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HHS Chief: Death Toll in the Thousands

By Jeralyn, Section Huricanes Katrina and Rita
Posted on Sun Sep 04, 2005 at 10:36:38 AM EST
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For the first time, an Administration official has said the death toll from Katrina will be in the thousands.

CNN this morning, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said the death toll from Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath is in the thousands, the first time a federal official has acknowledged what many had feared.

Leavitt said he couldn't provide a precise number on the impact of the devastation, but when asked if it was in the thousands, he told CNN's "Late Edition," "I think it's evident it's in the thousands."

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    HHS Chief: Death Toll in the Thousands | 7 comments (7 topical)
    Re: HHS Chief: Death Toll in the Thousands (none / 0) (#1)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:12 PM EST
    I coulda told you this four days ago. The feds are really on top of it. Oh wait, maybe they held off talking about it to avoid even more scrutiny. No no, they wouldn't, this administration is SOOOOOO self-critical and progressive. (Writer pukes.)

    Re: HHS Chief: Death Toll in the Thousands (none / 0) (#2)
    by wishful on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:12 PM EST
    I believe the Bush regime is in the process of a test run for its new vision for fixing Social Security. They want to see how we react to outright death by criminal federal gov't neglect of our most vulnerable--the elderly, infirm, destitute, and poorest of the poor. Our reaction to this travesty perpetrated on the American public in crisis will tell them all they need to know. Next will be: SSA Chief, Ongoing Death Toll in the Thousands--Per Day. If we let it. In their more impotent days, they called it Social Darwinism. Now they call it Compassionate Conservatism.

    Re: HHS Chief: Death Toll in the Thousands (none / 0) (#3)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:12 PM EST
    Tens of thousands may even fall short of the mark.

    Re: HHS Chief: Death Toll in the Thousands (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    Let's hope the Fed's and all other agencies trying to help the survivors don't drag their heels too much longer, otherwise a few thousand more might be added to the list.

    Re: HHS Chief: Death Toll in the Thousands (none / 0) (#5)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    The numbers may have changed but here is what I was aware of in the last few days: Viewer discretion is advised. Really... Population of the greater New Orleans area: 1,300,000 million human beings - all colors, all sexes, all ages. Some were mothers, some were fathers. Some were sons, and some were daughters. They were all neighbors. 80% of them evacuated = 1,040,000 20% (approx) left behind = 260,000 I heard estimates on the networks early in the week that that as many as 1/3 of those left behind may have drowned, or died by other means. 260,000 / 3 = 86,000... I think that I will go for a walk, for a bit...

    Re: HHS Chief: Death Toll in the Thousands (none / 0) (#6)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:15 PM EST
    There's no way you can get your mind around those numbers. Hurricane Mitch killed 12,000 people in Honduras and Nicaragua in 1998. Entire towns disappeared. I never thought anything like that could happen here.

    Re: HHS Chief: Death Toll in the Thousands (none / 0) (#7)
    by kipling on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:15 PM EST
    Hurricane Mitch killed 12,000 people in Honduras and Nicaragua in 1998. Entire towns disappeared. I never thought anything like that could happen here. The comparison with Third World banana republics is instructive. Yes, the US is now a Third World dictatorship, it's official! And, let's think about it a bit, shall we? Why DO "things like that" happen in places like Honduras and Nicaragua?

    HHS Chief: Death Toll in the Thousands | 7 comments (7 topical)