few families coming by and we are expecting more when they find out we are here."
He added: "The bodies are not a pretty sight, I feel for the guys out there finding them - but they will be treated with dignity and respect."
Ambeau said many in the community had friends and family in New Orleans.
"We are playing a small part in history - St. Gabriel was named after the Archangel Gabriel - if they were going to chose anywhere, I would have said bring it here."
But his views are not echoed by many in the community. Maurice Anderson lives with his parents in a bungalow just yards from the mortuary entrance.
"As a resident, I am against it, but I think if it was one of my family members I would feel a lot different. But we had no choice. The government just came in and said 'we need it' and the people didn't get any say in it. There was a town meeting, everyone is furious but what can we do. We didn't find out about it until it started happening."
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is warning that the floodwaters were contaminated with E.coli and coliform bacteria, lead and other dangerous substances and reports say at least five people have been confirmed dead from bacteria - contaminated water.
Vanessa Jackson, a garage worker who also lives metres from the site, said local people were afraid of contracting diseases from the dead.
Town Mayor George Grace said: "This was thrust upon us and we are going to make the best of it."
Federal officials warn that the situation will only get worse before it gets any better.
"We need to prepare the country for what's coming," the homeland security secretary, Michael Chertoff, said in a television interview.
"We are going to uncover people who died, maybe hiding in houses, got caught by the flood," he said. "It is going to be about as ugly a scene as I think you can imagine."
Congress is meanwhile considering an emergency aid package that would spend well over $1 billion a day during the next month on housing, clothing and other recovery needs for the victims.
The House of Representatives as early as yesterday was expected to approve the $51.8 billion spending bill that the Bush administration, under attack from Democrats for its response to the devastating Gulf Coast storm, described as the latest instalment in the costly relief effort.
"We will in fact need substantially more" money, said White House budget director Josh Bolten, estimating the funds would cover expenses for "a few weeks."
Prospects were more uncertain in the Senate, where Democratic Mary Landrieu of hurricane-ravaged Louisiana threatened to hold out for more funding. Republicans said that any attempt to amend the bill could lead to delays in getting the measure to President Bush for his signature before current funds run out.
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