spook of the ozarks

unapologetic liberal

Monday, September 05, 2005

The fish rots from the head

The answer to the queston below. No disrespect for these dedicated FEMA workers. They face a horrifying task.

Journalists were given a tour today of a vast, temporary mortuary site set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in St. Gabriel, La., a tiny hamlet about 12 miles east of Baton Rouge and 70 miles from New Orleans.
The bodies will be brought to the site in refrigerated trucks, officials said, and will be processed in a massive warehouse next to St. Gabriel's town hall and baseball field.
Bodies will begin to arrive later today, they said.
Todd Ellis, commander of the FEMA's Disaster Mortuary Operations team, said officials have initial plans to handle 5,000 bodies, most coming from areas west of the Mississippi River, including New Orleans.
Bodies will be decontaminated and examined. DNA, fingerprints and digital dental x-rays will be taken and the bodies and their identification information will then be turned over to the state. Families will identify the bodies and will receive the remains from state officials.
"The function of this facility is to care for the victims and hopefully provide some solace for the families," said Louis Cataldie, FEMA medical incident commander at the site.
He said they will be able to process 140 bodies each 24 hours.

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