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Katrina Dead to be Warehoused in Former Leper Town

By Jeralyn, Section Huricanes Katrina and Rita
Posted on Tue Sep 06, 2005 at 06:31:30 PM EST
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The process of collecting dead bodies in New Orleans is about to begin. Where will the bodies be taken? To Saint Gabriels, LA, a small town that used to be a leper colony.

In a long, low, nondescript warehouse in a Louisiana town that used to be a leper colony, Hurricane Katrina's victims will be identified and returned to their families.

How are their families going to come and pick them up if they are stranded in Houston and elsewhere? Are the authorities going to take the dead bodies to the Astrodome? How will these relatives, who have been left with less than zero, pay for the burials, once they get the remains back?

The medical examiners sound a lot more sympathetic than some of our government officials:

"These are my patients. They are not just bodies," said Dr. Corinne Stern, a medical examiner from El Paso, Texas, who said the goal of the DMORT team is to "reunite families and to answer questions for the families."

One piece of good news, if it's true: The Surgeon General said on Larry King Live tonight there will be no mass graves.

< Forced Evacuations to Begin in New Orleans | Rumsfeld Doublespeak on First Responders >

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    Katrina Dead to be Warehoused in Former Leper Town | 9 comments (9 topical)
    Re: Katrina Dead to be Warehoused in Former Leper (none / 0) (#1)
    by wishful on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:22 PM EST
    No mass graves,huh? Too close for comfort maybe? It would not be prudent.

    Re: Katrina Dead to be Warehoused in Former Leper (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:22 PM EST
    People won't go to St, Gabriel to claim bodies. In fact, the authorities are specifically telling people to stay away. Once the bodies are identified and cause of death are determined, the bodies will be released to the local morgues to be claimed by families.

    Re: Katrina Dead to be Warehoused in Former Leper (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:22 PM EST
    Still, how do they expect these displaced people to claim bodies at local morgues - or to pay the burial or other fees?

    Re: Katrina Dead to be Warehoused in Former Leper (none / 0) (#4)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:22 PM EST
    Well TL isn't that what we pay taxes for? So the big brains have contingencies for circumstances like these. Catastrophic? Incredibly so. Predictable? Hey, we're a SUPERPOWER.

    Re: Katrina Dead to be Warehoused in Former Leper (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:22 PM EST
    I hope they get some kind of disaster burial benefit. I haven't heard anything about that in the news though. If not, the state is purchasing a plot of land to bury unclaimed bodies--in individual graves, not a mass grave.

    Re: Katrina Dead to be Warehoused in Former Leper (none / 0) (#6)
    by Joe Bob on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:23 PM EST
    If you have lost your home, been bussed to Houston and your hometown is uninhabitable for an indeterminate period how do you figure out where your 'local' funeral home is? Where do you bury your loved ones? I can't imagine the scene at a hurricane-blasted, flooded cemetery or mausoleum.

    Re: Katrina Dead to be Warehoused in Former Leper (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:23 PM EST
    How is the whole "Leper Colony" reference relevant? They have to put them somewhere. Do you think they actually said "hey, let's put these people in the ol' leper colony - that's where they belong". I guess you had to grab readers attention.

    Re: Katrina Dead to be Warehoused in Former Leper (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:24 PM EST
    How is the whole "Leper Colony" reference relevant? They have to put them somewhere. Do you think they actually said "hey, let's put these people in the ol' leper colony - that's where they belong". I guess you had to grab readers attention.
    Simple lesson: Historically, Leper Colonies were isolated from mainstream society. Decomposing bodies in near-tropical conditions of hear and humidity are breeding grounds for disease. Using a former leper colony as a temp. morgue makes sense from a health point of view. What's your point?

    Re: Katrina Dead to be Warehoused in Former Leper (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:24 PM EST
    errr....heat and humidity.

    Katrina Dead to be Warehoused in Former Leper Town | 9 comments (9 topical)