Hundreds are now feared dead in the wake of Hurricane Katrina after it
swept a path of destruction and devastation across the US Gulf Coast, reports Reuters. Helicopters and boats are being used to rescue survivors clinging to
rooftops as the water levels rise in the city of New Orleans – 80% of
which is now under water. Though not the worst hit by the hurricane,
the city sits mostly below sea level, and is protected by a network of
pumps, canals and levees. Helicopters have begun dropping 3,000-pound
sandbags onto the levee, hoping to close the breach, according to The Guardian. But as the water
rises in the city’s Superdome, where thousands of the evacuated are
huddled, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco described the situation as
“untenable” and “just heartbreaking.”

While it will be days yet before the full extent of the damage is
known, the death toll is expected to be higher than feared, with a death toll of 100
in one Mississippi county alone. The damage bill is being estimated at more than $US 25 billion,
confirming fears the storm could be the US insurance industry’s most
expensive natural disaster ever, reports BBC News.
Meanwhile, the price of crude oil on the international market hit a new
record at $70.86 a barrel thanks to the vulnerability of oil and gas
fields in the Gulf of Mexico.

Police have announced a state of martial law as looters
take to the streets in search of food, water, and valuables in New
Orleans – which stands on the brink of an “apocalypse scenario,” if
this report from The Independent is anything to go by. Residents have been warned from returning to the city, where, in the
absence of food, water, gas and electricity, residents would be
entering a “wilderness,” reports Forbes. And with the overflow of sewerage and no clean drinking water supply, the health risks are severe.

And as President Bush cuts short his vacation to deal with the disaster locals are referring to as “our tsunami,”
the Pentagon is mobilising more than 100,00 troops as part of the
relief effort, which is expected to be a “long-term operation,” reports
CNN.