People are busy and updates are not yet available. Concern over Rita and evacuation preparations are underway. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, UAN EARS program reports:
Hurricane Katrina is considered the most destructive such storm ever to strike the United States. The water in New Orleans is receding and the Army Corps of Engineers estimates the city could be drained by early October. This week some areas of the city reopened and 180,000 residents were allowed to return to their homes and businesses during daylight hours. The initial search for human casualties in New Orleans revealed that the death toll might be lower than officials originally expected; nearly 900 people are now confirmed dead. Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the hurricane have been relocated to Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arkansas and other states. Animal disaster relief teams continue to rescue stranded animals in Mississippi and Louisiana, bringing them to strategically located staging areas and designated shelters.